Community Conversations with Diane Washington & Hakim Crampton
January 8 at 2 p.m. (EVENT CANCELED)
Join Jackson Community Members, Diane Washington and Hakim Crampton, as they gather to explore the Ella Sharp Museum featured exhibits: “For All the World to See: Visual Culture and the Struggle for Civil Rights” and “Bringing the Village to Life: The YPOP Story”.
Community Conversations is a drop in, walk through, program that explores the museum galleries, and encourages visitors to ask questions and have open conversation about the featured exhibits! Free Admission and open to all ages.
About your Hosts:
Diane Washington, Founder/Exec Director of YPOP EXPLORERS, Young People of Purpose (YPOP)
Diane is a Jackson native, community leader, business-woman and entrepreneur, a recipient of the business woman of the year award. She has worked with Jackson Public Schools, Housing and the City with community programming for over 30 years. She provides summer and afterschool program, camps, and mentorships that empowers youth to succeed using the A,B,C,’S of success, Art, Business, Culture and Service. She is an author, painter and certified ceramicist; she is a visionary and uses her book “Annie’s Amazing Art Venture” as a tool and model to educate youth and community with curriculum that systematically promotes advances in exploration and knowledge. She has a marketing degree from Jackson College. She is passionate about her community and committed to building the village and making a difference through community service, (a recipient of the NAACP community service award). As a Master Gardener and leader in neighborhood revitalization, she created the YPOP VILLAGE Educational and Community Gardens and Markets to promote community access to fresh food and produce. She promotes intergenerational programming with youth and seniors and helps adults and the elderly with essential needs and food. She provides places and spaces for environmental and economic growth, and educational endeavors in science and agriculture. She is a connector with many community organizations creating bonds and pathways for success through collaborations and community engagement. She is a former member of many boards, and now holds a seat on the board of the Quest South East Lyons Club and District committee, on the board of Michigan Neighborhood Association, a member of Residents In Action (RIA), a community group that provides leadership in resident led work and leadership in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. She is married to Rev. Starlon Washington and they have 6 children.
Hakim Crampton, Commissioner on the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission
Hakim Nathaniel Crampton is serving a four year term as Commissioner on the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission appointed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer in 2019, making Crampton the first formerly incarcerated person appointed to a State Commission. Proudly representing the Public’s interest on this Commission, Hakim has spent the last 15 years advocating for juvenile and education justice, mentoring thousands of Michigan students across the State, teaching English Language Arts through an innovative textbook curriculum series of Hip Hop Based Pedagogy called S.L.A.M. Lyrical Education.
Hakim Crampton serves as the Movement & Capacity Building Specialist for JustLeadershipUSA, a national criminal justice leadership development organization focusing on empowering persons with past criminal court involvement to advocate for systems and policy change within the criminal legal system. Hakim Crampton also works collaboratively with community based organizations to improve the quality of life for Jackson’s southside residents experiencing poverty, gun violence and disenfranchisement.
As a community organizer and education advocate, Hakim Crampton has received over two dozen local, state and national awards for his service to schools, communities and organizations.