Today we’d like to introduce you to Shyriaka Morris.
Hi Shyriaka, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Hey, Y’all (in my Southern Gal voice). I was always a creative and an avid scientist all my life. I enjoyed making things and using the things I made to solve problems. I went to college at Prairie View A and M University to become a Computer Programmer. I was quickly irritated by the extreme corporate standards of that program. I wanted to create a tech company where my employees could come to work in comfortable clothes, use their creative minds to help create a platform to connect the world together (I was the joke of the class everyday).
Now, I look at Google and shake my head. No support from my professor because they were stuck in their boxes. I changed my major to Advertising Art and started to focus on using my creative genius. I toured the country and abroad, selling my work to people like Erykah Badu, Solonge Knowles and Bell Hooks. My life took a turn. I became a single mother and my son was sad everyday he came home from school. My problem-solving went into high gear to save my son’s educational journey. I saw growing up living in low-income housing developments how young men that weren’t happy in school dropped out, sold drugs, became teen-aged fathers, became criminals or soo deeply depressed and turned drugs. So, I set out to restore the village. A community of people that could help my son, my future children and other children dream beyond the expectations of doubt surrounding them. I started an educational curriculum called PEACE ARTS (Positive Education and Creative Expressions). We focus on positive learning experiences using art to help teach traditional standards in a creative and supported environment. I’ve worked to build this program for 20 years in communities of color. Now, my son, that helped spearhead this outreach program, is now serving in our United States Air Force as an Aviation Engineer. He is and Electrical Mechanic for C130 Cargo Planes. Shall I say super proud.
Since then, I’ve dedicated my entire life to being an agent of change. Looking closely at generational issues that plague our communities to see how critical and creative thinking can help provide solutions to areas of concern. I’ve served on various board like the Mary S. Harrell Museum, working to help restore and preserve the importance of African American contributions to the City of New Smyrna Beach. I am also the Vice-Chair for the New Smyrna Beach Neighborhood Council. We serve as the liaisons between the community and city government. I currently write a column for the East Coast Current Magazine with a focus of art and wellness. I am the President of the South East Volusia NAACP. Our organization host a variety of community events like our annual toy giveaway.
In the past five years, we’ve given away over 5000 toys to area kids in need. We host food drives for youth in the community. Every week kids can come pick up healthy snacks to have over their weekend, holiday and summer breaks. Community block parties celebrating or vast homeless population, voter registration and community healing. During our time in quarantine, my passion to brighten up our community with public art went viral. I was featured on Fox 35 and other media outlets. The community could drive around in their cars and see beautiful murals. I also partnered with Volusia County Schools and School Way Cafe to help them get closer to the families that were in need of their free breakfast and lunch service. We serve almost 45,000 complimentary lunches to youth 18 years and under. Covid also took me out of my normal routine of community service. So now, all of our efforts are supporting or Youth Community Garden at PEACE ARTS.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
My life has always been a rocky road but my mother use to always say, “If you don’t have anything nice to say. Don’t say anything at all.” These words started me on my path of a positive and peaceful mindset. I leaned early that my mind worked a little bit differently then others around me. My thought process seemed to have me outcast as the weirdo. I embraced my genius and learn how to retrain my brain and not let the doubt of others seep into my “ambitious” ideas. I also have my little ones in my home and in the community looking up to me so I had to make sure that I gave 100 percent everyday. Some days I would cry all night (I’m still functionally depressed), be so down the next day and not productive at all. Being in that state of mind clouded my imagination. I started reading self-help books and writing my ideas down on paper. I also painted quotes that I loved all around my house so they could be a constant reminder of my intent, purpose, passion and acknowledgement of the divine blueprint that that was driving all of my decisions. I moved back to New Smyrna Beach (NSB) in 2004.
I thought it would be a great move being that NSB is a thriving art community. I was in for a rude awakening. I went to EVERY arts organization in town for three years with my portfolio looking for someone to hire me at their non-profit or help fund PEACE ARTS. It wasn’t as excepted in the arts community like I was in all of the previous cities I toured in America and abroad. Shocking right. I depleted my saving taking care of my son and looking for work. I decided to take a break, get married, grow my family and offer smaller-scale programs with PEACE ARTS and sell my work at the local markets. Then my Intellectual mentor Rick Lowe (Houston, Texas) magically appeared in NSB. It was like all my prayers were answered. If you don’t know about Rick Lowe (Google Him), he was appointed to the National Council of Arts by former President Barack Obama. A super rock star in the community arts world. He invited me to an outreach at our local community center.
