Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ameerah Shabazz. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Ameerah, thanks for joining us today. Do you wish you had started sooner?

I wish I had started earlier because now I understand the weight of my voice. I understand how art is not just art, its inheritance. I see how many stories were waiting inside of me. My creativity is made of the timing of my life experiences – they are old griot stories of lives – my life. Earlier would have been unfinished, not quite ripe with hope, love, joy or pain. The late start gave me understanding, starting younger would have however given me exposure and time to develop my skills. I always knew I was a writer, I started by being the editor of school papers, writing for competitions and generally just to tell stories – this talent was never groomed by my teachers however – that may have made a great difference for me. I went to school for communication arts- journalism. I graduated at a time where industry wasn’t ready for a practicing Black Muslim – I had no experience in the literary world and little preparation just innate gifts. I told stories in my heart – with soul. Given the circumstances, my developing into who I am now as a creative is a full 360 of who I was meant to be. I could not have changed my experiences other than having been brought up under a different climate, energy and geographical location – I went to work, needed to work and did so until family was grown and everyone was/is able to take care of themselves…what folks see now is me blossoming, but truly its the real me – whom I’ve always been underneath. I’d like more time – not connected to other people’s needs to truly flourish – I think I am taking steps towards this – slowly. I would like more of this world, I have to be patient and stay focused. The problem is, I have several outlets – I need to focus on ONE of them more than others – but I cant seem to do that. It’s all a part of this creative soul. I began serious writing for publication over the age of 50. I began serious photography pursuits a little earlier but both were later in life. I am retired and I travel for both worlds of my creative aspects for 2 reasons – to see the world and gather more stories either visually or on the page through my writing.

Ameerah, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am an award-winning poet, visual artist, photographer, educator, and cultural advocate from Newark, New Jersey, whose work lives at the intersection of storytelling, history, and emotional truth. At my core, I am a storyteller of the soul, someone who uses both image and language to document what is often felt but rarely spoken.
My journey into this work began in my youth, deeply influenced by a photographer in my hometown who owned a portrait studio. Outside of his studio was a viewing box filled with photographs, images of everyday people captured with dignity, beauty, and intention. I would stand there, studying those portraits, not fully realizing at the time that I was witnessing the power of preservation, how a single image could hold memory, identity, and legacy. Those moments planted a seed that would later grow into my passion for portrait photography and visual storytelling.
As a child/grandchild of an immigrant family, my understanding of identity, belonging, and resilience has always been layered. That lived experience naturally found its way into my poetry. Writing became a necessity, a way to process, to remember, to question, and to affirm. Over time, poetry and photography became inseparable in my practice. Where one speaks, the other echoes.
My creative work spans multiple disciplines. As a poet, I write and perform pieces that center on history, Black identity, spirituality, womanhood, resistance, and collective memory. My voice is rooted in truth telling, often exploring themes that challenge perception while affirming humanity. As a photographer, I specialize in portraiture, often using natural light or minimal lighting setups to create intimate, honest images that reflect the depth of my subjects. I am drawn to faces, to eyes, to the quiet stories people carry.
In addition to creating, I am deeply committed to building platforms for others. I am the founder of “When Women Speak” and “When People Speak,” international platforms that provide space for poets and creatives, especially women and marginalized voices, to be seen, heard, and valued. Through these platforms, I have curated events, fostered community, and helped amplify voices that might otherwise go unheard.
As an educator and teaching artist, I have had the honor of mentoring and guiding hundreds of emerging writers. My work in arts education is rooted in empowerment, helping individuals find their voice and understand that their story matters. I do not just teach poetry, I teach people how to access themselves.
The services and creative work I provide include:
Spoken word performances and curated poetry experiences
Portrait photography and visual storytelling sessions
Creative direction and interdisciplinary art projects
Workshops, residencies, and arts education programming
Event curation and platform building for artists
At the heart of all of this is a clear purpose, I create spaces for truth, for healing, for expression, and for connection.
The problem I solve, if it must be defined that way, is the absence of space. Many people carry stories they have never been given permission to tell. Many communities are underrepresented, misunderstood, or silenced. My work exists to disrupt that, to document, to affirm, and to create room for those voices to exist unapologetically.
What sets me apart is my ability to merge disciplines into a cohesive, immersive experience. My poetry is visual. My photography is poetic. My workshops are emotional and transformative. Everything I create is intentional and rooted in lived experience, cultural awareness, and a deep respect for the stories I am trusted to hold.
What I am most proud of is not just the recognition or the awards, but the impact. I am proud of the students who have found their voice through my teaching. I am proud of the spaces I have built for women and creatives around the world. I am proud of the way my work travels, across cities, across countries, connecting people through shared truth and emotion.
For potential clients, collaborators, and supporters, what I want you to know is this:
My work is honest.
My work is intentional.
My work is rooted in purpose.
When you engage with me, whether through a poem, a photograph, a workshop, or a collaboration, you are not just receiving a service, you are stepping into an experience. One that is designed to move you, to reflect you, and to remind you of the power of your own story.
I am not just creating art.
I am documenting life, memory, and legacy, one story at a time.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

