Published: Wednesday, January 12, 2011
MLK celebration features singer, activist
Artist and globetrotting activist Derrick N. Ashong is bringing his message of harmony and cooperation to Lynnwood.
Ashong is the keynote speaker at Edmonds Community College's annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration on Jan. 18.
“It is an honor because it gives us all an opportunity to reflect on the teachings of Dr. King, particularly around issues of tolerance, social and economic justice and the power of people of goodwill coming together to pursue a common cause,” said Ashong, who is also known as DNA.
Ashong will speak about King's teachings and how they can be applied in today's world. He will discuss the concepts of culture, creativity and collaboration and the benefits they can have in changing the world.
The well-known musician has lectured on five continents and has spoken at the London School of Economics, the Reconciliation Forum in Washington, D.C. and the United Nations Alliance of Civilization to name a few.
“The most important message I am trying to convey,” Ashong said, “is that in our increasingly interconnected world, we have an unprecedented opportunity to empower ourselves and each other to make substantive and positive social change.”
Ashong never imagined himself as a public speaker. But as a musician and a student activist, he realized he had a great opportunity to deliver messages of goodwill for the youth of the world.
“My start in lecturing came through music and student activism,” he said. “I never imagined myself becoming a ‘public speaker,' but as a performer I often got the opportunity to stand up in front of people and convey my ideas through music and poetry… The opportunity to share my ideas with others is a real gift, and I try to always approach it with both artistry and intellectual substance.”
Ashong's profound experiences stretch far and wide. The Harvard-educated artist is the host of the “Derrick Ashong Experience” on SIRIUS XM's Oprah Radio, a show that features a mash-up of politics, pop culture, social media, music and the arts. He is the leader of the band Soulfege and he won Billboard Magazine 2007 World Song Writing Competition. In 1997 Ashong was cast in Steven Spielberg's “Amistad,” a historical drama based on the true story of a slave mutiny in 1839.
“This generation is coming of age at a time when the convergence of technology and various global crises have presented us with both the critical need to work together across boundaries of nation, ethnicity, race and religion,” Ashong said. “…If we are indeed the ‘people we have been waiting for' now is the time for we the people to stop waiting and start working towards a world with room for all of us.”
Ashong was born in Ghana, West Africa and has lived in New York, New Jersey and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; he currently resides in Los Angeles.
Ashong is the keynote speaker at Edmonds Community College's annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration on Jan. 18.
“It is an honor because it gives us all an opportunity to reflect on the teachings of Dr. King, particularly around issues of tolerance, social and economic justice and the power of people of goodwill coming together to pursue a common cause,” said Ashong, who is also known as DNA.
Ashong will speak about King's teachings and how they can be applied in today's world. He will discuss the concepts of culture, creativity and collaboration and the benefits they can have in changing the world.
The well-known musician has lectured on five continents and has spoken at the London School of Economics, the Reconciliation Forum in Washington, D.C. and the United Nations Alliance of Civilization to name a few.
“The most important message I am trying to convey,” Ashong said, “is that in our increasingly interconnected world, we have an unprecedented opportunity to empower ourselves and each other to make substantive and positive social change.”
Ashong never imagined himself as a public speaker. But as a musician and a student activist, he realized he had a great opportunity to deliver messages of goodwill for the youth of the world.
“My start in lecturing came through music and student activism,” he said. “I never imagined myself becoming a ‘public speaker,' but as a performer I often got the opportunity to stand up in front of people and convey my ideas through music and poetry… The opportunity to share my ideas with others is a real gift, and I try to always approach it with both artistry and intellectual substance.”
Ashong's profound experiences stretch far and wide. The Harvard-educated artist is the host of the “Derrick Ashong Experience” on SIRIUS XM's Oprah Radio, a show that features a mash-up of politics, pop culture, social media, music and the arts. He is the leader of the band Soulfege and he won Billboard Magazine 2007 World Song Writing Competition. In 1997 Ashong was cast in Steven Spielberg's “Amistad,” a historical drama based on the true story of a slave mutiny in 1839.
“This generation is coming of age at a time when the convergence of technology and various global crises have presented us with both the critical need to work together across boundaries of nation, ethnicity, race and religion,” Ashong said. “…If we are indeed the ‘people we have been waiting for' now is the time for we the people to stop waiting and start working towards a world with room for all of us.”
Ashong was born in Ghana, West Africa and has lived in New York, New Jersey and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; he currently resides in Los Angeles.