Black Like You—The Performance

Two poems tracing the rhythm of memory across oceans

In many ways, these poems have been decades in the making. Continental Crossings and Sonic Heritage are not just performances—they're extensions of a life raised in the deep roots of Pan-Africanism, from my mother’s Jamaican kitchen to the classrooms of Harvard.

I grew up reciting Malcolm X and Gwendolyn Brooks, dancing to Afrobeat and jazz, performing at Super Camp each summer alongside other Black girls learning to embody Ma’at’s principles of balance, truth, and reciprocity. That same spirit runs through this work—fueled by memory, rhythm, scholarship, and love.

This was my final project for Pan-African Musical Connections with Professors Monson and Terry, and I'm sharing it here because I believe in honoring the people and places that raised me. The performance video is below for paid subscribers, and my full program notes are shared in text here as a way to archive what can’t always be heard.