Marie Jean Philip Competition

Anthony Harrison

My name is Anthony Harrison. I obtained a Masters of International Business degree from Hult International Business School in Cambridge, MA as well as two bachelor degrees in Business Administration and International Studies from Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. Currently my role is a Referral Specialist with Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing where I advocate for the deaf and hard of hearing community’s communication access by referring appropriate interpreting/CART services. I am a proud Deaf Black man as well as a twin. In fact, I am lucky that my twin brother is Deaf too! I am grateful for American Sign Language as it has made me into the person I am today. I love learning and comparing cultures worldwide. I aspire to travel and see how much we all differ and contribute to the diversity of this world.

Takiyah Harris

My name is Takiyah Harris, I was raised in Kankakee, Illinois and came from a hearing Black family. My family shared the narrative stories about the migration from South.  I am a fine art photographer that captures color and black & white photographs from the environment and events.  I focus on different perspectives and evaluate light or shadow and how they affect on objects and humans.  I am also an haptic artist using collage to explore Deaf culture – with a focus on Black Deaf people’s experiences.

I have been involved in De’VIA since 2014 because I started to gather more information about Black Deaf History including my ancestry from my family’s side. I wanted to share my experiences with you about the oppression faced by Black Deaf people, Deaf experiences, Deafhood and more. I am spending my time working on the compositions with textured materials because I wanted to feel the connection to various artworks. Most of my Haptic art is giving you the narrative stories and interpretation about Black History. Most of my artwork is influenced by Jacob Lawrence and Emroy Douglass.

Check out Takiyah’s Websites:

https://takiphoto.fotomerchant.com/
https://takihapticart.wixsite.com/mysite/