Anita Woodley facts for kids

Anita Woodley is an amazing American artist. She is a journalist, actress, writer, poet, and singer. She also teaches creative arts and helps her community. Anita grew up in Oakland, California. She was a leader even in high school, serving as student body president.

Creative Performances

Anita Woodley has written and performed 10 plays by herself. Some of her plays include Bucking The Bull, Mama Juggs, and The Men in Me. She has performed her shows all over the United States. She has also performed in other countries, like at the University of Yaounde in Cameroon, West Africa.

Anita's plays often talk about important topics. These include dealing with poverty, bullying, and health issues. She has shared her work at the National Black Theatre Festival. Her plays have also been shown at universities, hospitals, and churches.

In 2010, Anita traveled to Cameroon. She reconnected with the Tikar tribe, which is where her mother's family came from. The Tikar people honored Anita by naming her Princess Bekang. This name means "boomerang." She was the first African-American person since slavery to return to the N'ditam Tikar village. She even learned their native language. Her play Boomerang tells the story of how this trip changed her life.

Anita is also the lead singer for the N4HC Improvisational Jazz band.

Journalism and Media Work

Anita Woodley has worked in radio and television for 20 years. She studied broadcasting at San Francisco State University. While she was a student, she worked for big TV networks like NBC, CBS, and PBS (KMTP).

After college, she worked at CNN in Atlanta. She helped produce news stories there. Later, she moved to North Carolina. She became a producer at the radio station WUNC. She helped create the national radio show The Story with Dick Gordon.

Anita also writes a column for the Durham News. This is a weekly newspaper published by the Raleigh News and Observer.

Helping the Community

Anita Woodley works as a teaching artist in North Carolina schools. She teaches students about writing, visual arts, and improvisational theater. She works with school districts in Durham, Chapel Hill-Carrboro, and Orange County.

Anita also started a non-profit group called Spark Inner-Action 501(c)(3). This group uses performances to teach people about healthy choices. They focus on communities that need extra support. She is also part of the Sisters Network Triangle. This group helps African-American women who have survived breast cancer.

Anita is also a certified counselor for HIV in North Carolina. She talks about HIV in one of her plays, The Men in Me. This helps to raise awareness and educate people.

Awards and Recognitions

Anita Woodley has received many awards for her work:

• She won an Emmy award for her excellent reporting on the World Trade Center attacks on September 11, 2001.
• She received an award from the Harry Chapin Foundation for her work against hunger and poverty in New York.
• She won an award from the National Association of Black Journalists.
• Her old high school, Oakland Technical High School, put her in their first Hall of Honor. Other famous people in this hall include Marshawn Lynch, The Pointer Sisters, Rickey Henderson, and Clint Eastwood.
• She received an Emerging Artist grant from the Durham Arts Council in North Carolina.