Gina Belafonte

“During the civil rights movement of the 1960s, there were many many meetings held at my home with the leaders we all know, Dr. King, Fannie Lou Hamer, many of those who were part of the student non-violent coordinating committee, SNCC. And as a young girl my mom would put me to work at our dining room table licking stamps and stuffing envelopes to send out flyers to the community keeping them informed of upcoming gatherings and campaigns. I would sit around the table and listen to the wisdom of my elders, leaning into the pearls that were dropped. What a gift to be in the rarefied air of giants.”

Artivist Gina Belafonte is the Executive Director of Sankofa.org a non-profit which educates, motivates, and activates artists and allies in service of grassroots movements and equitable change.

An award-winning producer, director, and cultural organizer, Gina is driven by the most urgent social and political issues of our time using art as a tool to fulfill the mission of Sankofa.org.  As a visiting professor, lecturer, and public speaker, Gina works with diverse artists, activists, and organizations worldwide to promote cultural and civic engagement and has assisted in mobilizing one of the largest cultural gatherings of artists in the world.