Connect
To Top

Meet Tamika Sanders

Avatar photo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tamika Sanders.

Can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today. You can include as little or as much detail as you’d like.
My story revolves around arts, education and community and it started with being conscious of how society at large viewed my community.

Growing up in South Phoenix, I was always conscious of how my community felt about me. There was a Church on one corner and a liquor store on the other side. You could either give your problems to the Lord or drown them in a bottle. I wasn’t fond of either choice, so I looked to books and school as my outlet and means of escape. In school, however, I was always searching for myself in the curriculum or the pages of history. I looked forward to Black History Month, but was always disappointed at the paragraph that summed up Black History into a series of statements that included we were slaves, the Emancipation Proclamation and Martin Luther King Jr. I knew there had to be more! Not just about Black history, but Hispanic, Latino, Indigenous and Asian history too.

So my research began and the library became my best friend. I spent hours in libraries and the more I learned, the more distrustful of education I became. No where in my textbooks were the names of Black, Hispanic or Indigenous inventors or contributions they made to make America what it is today. No wonder why some people think that “Black History” is something Black people made up to feel better about themselves. Because if the history is true, why isn’t it in the history books?

This question of “Why” is what drove me to learn and question everything I knew about “education” and “history” and seek to balance learning environments that often leave students of color at odds with curriculum that ignores them or portrays them as “less” than their white counterparts.

We moved around a lot when I was younger. One year, we moved six times, so I stopped making friends. I thought, “What was the point if I was just going to have to leave them.” Books and words became my friends. I would fill journals with stories and poems,

but never imagined that sharing my poems and stories could help others find their voice!

Has it been a smooth road?
The road has definitely not been easy!

Although changing student demographics in education are making the term “diversity” a topic of interest, findings indicate that educators, administrators, and those in key leadership positions are at odds when deciding how best to meet the needs of diverse students. 

I have faced educators that argue all students learn the same and that culture has no place in the classroom except to divide students. Educators perception of multicultural initiatives as a bridge or barrier determines if and how they will use such practices in their classroom. To help educators see the impact of culture in the classroom, I often use poetry and storytelling to give teachers the opportunity to see things from the student’s point of view. I also offer training to schools in the areas of teaching, professional development, curriculum and programming. 

Despite the nationwide emphasis on school improvement, ineffective policies, training, and educational practices are obstacles to accomplishing change.

We’d love to learn more about your work. What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of as a brand, organization, service provider or creative? What sets you apart from others?
My passion is arts education and creating strategic partnerships between students, learning institutions, and the communities in which they reside in. A great example of this is the Community Conversation we produced in October that was sponsored by the Phoenix Youth Hostel & Cultural Center and the ASU Empty Space Theater. The event was a kickoff for our show “skinnyblk” which depicted the journey of Sean Avery’s life navigating the stereotypes of blackness, toxic masculinity, identity and sexuality. In the community dialogue, we did a series of activities that asked people to examine damaging stereotypes related to race, gender and sexuality then reframe those messages. It was beautiful to see people who had carried inside them the most painful words, cover that negativity with a positive affirmation, so that the hateful words no longer had power over them.

Bringing youth to the forefront and showcasing their voice is very important to me! I sponsor an annual “MLK Creative Writing Contest” for students in grades 3-12 to write a poem or essay about a dream they have for themselves or their community. Four winners are selected and receive a $100 and the opportunity to read their winning submission at a public event. I have been sponsoring this contest since 2010 and am always inspired by the poems and stories students share.

I am also excited about projects I am doing in the poetry community to highlight local poets. We recently finished auditions for a poetry contest called, “I Got the Last Word” that will follow 30 contestants as they compete over the course of 6 weeks to win the grand prize of $1,000. Preliminary Rounds will begin Saturday, September 7th and conclude on October 12th when the final winner is selected. The goal is to pitch the contest as a reality television show that will showcase poets in a different city every season.

Art has a way of reaching people in a way that facts and statistics cannot. It can move people to the middle on controversial topics like gun control or immigration that would otherwise have stayed on opposite sides of the spectrum, unwilling to see any other viewpoint but their own.

Two community partnerships that help me use art to influence change on a larger scale are Rising Youth Theatre and the Bi-National Arts Residency. Rising Youth Theatre tackles controversial topics using the tools of theatre and storytelling to craft interactive productions in non-traditional spaces. I have had the pleasure of being a part of “The Kid’s Table,” a story about how teachers actions in the classroom can make students feel welcomed or unwelcomed and “Bodies are Magic,” a show about the visible and invisible ways in which body identity is formed and how we struggle to find the beauty and magic in ourselves. Rising Youth is currently working in partnership with the ACLU and the Black Mother’s Forum on the Demand to Learn campaign focused on unequal disciplinary practices and the school push out of black and brown students.

The Bi-National Arts Residency (BNAR) is a collective of arts organizations that brings artists, cultural leaders and students together to develop artistic workshops, performances and public talks. Now in its fourth year, BNAR works with communities in Phoenix (US), Tucson (US), Douglas (US), Agua Prieta (MX), and Hermosillo (MX) challenging us to think about what constitutes as “community” and the many barriers that divide us.

I am best known for creating interactive programs through my company, Savvy Pen, that incorporate arts learning, social justice and training to bridge cultural and socioeconomic divides between educators and students. Through Savvy Pen I have produced events that brought historical figures, like the musical giant Gil Scott Heron to the Madcap Theatre in 2010 and social activist Omar Bin Hassan from the “Last Poets” to the Herberger in 2009.

My work in the community earned me an invitation to speak at the TEDx Phoenix Salon about community sustainability in 2012, a Community Luminary Award in 2014, and a nomination for the 2015 Humanities Rising Star Award for individuals using creative approaches to engage the public in humanities topics.

I don’t do the work for recognition, but to create the change  I see necessary for a better future. I am a firm believer in the saying, “If you build it, they will come.” If you give people access to opportunities, they will take it. Growing up, I did not have access to mentors, service-learning, study abroad or entrepreneurial programs so I am providing a pathway to these platforms with the hope of breaking traditional barriers and inspiring youth to be the change they seek.

Where do you see your industry going over the next 5-10 years? Any big shifts, changes, trends, etc?
Technology and changing demographics are changing the landscape of education. Students now have the opportunity to enroll in courses on Coursera taught by some of the top professors from universities like Harvard and Yale. Students have more power to demand the type of education they are willing to pay for and how they want to receive that education. Questions about the cost of education and the amount of student debt that the average graduate has are also things that could change the administration of education. Recent studies have also shown that 80-90% of parents of color lack faith in schools to properly teach and engage their children. As a result, many parents are turning to homeschool and community-based schools that give them more control on what their children are being taught and how lessons are administered. This is allowing students to enter college and graduate well before age 18. Access to information through the internet is also creating more entrepreneurs under 18 then ever before, which challenges the idea that you have to go to college to be successful.

All in all, the future of education is changing. I believe it’s changing for the better. The educational system as it now stands has been broken for a long time and is due for an overhaul. Education has never been equal or equitable for all students, so any change that moves us closer to that, is positive change in my book!

Contact Info:

Image Credit: The photos were taken by myself or from partnerships in which I have permission to use for marketing or advertisement purposes. Suggest a story: VoyagePhoenix is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.

Related Items

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More in