Ms. Afrika Abney - Consultant

The deadline for the annual essay has been extended to November 5th. So, if you know a young lady between the age of 13 and 18 and live in Washington, DC and they are interested in participating in the essay contest, please have them send their essays to estherproductionsinc@gmail.com. 4th Annual Essay Contest presented by Esther Productions, Inc in partnership with The Anacostia Coordinating Council and The Black Student Fund NOW EXTENDED THROUGH NOVEMBER 5TH! Discovering Me…Without You was launched in 2019 by the Fatherless Daughter Empowerment Project, a division of Esther Productions Inc. The essay contest is designed to educate the public about the importance of fathers in the lives and development of girls and women. Nationally, more than 24 million children are growing up in homes without their fathers. In the Washington Metropolitan region at least 60 percent of homes are single parent households, many of them headed by women. The contest is intended to provide a platform for s

  I attended a DC Public School from 1991 - 1993 and graduated from the school when I was 16 which was in 1993.  I attended Bell from 1991-1993. I graduated in 1993 and was 16 at that time. Years later, I donated the painting shown in the above photo. Additionally, I gave away the clothing articles and jewelry shown in the photo above. Additionally, I provided many services for several DC Public Schools. Some of them include B arnard E.S., H.D. Cooke, Calvin Coolidge High School, and Eliot Middle School. Selected Pro Bono Experiences Career Day Presentations Washington, D.C. Calvin Coolidge High School, 1996;  Eliot Middle School, 2016 Conducted career day presentations at several schools. DCPS' Beautification Day  DCPS' Beautification Day  Barnard,  2009 - 2011  H.D. Cooke, 2012-2013 Took photos Parent Chaperone Barnard - 2009 - 2011 H.D. Cooke - 2012 - 2015 E. L. Haynes - 2016 - 2017 To be present as an adult at a social event for young people to encourage correct behavior

    "Efficiency is doing things right; effectiveness is doing the right things." - Peter Drucker "While there is no correct way to make a work of art, there are efficient means and tried and true practices. One should not be ignorant of these guidelines. Painting is an old craft, and there is no need to reinvent the wheel. " - Peter William Brown "There can be economy only where there is efficiency. " -  Benjamin Disraeli "By concentrating our efforts upon a few major goals, our efficiency soars, our projects are completed, we are going somewhere. "  Michael Korda

    “How we perceive a situation and how we react to it is the basis of our stress. If you focus on the negative in any situation, you can expect high stress levels. However, if you try and see the good in the situation, your stress levels will greatly diminish.”  – Catherine Pulsifer “Every day brings a choice: to practice stress or to practice peace.” – Joan Borysenko “When we commit to action, to actually doing something rather than feeling trapped by events, the stress in our life becomes manageable.” – Greg Anderson “In times of stress, the best thing we can do for each other is to listen with our ears and our hearts and to be assured that our questions are just as important as our answers.” – Fred Rogers

                                                       I have never been married and therefore, happiness for me is creating my abstract paintings and having people buy some of them. Different people have different definitions of what hapiness means to them. "Happiness is largely a choice, not a right or entitlement."David C. Hill "Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions."Dalai Lama "Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort."Franklin D. Roosevelt "Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony."Mahatma Gandhi "Happiness is an inside job." - William Arthur Ward " Happiness  is generally defined as the state of mind in which a living being feels pleasure and contentment."

“Colorism is a painting style characteristic for its use of intense color, and for making color itself the main compositional language. It also is referred to prejudice or discrimination against individuals with a dark skin tone, typically among people of the same ethnic or racial group.” In my case, I am a black woman who has experienced discrimination. Discrimination because of my race, gender, and age. This is an experience that unfortunately, many black people have experienced in today's society.

 My high school experiences were diverse and somewhat traumatizing for me. I had the opportunity to exhibit my artwork in New York City in 1993 at  The New Harlem Gallery (New York City, New York) and Wisteria ArtSpace (New York City, New York). I was 16 years old at that time. Additionally, I participated in the Congressional Art Competition from 1992 - 1993.   I was exposed to a diverse set of people with different backgrounds and sexual orientations from 1991 - 1993. I was often bullied about my name, height, and size. Fortunately, I expressed my anger throughout my visual artwork. Each of these experiences allowed me to produce a different set of artwork and develop a wide range of skills. 

My college experiences were diverse. I had the opportunity to exhibit my artwork in New York City in 1993 at  The New Harlem Gallery (New York City, New York) and Wisteria ArtSpace (New York City, New York). I was 16 years old at that time. Additionally, I participated in the Congressional Art Competition in 1993.   I was exposed to a diverse set of people with different backgrounds and sexual orientations from 1993 - 1997. I had the opportunity to met Ms. Lois Jones when I was a college student and exhibit my artwork in several exhibitions from 1996 - 1997. Among them include:  "Evolution of Historical Symbolisms." Corcoran Gallery of the Art, Hemicycle, Washington, DC. 1997; and  "All Senior Summer Show." Corcoran School of the Art, White Walls Gallery, Washington, DC. 1997-1996. Each of these experiences allowed me to produce a different set of artwork and develop a wide range of skills. 

