Arlette Miller Smith PhD

Featured Leader: Arlette Miller Smith PhD

ARLETTE MILLER SMITH, PHD is Founding Dean, Multicultural Affairs and Diversity Programs; Associate Professor of English; Director of African American Studies minor; adjunct inaugural faculty member in the Executive Leadership Doctoral Program at St. John Fisher University in Rochester, New York. A native of Vicksburg, Mississippi, she is a well-known educator, motivational speaker, workshop leader, vocalist, and dramatist. Miller Smith’s academic interests center on the intersections of the raced, gendered, classed, and artistic voices of African American women; the written production of 19th century African American women writers-speakers; socio-political movements in African American life, particularly the 19th century colored club women’s movement and African American women in the modern civil rights movement. In short, Miller Smith is interested in the impact of external forces on the interior lives of African American women.

Miller Smith envisions herself as a BlkLiteraryHerstorian—that is, a woman who chronicles the herstory of her African American people. As a poet, her poem “In Anticipation of You”—the first selection in Go, Tell Michelle: African American Women Write to the New First Lady—was featured on NPR, CNN and in Rochester’s Democrat & Chronicle. She also wrote the foreword for Dear Kamala: Write to the New Vice President (Brooks-Bertram). Miller Smith is the recipient of numerous community awards including the Harriet Tubman Humanitarian Achievement Award, as well as others from the Girl Scouts, the Links, the Urban League, Latinas Unidas, City of Rochester’s Black Heritage Award, and the Negro Business and Professional Women’s Club where she received the prestigious Sojourner Truth Award and a finalist for the prestigious Athena Award.

Additionally, Miller Smith is the founder and artistic director of AKOMA, Rochester’s African American Women’s Gospel Choir whose West African name means patience, endurance, consistency and faithfulness. AKOMA was founded in 1995 and her choral ministry is rooted in the African American sacred song and spoken word traditions. The choir’s Scholarship Fund has raised more than $200,000.00 for college-bound African American females who live in Greater Rochester.

The herstory of AKOMA’s evolution as an organization, along with that of the a cappella group Sweet Honey in the Rock, is the title of Miller Smith’s dissertation: Speaking the Song, Spreading the Word, Lifting the People: the Reimagination of Community Through Vocal Music Activism.

Miller Smith received her doctorate in American Studies from the University at Buffalo; her Master’s degree in English from Michigan State University; and her undergraduate degree in English from Tougaloo College.

Although Miller Smith is retired, she continues to maintain active membership on several boards; serve on dissertation committees; collaborate with local and other scholar-writers on conference and other research projects; and to manage, raise scholarship donations for, and sing with AKOMA.

Essayist: Dr. Tokeya C. Graham, EdD

DR. TOKEYA C. GRAHAM, EdD is a multi-award-winning educator, writer, entrepreneur, and community activist who champions racial equity, literacy, and community care. She is the founder of Soulstainable Living LLC, an equity-focused consulting firm that leads The Black Healing Project and Blue Flame Publications. Dr. Graham is also the author of The Black Healing Project workbook. A proud Rochester, NY native, she holds degrees from Monroe Community College, SUNY Brockport, and the University of Rochester. She is a dedicated wife, mother of three adult children, and grandmother. For more information, visit https://linktr.ee/TokeyaCGraham.

Photographer: Cocoa Rae David

COCOA RAE DAVID is a New York-based visual artist, curator, photographer, award-winning filmmaker, and business owner of By Cocoa Rae LLC, who creates captivating portraits and art of unique and diverse people and captures their true essence. Her style consists of vivid colors, Afrocentric shapes, vibes, and bold lighting techniques. Cocoa's goal is to create a new style of photography and art that promotes individuality, authenticity, body positivity, and self-love. Cocoa Rae's photographic portfolio includes fashion, editorials, portraiture, and fine arts. Currently, Cocoa shoots both film and digital photography. Cocoa Rae has a BFA in Photography and an MFA in Visual Studies. Through all her years of work, Cocoa Rae has collaborated with various people and institutions, such as The Slave Dwelling Project, The Cocktail Bandits, Charleston Fashion Week, Charleston Magazine, TEDx Talks, Visual Studies Workshop, Rochester Artist Collaborative, Writers and Books, George Eastman House, and various others. In addition, she also curated two BLM exhibitions in honor of Daniel Prude.