"As an artist, I feel I have an obligation to serve our communities with the work that I do. I feel fortunate to be a part of the Chicago arts community, working as an artist in several related mediums, from theater director, playwright, drama instructor/coach, as portrait painter and actor. I am fortunate to be able to share our stories with my creative choices. It is the gift that I return to you for the inspiration I have received from our collective experiences as I continue to discover and interpret life as I see and feel it. Be it through plays, paintings, or poetry.

 

Runako Jahi is Artistic Director of eta Creative Arts Foundation.


The world as we live it is enhanced by the art created by the men and women whose sensitivity and talent has enriched our lives. From" Oscar Brown, Jr., Billie Holiday, Miles Davis, Billy Strayhorn, James Baldwin, Diana Sands, Ron Milner, Vantile Whitfield, Mahalia Jackson, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Beah Richards, Marvin Gaye, August Wilson, Ossie Davis, Brock Peters, Bea Winde, Jay Peters, Jr., Alyo Tolbert, Katherine Dunham, Jeff Donaldson, Rob Penny, Don Evans, Nina Simone and all of the ancestors whose shoulders we stand on, those who have influenced us on stage, screen, musically and through dance. Those who have and will always inspire us because they represented truth and integrity."