  From 1995 - 2018, I  provided educational services at a wide variety of venues in Washington, D.C. I use my formal training and education in the arts to provide workshops and offer instruction. I possess a strong sense of artistry and forward-thinking, that is consistently displayed across all art pieces. I have developed great expertise in maintaining a productive classroom environment and emphasizing on student involvement in the learning process so that each student achieves the learning objectives. I am a recipient of the Young Artist Grant from the DC Commissions on the Arts and Humanities in 2003 and the recipient of the Arts in Education Grant from the DC Commissions on the Arts and Humanities from 1995 - 1998. I have provided educational consulting services for numerous small businesses, community centers, and non profits. Some of them include The Edlavitch Jewish Community Center of Washington, D.C., Higher Achievement, Kingdom Kids Care, M.O.M.I.E.S TLC, Reading Partners, C

                                                        Father Absence. Digital art created on canvas. Afrika Abney As an adult and consultant, Ms. Afrika Abney strongly believes the most painful, dreadful and difficult experience to face is growing up without a father in the home. Her father divorced her mother at an extremely early age and while Ms. Abney was a student at NationHouse. When she was a student at NationHouse from 1978-1991, Ms. Abney wondered why many of the men had multiple wives. She never understood that philosophy. This concept to her leaves girls confused. Furthermore, it makes them experience forms of neglect, or other issues because they are essentially sharing their father with other women. Those women may or may not become pregnant. She had encountered many of the symptoms that revolve around father absence at the age of 5. Ms. Abney believes that the problem now with today's society is that more men are not straight and this would add to the contribution o

In 1992, I did not attend a charter school. I have had a wide range opportunities that took place at various schools. I have not provided any services for schools as a consultant for a while. Among them include when I served as a substitute teacher for Mundo Verde PCS in 2013, I can recall working with some of the students and staff and sharing my passion and extensive background in visual arts. Additionally, I can recall when I served as a substitute teacher for DC International School. I knew a little bit of Spanish, but as a professional visual artist, I really enjoyed sharing my love and extensive background in visual arts with the students and some of the staff members at DC International from 2016-2017. Also when I served as an art elective Summer Camp teacher for Higher Achievement in 2013, the program took place at Center City Capitol Hill Campus. Providing each of these services in the past were a great opportunity for me. However, since these experiences, I have directed my

  Since the pandemic began in 2020, I have been branding myself as a consultant. As a consultant, my brand is comprised of consultant work, attitude, and goals. Furthermore, I use videos and other creative strategies to brand myself.  I have been providing services since 1992. Part of my consultant work requires me to outreach to schools, universities, churches, community centers and other businesses. I have been providing all of my services as a consultant online. 

                                                                 Since 2020, I have been wearing as it relates  to the Coronavirus/COVID - 19.  I think that face masks can tell a story about the person without the person saying anything. The Masks That I wear have represented who I am as an African American female and woman. I have worn many types of masks from dance customs to paper masks. Each of the masks that I have worn represent a different part of my character, background and personality.  "All of us have ways in which we mask and cover our pain." - Iyanla Vanzant  "Because the mask is your face, the face is a mask, so I'm thinking of the face as a mask because of the way I see faces is coming from an African vision of the mask which is the thing that we carry around with us, it is our presentation, it's our front, it's our face." - Faith Ringgold                                   The Masks That I wear. Digital art created on canvas. Afrika Abney

    "I am a Black Woman  is a poem that highlights the unique struggles that African Americans have faced throughout history, specifically focusing on African American women, and how that shaped them today as strong and resilient people. With strong use of symbolism and allusions, Evans notes specific times throughout history that have played major roles in the suffering of African American women. The poem highlights how this history of suffering and pain have helped define the black woman today as strong, and this unwavering strength is what it means to be a black woman. " I Am a Black Woman by Mari Evans I am a black woman the music of my song some sweet arpeggio of tears is written in a minor key and I can be heard humming in the night Can be heard humming in the night I saw my mate leap screaming to the sea and I/with these hands/cupped the lifebreath from  my issue in the canebrake I lost Nat’s swinging body in a rain of tears and heard my son scream all the way from Anz

Resilience in work for me is comprised of the following: authenticity, purpose and networks as I have been working from home for many years. It is important for me to utilize this skill because I deal with many personalities and challenges on daily basis as I am a consultant.  "Authenticity You know and hold onto your personal values, deploy your strengths, and have a good level of emotional awareness and regulation. Purpose Your work offers purpose and a sense of belonging.  It also aligns with your core values and beliefs. Networks You develop and maintain the personal and professional support networks you need at home and at work in order to perform well in your job." Resilience. Digital art created on canvas. Afrika Abney 

  “A woman with a voice is, by definition, a strong woman.” ― Melinda Gates “Women belong in all places where decisions are being made. It shouldn’t be that women are the exception.” ― Ruth Bader Ginsburg “There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish.” ― Michelle Obama