Creative Activism with Natasha Thomas

Natasha Thomas, University of north Dakota professor and local social right activist, will come to Mayville State to speak and work with students. Professor Thomas recently spoke at TEDx Grand Forks about how to discuss race in Small Town America.

Natasha Thomas is the chair of a non-profit called north Dakotans for Diversity and Compassion, focusing on the cultivation of safe space for productive conversations about diversity and related issues. As a woman of color and first generation American (Her parents are from an island in the Caribbean.), she is passionate about encouraging civil discourse between individuals and working with communities on a policy level to promote not just tolerance, but inclusion. A clinical assistant professor in the University of north Dakota's music therapy program, she holds a Bachelor of Music degree in music therapy, a master's degree in special education (also from UND, with an emphasis on visual impairment), and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in expressive arts therapies from lesley University. A board certified and licensed music therapist, Natasha additionally consults with the North Dakoa Vision Services/School for the Blinc (NDVS/SB) as a transcriber of the Braille music code, and is a member of the American Music Therapy Association. In her spare time, Natasha performs as a soloist and ensemble member of various artistic ensembles, most notably as part of the Lovely Dozen, a local Middle Eastern dance studio that she co-owns.