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Arts Advocacy Biography: Felicia Hunt aka "Freedom Speaks" (Diaspora)

Felicia Hunt, known professionally in the cultural arts community as Freedom Speaks (Diaspora), is a multi-disciplinary teaching artist, executive director, and community advocate hailing from the hamlet of Lakeview on Long Island, New York. As the founder of the Diaspora School of Speaking Arts (DiSSA)—a subsidiary of Creative NYing LLC—she has pioneered an educational model that approaches public speaking, oration, and vocal expression with the structural rigor of a classical dance academy.

Freedom’s pedigree in the performing arts is grounded in worldclass training. She was developed directly by BJ of the legendary Bernice Johnson Cultural Arts Center, an institution in Jamaica, Queens that produced some of the most celebrated names in performing arts. There she was formally trained in classical ballet, modern, tap, jazz, and interpretive African dance.

As a spoken word artist, creator, and performer, based in Atlanta GA at the time, Freedom's extensive career spans hundreds of live performances across the United States, dozens of workshops taught, and verified industry credentials, including professional IMDb credit. She opened for Def Poetry Jam on Broadway at The Fox Theatre in Atlanta, appeared on Robert Townsend's "Spoken" on The Black Family Channel, and was the featured speaker for Women's History Month, Black History Month, and other special events at colleges and universities. Freedom is also an author, has been published under various names (brands) with traditional publishers, in addition to founding Sun Cycle Publishing.

She produced two poetry albums, developed multiple pitch-ready movie treatments from concept to structural blueprint, and is an alumna of Clayton County's "We Show Up" entertainment and workforce development program. This opportunity was a film production apprenticeship, offering Production Assistant (PA) training, which earned her even more connections in entertainment and film.

In addition to her artistic accomplishments, Freedom brings a powerful, trauma-informed foundation to community spaces. She holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in human services counseling and behavioral science/community health, multiple certifications in crisis intervention, suicide prevention, and victim advocacy; and she serves as Operations Supervisor and Consultant at a local counseling center. Freedom has developed and co-facilitated domestic violence survivors' and women's support groups, and written proposals that earned funding for crisis intervention initiatives.

Her expertise in gender-based violence prevention has led her to present at major international and state platforms, including University College London’s (UCL) Tech Abuse Conference and the New York State Interagency Gender-Based Violence Policy Listening Session.Freedom's writing, speaking, and research in this area demonstrates the need for policy change. She continues her commitment to local civic leadership as the Lakeview NAACP ACT-SO Chair, decades after being the Lakeview NAACP Youth Council President and New York State NAACP Youth & College Division President under the guidance of Rener Reed and Hazel N. Dukes.

While working as a creative entrepreneur, Freedom spent over a decade mastering vital skills that drive modern business growth: copywriting, direct marketing, internet marketing, and sales presentations.

She holds a Money Breakthrough Method® coaching certification from Kendall SummerHawk, who created the #1 certified business and money coaching school for women at that time. She attended ongoing trainings through her membership in the International Association of Women in Business Coaching (IAWBC). Beyond her business coaching background, she also went on to develop formal counseling skills, giving her a well-rounded understanding of how to help groups and individuals work through various types of challenges.

Recognizing that mastering speech is both an artistic pursuit and an economic tool, Felicia expands DiSSA’s traditional oratorical curriculum to include advanced English language acquisition. In addition to holding a certificate in AI Instructional Design, she holds both TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) and TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certifications.

Her background includes teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) online through EF Kids, delivering foundational training to youth in China, through the same reputable company that hosted her trip to London, Paris, and Madrid during high school to study foreign language

Freedom also taught English to countless adults across South America and Central America, as an Academic Specialist for the global platform, Open English.

By blending linguistic instruction, rigorous fine arts performance technique, and trauma-informed advocacy, Freedom creates empowering, transformative spaces where students from age 12 through late adulthood learn to command their narratives and speak with impact. She was taught by powerful, public-facing leaders, speakers, and entertainers, to use their talents and influence to strengthen their communities and that is exactly what she is doing.