AISHA FUKUSHIMA

BIO:

Aisha Fukushima is a singer, poet and self-proclaimed ‘RAPtivist’ (rap activist) hailing from Seattle, Washington / Yokohama, Japan. Aisha graduated from Whitman College in 2009 with an honors degree in Rhetoric and Film Studies and minors in French and Gender Studies. Upon graduating, Aisha travelled the world on a Watson Fellow and created an international ‘RAPtivism’ (rap activism) project. Having lived in cities as diverse as Bangalore, Casablanca, London, Dakar, Cape Town and Copenhagen, she is constantly working to expand her knowledge of the intersections between hip hop and social justice around the globe. Aisha has been writing and performing poetry and original music for over ten years. She has also established several community-based youth programs in Washington including the ‘Turn Off The Stereotypes’ project and the Whitman Institute of Summer Enrichment (WISE). In addition to working with The Workshop, Aisha teaches middle schoolers in the San Francisco public school district, writes articles for New America Media and is working on a documentary film about her international ‘RAPtivism’ journey. In her free time, she enjoys learning new languages, visiting the farmers market and beatboxing. To learn more about her current work, visit http://raptivism.tumblr.com