At the end of his presentation, he asked me to stand up when he showered me with so many compliments. I was about to pass out ’cause I’m extremely shy (no pun intended) and introverted, That next week, I was working at one of the largest non-profit organizations in Central Florida, Atlantic Center for the Arts. Now, I had a chance to put my talent on display. Guess what I didn’t disappoint. I knew all I needed was one chance to showcase what I had to offer and my life would change forever. My Professor and Creative Mentor use to have a voice mail message in 1997. It said, “take the positive form the negative and make it work for you.” It what I live by to this very day. Honestly, it’s a daily journey to find the opportunities in the in-opportunity. I see struggle as a positive. It means I’m learning or others are learning. Sometimes, people understand exactly what it means to educate the youth of the community that have fallen through the cracks for so many years. We all need equity in education so the youth can grow up to become successful and productive, sustained lives.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about The Peace Project?
The Peace Project is a 501c3 organization focused on providing safe spaces for our youth and families to gather. In my decade of service to the youth in Volusia County, I discovered that their is a critical need for youth programs that support bringing families together with education, mentoring, enrichment, mental and substance abuse, positive reinforcement and healthy lifestyle role models. The Peace Project Inc supports our PEACE ARTS curriculum. PEACE ARTS (Positive Education and Creative Expressions where we raise the expectations in education and use art to teach education standards in a fun in creative experience. All of our programs are STEAAM based (Science Technology Engineering Art Agriculture and Math). We want our youth to have a clear understanding of what they are learning. We want them to accomplish five core goals when learning something new. Hear about new things, see how to do new things, learn how to do new things, teach others how to do new things and look for new things to learn. We want to surround them projects that have connections in their daily lives. When a child can teach something, they’ve learned they have mastered that skill. We have a youth garden.
Our youth garden is in the heart of New Smyrna’s Historic Westside. The Historic Westside is a food desert. A food desert is defined as an urban area in which it is difficult to buy affordable and good-quality fresh foods. We show our youth the entire process of growing great food from seed to harvest. We grow three kinds of greens, four varieties of tomatoes, brussell sprouts, cabbage, watermelon, pineapples, eggplants, herbs, strawberries, blueberries, lemons, plumbs, avocados and plants. We are known for being an organic garden. The garden’s science of bugs and engineering design helps us attract pollinators. These pollinators eat or destroy those pesky bugs that cause destruction on a garden without a defense system in place. We use our daily activities in the garden to teach valuable critical thinking skills, anger management and highlighting how our work we do today will help us thrive and grow in the future. The garden is a great place to learn about nature but also a very healing and therapeutic place to learn about yourself.
Our organization stands out because we are using creativity to help solve community issues. We empower the youth and not tear them down by limiting their imagination and darn good ideas. We set up a path for their ideas to make it to tables they don’t know how to get to. We help bring their ideas from fantasy to a reality. Our community service projects are life-changing. Providing our youth with on-the-job training and working with professionals that are their mentors. Our goal is to create a positive pipeline that shares the importance of the garden. We support both the garden and our youth’s lives from seed to harvest, from conception to career.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Build a strong support system. The more people you know, the more they can help spread the good news about your great adventure in business. Find your Pollinators. Those people that are like little bees going from flower to flower positively spreading great stories about what your doing. Identify the Destroyers. Those people that hang around waiting on the right time to bring problems to your progress. Show up everyday authentically YOU. Never let doubt seep into your purpose. Find something you love to do and you will never work a day of your life. Explore your dream and make it become your life’s mission. We all have our piece of the puzzle.
Pricing:
- Youth Garden $10/hour class
- Painting for PEACE $25/artist
- PEACE Market $10/vendor $20/food vendor
Contact Info:
- Email: peaceproject1998@gmail.com
- Website: www.welovepeacearts.net
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamshymorris/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shyriaka.morris/ or https://www.facebook.com/IamShyMorris
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8UgJHG3eXzS-pjsmyUqH-Q
Image Credits
Cathy Rose Rader
