Author: Charles McDermid

916 Ink

Word Play

How do you put the fun in fundamental? One Sacramento youth literacy group, 916 Ink, believes the answer lies in turning the traditional rules of reading and writing upside down. That means prioritizing story over structure, publication over perfection, and joy over judgment. And realizing that every flame of creativity starts with a spark.
Charles McDermid,

Q&A with Shonna McDaniels, Director of the Sojourner Truth African Heritage Museum

Inside south Sacramento’s Florin Square mall resides a hidden treasure: the Sojourner Truth African Heritage Museum, named for the trailblazing abolitionist and advocate for women’s rights who was born into slavery. Since 1996, the institution has been an evolving fusion of art gallery, historical collection, education center and community nexus. With Black History Month taking place in February, we visited Shonna McDaniels, the 56-year-old artist and executive director of the “Sojo” Museum, at the cultural institution she founded over 25 years ago. There, she talked to us about its recent and future expansions, the many Black pioneers around the region, and the relationship between race and the arts. 
Charles McDermid,