Tarana B.

Tarana has worked in social justice and Black arts and culture for more than 20 years. Her long and varied professional career started in Selma, AL where, over the span of a decade, she worked with the 21st Century Youth Leadership Movement helping to develop hundreds of youth leaders across the country; at the National Voting Rights Museum & Institute serving as a curatorial and special projects consultant and helping to organize the annual commemoration and celebration of the Selma Voting Rights Struggle; and as Executive Director of the Black Belt Arts and Cultural Center where she created and oversaw cultural community programs designed for underserved youth. Tarana’s work in Selma earned her a consulting position with the production of the 2014, Oscar nominated film, SELMA directed by Ava DuVernay whom she met while serving as Managing Director of Art Sanctuary, a Black arts organization based in Philadelphia.
Tarana is passionate about social justice and has made a lifelong commitment to serving the causes of people of color and marginalized groups with a particular focus on young women and girls. She has done organizing work from the deep South to the East Coast dealing with issues ranging from economic justice to police brutality. In 2003 she turned her focus to young women of color and co-founded Jendayi Aza an African-centered Rites of Passage program for girls. That program eventually evolved into the creation of Just Be, Inc. Since its inception, Just Be has served hundreds of girls around the country through unique programming and workshops.

Specialties: Non-profit management, Organizational Development, Facilitation, Training, Curriculum Development, Workshop Design, Program Development/Management/Evaluation, Event Planning/Coordination and Development/Fundraising (grant writing).

Specific Areas of Expertise:
Women/Girls Issues, Arts & Culture Programming, Race/Class/Poverty Issues & Youth Leadership Development