Power to the Pen: Full Schedule

6:00pm PDT

Grand Opening- Ribbon Cutting Ceremony - The LOT After Dark

Thursday July 16, 2026 6:00pm - 10:00pm PDT

Join BreakBox Thought Collective as we officially open our doors to a space for creativity, culture, healing, and community. Help us cut the ribbon and step into a new chapter together.

Speakers

Monique Hall

Monique Hall is an enthusiast of life and life supporting efforts. She enjoys reading and listening to podcasts that address her community. She is an advocate for marginalized groups, particularly the African American community as it pertains to health care: spiritual, mental, physical... Read More →

Aaron Frisby

Aaron Frisby is a filmmaker, director of photography, writer, and commercial director based in California. At 33 years old, he has spent the last eight years crafting visually compelling stories that bridge the worlds of narrative filmmaking and branded content.

Driven by a passion for authentic Black storytelling, Aaron’s work explores identity, family, resilience, community, and the often-overlooked experiences of Black Americans. His films seek to create space for nuanced characters and conversations while challenging audiences to engage... Read More →

Jamillah Hasan Oliver

Jamillah Hasan Oliver is the visionary Founder, CEO, and Chief Consultant of BreakBox Thought Collective, an innovative hub where art, culture, and healing intersect to reimagine community well being. A social entrepreneur, program designer, cultural strategist, and thought leader... Read More →

Zen’Ayah Finley

An emerging voice at the intersection of developmental psychology, media, and community advocacy, Zen’Ayah Finley is an undergraduate scholar dedicated to transforming how we protect and perceive Black youth. As the leader of Black youth-led initiatives like Ashé Magazine and The... Read More →

Artists

DJ Dawg House

Troy Hines, known in the music scene as DJ Dawg House, embarked on his journey to becoming a full-time DJ during his college years. Inspired by the unifying power of music, as demonstrated by DJ Major League, Troy's path took a turn after an injury ended his basketball career. While... Read More →

Mistique Davis

Mistique Davis is a multi- hyphenated creative. While her main mediums are sewing and dancing she pour her purposes into tangible experiences! Devoted to serving and sewing seeds of kindness, she makes it a priority to attend community events. From aging out of the foster care system... Read More →

Nwachukwu Oputa

Diaspora Dreams Arts Collective is a Fresno-based performance collective with a purpose to “do Black shows & do shows Black.” We collaborate with local arts and cultural organizations to bring more Black youth, adults, and elders into the theatre community as performers, designers... Read More →

Exhibitors

Varselles “Var” Cummings

Varselles L. Cummings is a Black queer leader, storyteller, and cultural architect committed to building spaces of belonging in Fresno and beyond. As Senior Director of the Student Success and Belonging Center at Fresno State, he advances student success through culturally grounded... Read More →

Sarah Deavitt

Sarah Deavitt is the founder of The Soulful Suite, a values-driven ecosystem based in Fresno, California, where holistic nutrition, aligned business mentorship, creative coaching, and intentional design come together under one roof. Her work is built on a whole-person, whole-business... Read More →

Hope Garcia

Hope Garcia is a professional musician and the lead vocalist of The Box Band in California’s Central Valley. Born and raised in Los Angeles, she draws deep inspiration from her Louisianan and Native American roots. A full-time artist, disruptor, and community activist, Hope also... Read More →

Elisha Henderson

Elisha Henderson, NBC-HWC, is a Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coach and the founder of Weekend Warrior Health and Wellness Coaching, a practice dedicated to helping busy individuals reclaim their time, energy, and well-being. With a passion for whole-person health, Elisha supports... Read More →

Monica Marizette

Monica Marizette is a somatic practitioner, massage therapist, and educator with over a decade of experience in bodywork and five years teaching massage therapy. She is the owner of Pure Intuition Bodywork.

Through both lived experience and hands-on practice, Monica has learned the language of the body—the ways it stores survival, suppresses truth, and signals what has yet to be processed. She works with a deep respect for how the body communicates, creating space for people to listen... Read More →

Yusuf Oliver

With a voice full of spirit and a magnetic presence, Yusuf Ibn Hasan Oliver channels his New Orleans ancestry and family stories into performances that are part confession, part celebration. A percussionist, bassist, DJ, and member of his wife Jamillah’s band, Tribal Behavior, Yusuf... Read More →

Meketta “Makeda” Ridgle

I am Meketta. My work is centered in aiding in the restoration of traditional, communal care practices. The care practices that were so innately weaved into our everyday lives. I serve as a birth worker, an herbalist and a movement guide.

I recognize plant awareness as a life skill, and working with herbs as allies, and as medicine. Being present and serving families through the transitions that birth brings is imperative to my work. This is centered in honoring the sacred nature of birth, and ensuring that the physiological... Read More →

Joshua Slack

Joshua Slack is an actor, writer, photographer and director and is the Cultural Organizer for Pan Valley Institute. He serves as a vessel to bring life to his community by telling stories and depicting images of those from marginalized backgrounds at the forefront. He has studied... Read More →

Eligha D. Lacy Sr.

My music reflects lessons learned from life experiences, serving as therapy for my emotions and memories. It helps me explore my identity while inviting others to embrace and love their true selves.

Amaya Weldon

My name is Amaya Sue Weldon (my middle name takes after my late maternal grandmother). I am the founder of Movement by Amaya LLC
I'm a movement instructor, storyteller/keeper, and organizer born and raised in Yokuts land (Central Valley) California. Whole health and the wellbeing of others is Movement by Amaya LLC’s main responsibility, as an instructor of yoga. Meditation instruction combined with strength... Read More →

Jamila “Mila” Wheeler

Jamila “Mila” Wheeler is the founder of AbSouLute Beauty LLC and a hairstylist with over 14 years of experience specializing in braiding, locs, extensions, and natural hair care.
As she returns to her first love behind the chair, Mila is committed to restoring the trust that has been lost between many beauty professionals and their clients in recent years. She believes the salon was once a cornerstone of the Black community, a place where relationships, cultu... Read More →

Jamiela Williams

Jamiela Williams has worked on a number of shows from community to professional theatre. She is a graduate of CSU Fullerton with a BA in Theatre Arts (emphasis in Stage Management) and a minor in African American Studies.

NeFesha Yisra'el

I am a poet, lover, & friend
Feel like I been around this world and back again
Around this time of the year, I return from whence I came
I am an artist and cultural enthusiast
Lover of my people, lover of all people
Dedicated to spreading light & love
To do good is my life’s purpose
A... Read More →

Thursday July 16, 2026 6:00pm - 10:00pm PDT
BreakBox Thought Collective 1721 Van Ness Ave Fresno, Ca 93721

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Silent Expression & The Story of Sound

Friday July 17, 2026 10:00am - 11:00am PDT

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