People:
Ajamu Brown
Bed-stuy Eco-mapping Project Founder
In November 2009, Ajamu became one of 40 individuals selected to participate in the TogetherGreen Fellowship Program – a nationwide program funded by Audubon and Toyota to support conservation projects, train environmental leaders and offer volunteer opportunities to significantly benefit the environment. This generous award will help to support his community project of developing a green-map designed to educate and engage residents, businesses and decision makers about the locations of sustainable living activities in his community of Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. Once the maps are completed, Ajamu plans to use them to facilitate a series of neighborhood workshops at his neighborhood’s oldest African-American led environmental organization – the Magnolia Tree Earth Center – on the importance of environmental stewardship, energy conservations and food sovereignty.
Clarisa James – Green Stuy Video Project Leader
Co-Founder – DIVAS for Social Justice
Clarisa is the Executive Director of DIVAS for Social Justice. Ms. James has an MFA from the Integrated Media Arts Program at Hunter College and has dedicated her life’s work to training youth in under served communities in creating socially conscious media and bridging the digital divide. From 2009-2012, Ms. James trained 24 youth in documentary style film and photography for the Bed Stuy Community Eco-Mapping Project. Under Ms. James direction, the youth produced the following community garden short films: Hattie Carthan Community Garden, Red Gate Garden, Umoja Garden, Mt. Lebanon Garden, The Bed Stuy Farm, Quincey Community Garden, Shiloh Community Garden, and the Jefferson Ave. TNT Block Association Garden.
Sha Sha Feng – Web/Graphics + Mapping Project Leader
Co-Founder – DIVAS for Social Justice
Sha Sha combines the best of both the arts and technology to develop socially conscious media. She is a multimedia programmer and designer and holds a BA in Computer Science and Music and MFA in Integrated Media Arts from Hunter College. Her work includes a range of experiments which integrate web based art and open source technologies.
Alena Shurauka – DIVAS Web & Graphics Intern
Alena grew up in Minsk, Belarus, where she attended Belarusian State University. She moved to the U.S. as an exchange student in 2003. She is now finishing her degree with double-major in Media Studies & German at Hunter College. Her interests include interactive media art, technology, industrial design, typography, German Language and Literature.
DIVAS Student Participants:
2010
Stevenson Catul: Lead Web Video Editor, Camera
Alfonso Francois-Gonzalez- Sound Man
Diana Maldanado- Still Image Photographer
Luishka Roberts- Lighting, Interviewer
Imani Hall- Camera
NyAisha Pete- Camera & Sound, Interviewer
Jasminn Primo- Camera & Sound
DeNeika Ward- Camera & Sound
2011
Jada Martin-Capers-Still Image Camera
Aliah Gilkes-Interviewer
Fatima Fuentes-Still Image Camera
Sasha Sardinha-Camera
Jasmine O’Neil- Interviewer
Shalaun Nelson-Camera & Sound
Leah Davis-Camera
Shatanese Gates-Sound
Benjamin Ortiz-Lighting
Nathan Harris_Camera
Victor Reid-Sound
2012
Olga Sanchez-Camera
Ericka Sanchez- Sound
Grisel Nunez- Still Image Camera
Ryan Sardhina- Still Image Camera
Nickesha Lindsay – Designed original logo BedStuy
Gardeners Interviewed:
Marjorie Bryant – Mt. Lebanon Garden
Dorothy Sherman- Quincey Community Garden
Altovoise Leary – Jefferson Ave. TNT Block Association Garden
Frank Lane – Umoja Garden
Yonette Flemming – Hattie Carthan Community Garden
Rasheed Hislop – Shiloh Community Garden
Red Gate Garden- Sherry WIlliams
The Bed Stuy Farm- Rev. Robert Ennis Jackson
Mara Gittleman- Founder of Farming Concrete
Designed Gardener Surveys
Aletha Maybank, MD, MPH – Assistant Commissioner
New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
Organizations:
TogetherGreen
DIVAS for Social Justice
We Are All Brooklyn, Leading by Giving Grant 2010
Green Stuy Video Project
New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
2012 Brooklyn Arts Council-Re-Grant, Local Arts Support