Projects
Raquel has not only focused her work on empowering misrepresented peoples, but labored to amplify how personal complexities and identities influence human options, conditions and experiences for the worldwide populace.
Below is a sampling of projects she has initiated across the fields of art, leadership, community development and cultural anthropology.
Art
DOPE SWAN
DOPE SWAN is a community arts organization focused on providing outlets that support and engage emerging creative talents within the visual and performing arts. Through collaborations with underrepresented artists and partnerships with educators, activists and community leaders, DOPE SWAN works to strengthen the connections between art, livelihood and community. Learn more about DOPE SWAN and its initiatives.
VERBALISMS Magazine
During it’s publishing run, VERBALISMS Magazine, was the only culture and lifestyle magazine about women in hip-hop. Uniting the ideas and sources that shape the mainstream and underground movements of hip-hop, VERBALISMS provided an irreverent, fresh perspective not found in any other lifestyle, culture or music magazine. The archived content can be found at www.verbalisms.com.
Leadership & Empowerment
Dream the Planet
Dream the Planet, a multidisciplinary program that fosters leadership, community responsibility and global engagement, uses technology to connect young women and girls, ages 9-18, across six continents to work together on finding solutions for common social issues. Learn more about Dream the Planet.
Debunking the Myth
Debunking the Myth is a workshop series that explores socio-cultural issues and topics across the globe. Read more about Debunking the Myth and the workshops offered through the program.
TEDxYouthInspire
Taking place in Accra, Ghana on April 10, 2010, TEDxYouthInspire will be an open space for the continent’s youngest visionaries to collaborate and reevaluate the possibilities of creating a better global community. Learn more.
Cultural Anthropology
Every Tongue: a storytelling project
Every Tongue is a mapping and storytelling project aimed at connecting and empowering women through multimedia narratives of identity and culture. Every Tongue is designed to confront pivotal contemporary discourse on citizenship and identity negotiations through the lives of women.
Representing Lovely
Representing Lovely is a podcast and discussion series that serves as an open avenue for the conversations and debates that give insight into how women effect and are affected by the politics, revolutions and lifestyles of hip-hop culture.