brontë velez
Lead to Life
Oakland, CA USA
"We need Black artists to help us imagine otherwise."
Career Roadmap
brontë's work combines: Art, Non-Profit Organizations, and Upholding a Cause and Belief
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
As a young Black person, society had already determined what my life would be like. I decided not to accept that. I learned to be in a politic of refusal. If you don't want to go down society's route, there's always another way and there's always someone who will support you through it. Finding my community was very important in this.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Brandeis University
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life took a while to figure out
1.
I’m from Atlanta, Georgia.
2.
Growing up, I went to schools that were focused on the arts.
3.
After realizing that I didn’t want equal economic status in a system that perpetuates harm, I decided to become a public servant and find alternative ways to live without standard wealth.
4.
The commemorative justice work I do now started with holding ceremonies in Atlanta to hold space for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other Black people who have been assassinated.
5.
I was moved and inspired by Mexican artist Pedro Reyes’ projects in which he transformed weapons into shovels and instruments—I wanted to share this ritual in the United States.
6.
I collaborated with a friend to create Lead to Life, a collective devoted to Black wellness and racial justice—we also turn guns into shovels and other ritual items.
7.
In addition to my work with Lead to Life, I also teach for Weaving Earth, a school for nature connection and ancestral art skills.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Society in general:
Your life is predetermined.
How I responded:
As a young Black person, society had already determined what my life would be like. I decided not to accept that. I learned to be in a politic of refusal. If you don't want to go down society's route, there's always another way and there's always someone who will support you through it. Finding my community was very important in this.