Uplift: She uses power of dance as activism, and honoring sacred spaces tied to African-American heritage.

Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Stacey Allen.

Founder and artistic director of Nia’s Daughters Movement Collective. The conversation centers around the power of dance as activism, preserving Black history, and honoring sacred spaces tied to African-American heritage. Stacey also shares details about her Juneteenth performance in Galveston and the deep cultural research driving her work.

📘 Featured Books
• Author: Stacey Allen
• Titles: Two children’s books inspired by Black history and cultural storytelling
• Award: 2024 Children’s Publication Award from the National Association of Multicultural Education
• Purpose: Educate young readers on the legacy of African-American heritage through empowering stories and dance narratives

💃🏾 About Nia’s Daughters Movement Collective
• Mission: To support art and wellness initiatives through the lens of Black women and girls
• Focus: Dance as a medium for healing, history, and empowerment
• Performances: The Fairytale Project explores the Texas Freedom Colonies and African-American migration stories
• Tours: Performed in Texas small towns and juvenile justice centers to inspire justice-impacted youth

💡 Key Themes & Insights
• Juneteenth Legacy: Honoring Galveston as sacred ground—the site where freedom was delayed but celebrated
• African Diaspora Connection: Stacey recounts her emotional visit to Gorée Island, Senegal, linking slave departure points to arrival ports like Galveston
• Freedom Colonies: Texas has over 500 historically Black towns built post-emancipation, which Stacey incorporates into her performances
• Dance as Resistance: The Collective uses choreography to tell untold stories of Black resilience, cultural identity, and social justice
• Educational Responsibility: Rashad and Stacey discuss the systemic erasure of Black history and the need to reclaim it through grassroots storytelling

🔁 Personal Journey
• Stacey, a native Houstonian with a degree in dance and anthropology, has committed her life to storytelling through movement
• Her work blends academic research with lived experiences, from rural Texas to West Africa, using dance to preserve ancestral memory

📣 Call to Action
Listeners are encouraged to support Stacey’s work, book her company for performances, and share her children’s books in classrooms and libraries. Visit niasdaughters.com or follow @niasdaughters on Instagram and Facebook.

#SHMS #STRAW #BEST

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