One of the most important lessons I had to unlearn was the idea that I had to shrink myself to be accepted, that my voice had to be softened, filtered, or made more “palatable” in order to be heard.

That belief did not come from one moment. It was built over time. It lived in classrooms where certain histories were barely mentioned. It showed up in spaces where being expressive, especially as a Black woman, was labeled as “too much” or “too intense.” It existed in creative environments where truth was welcome, but only in moderation, only if it did not make others uncomfortable.

As someone who carries layered identities, as an orphan of the African Diaspora with DNA connections and immigration from the Caribbean and Guinea Bissau, The Djola people, as a Black American woman, as an artist rooted in truth telling, I learned early on how to read rooms, how to measure my words, how to hold back parts of myself for the comfort of others. There were times when I questioned whether my voice was too heavy, too emotional, too honest.

But the deeper I stepped into my work, into poetry, into photography, into teaching, I realized something. The very things I was taught to quiet were the same things that made my work powerful. The emotion, the honesty, the cultural depth, the willingness to say what is often left unsaid, that is where the connection lives.

Unlearning that lesson was not immediate. It was a process. It required me to choose myself over approval, truth over comfort, purpose over perception. It meant understanding that my voice is not excessive, it is necessary.

Now, I do not create to be digestible. I create to be honest. I do not tell stories to make people comfortable. I tell them to make people feel, to remember, to reflect, and sometimes to confront.

That shift changed everything. It deepened my work. It expanded my reach. It allowed me to build spaces where others do not feel like they have to shrink either.

So the lesson I unlearned was this, that I had to be less in order to belong.

The truth I carry now is this, I belong fully, as I am.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

There is absolutely a mission driving my creative journey, and it is deeply rooted in purpose, service, and legacy.

My mission is to help other women find their voice, tell their story, support their efforts, and to be non judging in their journey to whatever they define as success. I am committed to creating spaces where women feel seen, heard, and affirmed without pressure, without limitation, and without having to conform to anyone else’s expectations. I want my work, my platforms, and my presence to feel like a place of permission, where truth can exist freely.

Everything I create, whether through poetry, photography, or education, is guided by that intention. It is not just about expression, it is about access. Access to voice, to confidence, to storytelling, and to self.

At the same time, I am driven by a deeper artistic goal, one that speaks to legacy. I want to leave the earth with a part of me, one absolutely amazing example of Ekphrastic creative work. The act of telling stories through the written word or through visual art has always been central to who I am, but I want to create something that lives beyond me in a profound and permanent way.

I envision a piece where people do not just observe it, but enter it. Where they lean into the work, whether it is an image or a written piece, and become a part of it. A work that allows others to tell their own stories through it, or to reflect with intention and truly understand the reason behind its creation. Something immersive, something that holds both the artist’s voice and the audience’s voice at the same time.

I want that one piece to exist somewhere permanently, long after I am gone. A living, breathing reflection of storytelling, connection, and purpose.

That is what drives me, not just to create, but to create with intention, with care, and with the understanding that art has the power to outlive us and continue speaking.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ameerahsangles.com
• Instagram: ameerah shabazz
• Facebook: ameerah shabazz
• Linkedin: Ameerah Shabazz
• Youtube: ameerah shabazz

Image Credits

credit – ameerah shabazz – FotoFrenzi