Yeefah Thurman

Yeefah was born in NYC to progressive parents – an entrepreneur who founded the first Black brokerage firm on Wall Street and an educator who co-founded a “freedom” school focused on Afro-cultural immersion in the mid-1970s. Her maternal grandmother, Gloria (Blackwell) Rackley, is noted in South Carolina history, particularly for her role in desegregating public facilities as a leader in the Orangeburg Movement for Civil and Economic Rights in the early 1960s.

With such influences, Yeefah understood early that essential human rights include equality for all people and freedom to stand up for oneself and others. In her childhood home, TV was limited, and conversation, books, music, and art were emphasized. This fostered her deep desire for gathering information and communicating with others.

An artist by nature, she attends The School of The Art Institute of Chicago where she is completing a bachelor's degree in Visual Critical Studies. Her research and writing focus on the experiences of African descendants in the diaspora. In 2024 she presented her research, The Legacy of Community Collectivism in Post-Slavery Education: Reclaiming All-Black Learning Spaces for Identity and Healing at the Association for the Study of Classical African Civilizations Midwest Region. Her artwork centers around racial justice and belonging. She has exhibited in outdoor public art shows and Chicagoland galleries since 2020.