ABOUT

EMANCIPATION ARTS, LLC

“I promise you will learn what schools will not teach.” 

The Mission of Emancipation Arts is to raise the profile of Black artists in Arizona and honor our African and enslaved ancestors through measurably influencing, constructively impacting, and fortifying under-served, at-risk or neglected populations; with particular focus on African American, African and Caribbean immigrant and African refugee communities in Maricopa County, through Arts practices and egalitarian collaborations.

CLOTTEE HAMMONS, CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Clottee A. Hammons, creative director for Emancipation Arts,  grew up in the segregated downtown Phoenix area and is the granddaughter of a 10th Calvary Buffalo Soldier. She views that legacy with pride and a strong sense of social responsibility. 

Hammons is an artist, writer, poet, activist, educator, and prevention specialist. She views her special call as a “community builder” and works in grateful collaboration with numerous artists, organizations, and individuals while being conscientious and mindful of honoring her ancestors. Hammons is passionate about literature, history, libraries, and librarians. She is the creator and ongoing facilitator of the Emancipation Marathon—a literary tradition that honors the victims of American Chattel Slavery. 

Her essay “Disguised As Nice” was published in Once Upon a Time in a Different World: Issues and Ideas in African American Children’s Literature (Routledge 2007). She has written articles for the Black Voice News, Phoenix Downtown Magazine, The Arizona Informant.