ACT-SO Alumni Profile: Goldie E. Deane

To celebrate Women's History Month, NAACPConnect is highlighting ACT-SO alumnae charting their course and making history in 2014.

Name: Goldie E. Deane

ACT-SO Category: Poetry and Dramatic Interpretation

Goldie E. Deane is a Detroit native currently living in Washington DC. as a playwright, performer scholar, curator and teacher and cultural practitioner of hip-­hop culture. Goldie has gained recognition for her passion for bridging the generational gap in the hip-­‐hop community for women. Most recently named one of the top 40 under 40 by the Envest Foundation, Goldie is a  self-­‐proclaimed "hip-­‐hop womanist", using education and art to create conversations and movements that empower Black women and girls socially and politically.

A graduate of Howard University's Theatre Arts Department, Goldie’s acting career took off early giving her the opportunity to work under the direction of Ricardo Khan, Dominique Morisseau, and Playwright Sybil Williams. Some of her work includes, "HERstory: Love Forever, Hip-­‐Hop", “Unpacked”, “Bite Me” and most recently, “Feminine Folklore”. After writing, directing, and producing her original works, Deane, published her first book of poetry, Soulatude. Goldie has been a feature poet and performer at several poetry venues nationwide, and has led several creative writing workshops and presentations internationally.

After successfully completing the Non-Profit Roundtable’s Future Executive Director Fellowship, Goldie, founder and Executive Director of F.R.E.S.H.H. Inc, Females Representing Every Side of Hip-­‐Hop, began building and developing the next generation of the female hip-hop community; young sisters from 11-­‐25. Goldie is currently working on the third year of the Power of the Pen, an all girls Hip-­‐Hop theatre summer program through FRESHH Inc, as well as launching new programming with local schools and institutions in the District of Columbia and a Hip-Hop rites of passage program for middle school and high school aged young women. Through FRESHH Inc Deane offers consulting for local grantmakers, funders, and organizations to increase their community engagement, advocacy efforts, and cultural competency. 

read more

A Tribute to Roslyn M. Brock

NAACP Youth Leaders pay tribute to Women in the NAACP during Black History Month. This tribute is submitted on behalf of Da'Quan Love, member of the NAACP National Board of Directors from Henrico, Virginia and a senior at Hampton University.

Even before she gaveled the NAACP centennial convention to order, Roslyn M. Brock has been a rising star in the nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization. As a freshman on the campus of Virginia Union University she became actively involved in the NAACP and quickly rose through the ranks becoming President of the Virginia State Conference Youth and College Division. It was only a year after becoming state president that she was elected to the NAACP National Board of Directors. In 2010, she was unanimously elected Chairman of the NAACP National Board of Directors.

What makes Chairman Brock different?

Her leadership style has been uniquely transformative. Before becoming Board Chairman, she was Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chairman of the NAACP Convention Planning Committee. As chairman of the conventions for a decade, she transformed the Association's  annual gathering into to the must-attend event for civil rights conversation in the African American community. Her business-minded leadership resulted in the convention becoming a profit-center for the Association, increasing the number of corporate and in-kind sponsors.

As someone who grew up in the Association, Chairman Brock has been a voice of courage and an avid supporter of youth, college and young professional leadership. Her strong belief in the future of the Association birthed the Leadership 500 Summit. Now in its 10th year, the summit offers itself as a fertile training ground for young professionals to transition into leadership roles within the NAACP. This unique retreat has proven itself by many of its alumni now serving as successful branch presidents and members of the National Board of Directors.

Transformative leadership is innovative, sets clear, bold direction, and empowers others to grow and develop. Chairman Brock has demonstrated such transformative leadership through her actions in various capacities throughout her service to the NAACP. From her college years when she served as Chairman of the NAACP National Youth Work Committee, to now as Chairman of the NAACP National Board of Directors, Roslyn M. Brock continues to provide servant leadership for the NAACP.