Art, Creativity and Immigrant Youth with Lakeya Afolalu

Young people across the U.S.—and especially in Washington—are growing up between languages, countries, and cultures. In this talk, explore how immigrant and transnational youth, particularly girls of color, use the arts to express their identities while navigating transnational lives and multilingualism.

Drawing from personal experience, community-based work in South Seattle, and youth stories, Afolalu highlights how creative expression becomes a vital space for self-expression, community, and voice.

Lakeya Afolalu is an assistant professor of language, literacy, and culture at the University of Washington. A Nigerian and African American scholar and leader, her work explores immigrant and transnational youth identities through literacy, language, and the arts. She has a PhD from the University of Texas at Austin. Lakeya lives in Seattle.

This program is in conjunction with Whatcom READS and sponsored by Humanities Washington Speakers Bureau.