An evening of spoken word, rap, art and community. Curated by Karia Whitewith Assétou Xango as Master of Ceremonies

Shades of Honey works to cultivate community through artistic lenses such as spoken word, poetry, rap, dance and other avenues of expression. It centers Black, Brown and Indigenous artists navigation and presentation of the nuances of living in America and traversing white supremacy more broadly. It in essence is resistance, survival and thriving on display.

This presentation is part of “Hip-Hop in Times of Pandemic and Protest,” a series of events in March that explore the music, politics, performance, and pedagogy of Hip-Hop.

The event took place on Wednesday, March 10at 6:00 MST online. The event recording is presented below.



Karia WhiteKaria White is currently an undergraduate student at the 񱦵 in her fourth year with concentrations in International Affairs and Ethnic Studies as well as a minor in Politic Science. Through the university, Karia isgeared toward cutting edge ethnographic research in the School of Education at the Laboratory for Race and Popular Culture working specifically as a co-contributor/undergraduate researchassistanton the "Lyripeutics Storytelling Project”to highlight the need forstorytelling, narrative and critical questioning in institutions.When not occupied with expanding space in the academy for Black, Brown and Indigenous students, Karia identifies as a hip hop womanist. She is a poet, multi media artist and community organizer and activist working in the greater Denver area to create art-based healing projects and advocacy surrounding mutual aid projects spanning, but not limited to being the founder of Boulder's Community Fridges/Siblings in the Struggle Collective and working to expand education at“Denver Freedom Skools”.

Assétou XangoAssétouXango(Ah-say-too SEAN-go; they/them), also known as the Dark Goddess Poet, uses Spoken Word to dismantle the harmful colonial binaries that bind us. As a black, pansexual, polyamorous, genderqueer, womxn. They exist as the in-between, the darkness that serves as the mirror to our shadow selves.Xango’sother-world guides us to accept the parts of ourselves that have been deemed irredeemable.