Today we’d like to introduce you to Amber Ankhet Williams.
So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
It’s always been my dream to work with children in some way and to be a performer. Even when I was a child, I wanted to take care of other children, to take up for them and demand justice. Around six, I also discovered that I could write pretty good poetry and wanted very much to perform it. So, in 2016 when the opportunity came to work with children in Ethiopia, I knew exactly how I wanted to raise the funds. I performed poetry in a spoken word show (where I also displayed some paintings). And because the show was successful, I’ve been replicating this blueprint since then. I registered my non-profit, The Art of Esteem, in 2015 and have been using my performances and art as a means to support the work we do overseas. Now, I’m preparing for our back to school drive efforts for a school we work with in Jamaica. Which means that I’m practicing for the next show.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There’s an African proverb that says that “if you want to go fast: go alone. If you want to go far: go together.” By far, my struggle along the way of building up, “The Art of Esteem” has been fully understanding this African proverb. A lot of my work in regards to The Art of Esteem has been solo. Lots of lone trips to the library, isolated research and data collection, independent visioning and planning. Finding others who truly care about the wellbeing of children and are willing to sacrifice, dedicate themselves and work hard has been a bit of a challenge in the past. And it’s not because these kinds of people dont exist: it’s understanding how to articulate my vision beyond myself effectively enough to gain solidarity amongst others. It’s so easy to move solo, but as I’m growing in the organization and as others are showing up along the way to offer a hand, I am understanding more and more what I was missing out on when I was taking the journey alone. This has by far been the most significant lesson on my path.
Please tell us about The Art of Esteem – what should we know?
The Art of Esteem is a non-profit organization whose mission is to raise the esteem of our students through inner exploration, arts, and culture. We specialize in creative visualization, positive discourse, pre-colonial history, emotional intelligence and, of course, art.
I am most proud of the organic nature of our program. Everything The Art of Esteem encompasses was a response to the needs of our students. I spent time with our students for years before ever creating the program, it was just a response to common needs I saw over time, regardless of location. I am proud because I’ve seen students turn around from total disdain for their cultural heritage to cultural pride within 29 days, I’ve witnessed a student who was mute begin to speak in the same time frame, as well. These among many other occurrences, make me most proud because The Art of Esteem was a response to need and it’s effective.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
My belief in love and its ability to make a full human being out of me. Love is the gateway to all the other saving qualities such as persistence, and strength, wit and faith. Personally, for me, there has to be love there.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.theartofesteem.org
- Email: ankhetrumi@gmail.com
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