BLAC® D.C. Artist of the Week: Dr. Khadijah Z. Ali-Coleman

Our D.C. Artist of the Week is Dr. Khadijah Z. Ali-Coleman, Ed.D. Dr. Ali-Coleman is a cultural curator, national speaker, community organizer, and accomplished writer.

She is the author of the children’s book “Mariah’s Maracas” which teaches children about different percussive instruments and the connective power of music.

She’s also the co-editor of “Homeschooling Black Children in the US: Theory, Practice and Popular Culture.” The book focuses on systemic racism and relevant issues that push students to prefer homeschooling. It also illustrates the ways homeschooling helps students develop self-determination.

Outside of her books, Dr. Ali-Coleman has written several plays which have been presented in venues throughout the country, including in the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Theater Alliance, and Baltimore Theater Project. 

Community engagement and creating space for other Black artists to thrive are central to Dr. Ali-Coleman’s work. She is a leader of the Liberated Muse Arts Group which curates events for artists and non-profit organizations. From the “To Haiti, With Love” fundraiser for victims of the 2010 Haitian earthquake to their annual Juneteenth events and showcases at The Artomatic, Liberated Muse has served and highlighted a niche of community-minded, social-justice-centric artists. 

She has also performed as a spoken word artist and singer under the stage name Khadijah Moon. Her CD “Song of a Space Cadet” was released in 2016 after she was awarded a 2015 Maryland State Arts Council Independent Artist award for non-Classical Solo Vocal Performance. She served as a poetry host from 2015–2018 at the flagship Busboys & Poets location in Washington, D.C.

From 2019–2021, Dr. Ali-Coleman was a Theater Alliance Quadrant Playwright. She was also a 2019 Fulbright-Hays scholar, a 2015 Maryland State Arts Council Independent Artist awardee, and a recipient of the 2012 Prince George’s County Social Innovation Fund Forty Under 40 award. 

Dr. Ali-Coleman holds a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, a master’s degree in mass communication from Towson University, and a doctorate in education from Morgan State University.

You can learn more about Liberates Muse and how to attend their next event by visiting their website. Also, check out Dr. Khadijah Z. Ali-Coleman’s website for more information about her work as an artist, educator and curator.