Mariama White-Hammond, Executive Director
mariama@projecthiphop.org
Mariama White-Hammond was born and raised in Boston, MA. Having been involved in the organization throughout high school and college, in September 2001, Mariama became the Executive Director of Project HIP-HOP, leading the organization as it became an independent 501(c)3 organization. Mariama has received a certificate in youth work through the B.E.S.T. Initiative Youth Worker Training, and a certificate in trauma response from the Children’s Trauma Recovery Foundation. For her work at Project HIP-HOP, she received the 2004 Roxbury Founder’s Day Award and along with youth at PHH received the 2005 Boston Celtics “Heroes Among Us” Award. Mariama is also involved with a number of other organizations in Boston including the SE/LR Youthworkers Alliance.
D. Farai Williams, Artistic Director
farai@projecthiphop.org
D. Farai Williams, is a “creative activist”. Having studied at Moscow Theatre Art School and the American Repertory Theatre at Harvard University where she received her MFA and garnered regional and international credits; she left for NYC and made her Broadway debut in “The Lion King”. Upon completion of her run, Farai did additional training at TOPLAB NY (Theater of the Oppressed Laboratory), which utilizes the techniques of Augusto Boals’, Theatre of the Oppressed – interactive theatre games, exercises and presentations. Having returned home to Boston she shifted her focus from performance to direction and facilitation. Farai now utilizes the arts for social and political change. She is a core collective member of TOPLAB New England and is thrilled to lend her talent, passion and commitment to social justice to the development of her community. She has joined the team at Project HIP-HOP to develop and facilitate high quality, impactful, culturally artistic experiences for young people, to create positive change for themselves and our collective communities. (Farai is shown here with daughter Ariella-Yve)
