Baba Olusegun Shaka's Page

Jamille Jones was born in Newark, New Jersey and raised by a determined single parent. Baba Shaka comes from a family of activist who dared to struggle and overcome hard times. His mother was an activist and union leader in the NJ Postal worker struggle, a true voice of the people. His uncle served as a member of the Black Panther Party and served in Vietnam. Naturally Baba Olusegun Shaka became fascinated by the movement and joined the New Black Panther Party at seventeen. He has organized protest rallies about police brutality, education, poverty, sexism and racism.

The world of drawing and illustration centered on the African diasporic experience has fascinated him since he was a child. The works of Emory Douglas, Leroy Clark, Aaron McGruder, Akili Anderson and Robert Crumb in some way helped to shape the vivid expression of Baba Shaka's artistic form. He used his interest in  illustration through creating African-centered language arts and math activities in the classroom. As of recently he has focused primarily on Yoruba sacred art, religion and culture.

Baba Shaka is a graduate from Morehouse College. He has served as chair of an Atlanta based Art group The Dark Tower Project that has produced a countless number of on-campus art exhibits, fashion shows, comedy shows and concerts. Olusegun also is the co-founder and member of the DC based Afrikatalyst Arts Collective. He was a program director of an Art based summer camp through the Ile Ise Ejiogbe Ifa Temple in Baltimore Maryland. He has taught 1st and 2nd grade basic Swahili and Science at Maarifa Elementary and Middle School an Afrikan centered  private school in Baltimore, MD. From 2005-07 he worked as an Art teacher / Middle school teacher at Roots Activity Learning Center. Currently he teaches Art History at Center City Public Charter School.