Tim'm T. West facts for kids
Timothy Terrell West (born July 6, 1972), also known as Tim'm T. West, is an American educator, artist, author, and poet. He is also a hip hop recording artist and a strong supporter of young people. Humboldt State University has called West a "Renaissance man" because he has achieved success in many different areas. He has been featured in documentaries about hip hop and has written several books. He has also released nine hip hop albums, including some with the group Deep Dickollective. Media outlets like Newsweek and the New York Times have interviewed him. He received an "Esteem Award" in 2013 and was recognized as an important figure in 2015.
Early Life and School
West was born on July 6, 1972. He had a speech impediment when he was young, which made him stutter. His family started calling him "Tim'm," and that name stuck. He is the second of nine children. His family was very musical. His father, Charles Edward, was a minister, and his mother, Irma Pearl Stinson, worked as an administrative assistant and nurse. West says his mother taught him to be thankful, loving, and forgiving.
His early musical influences included reggae, rap, and house music. He remembers performing poetry for the first time because of his father's work. West grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas and later Taylor, Arkansas, where his family faced poverty. He went to Taylor High School. He was the captain of his high school basketball team and president of the Future Farmers of America club.
He participated in a program called Upward Bound at Southern Arkansas University. He competed in National Science Competitions and represented his state twice at a special science event. He even met then-Governor Bill Clinton and traveled to The United States Military Academy at West Point. Recruiters from West Point interviewed him, but he was not chosen after he shared details about his personal interests.
West joined the Boy Scouts of America, which led him to attend events at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). He started going to LDS Church functions when he was twelve. Later, he shared his personal journey with his Bishop, which was a difficult time for him. He struggled with sadness and worry. He decided to go to college and accept himself, even if his future was uncertain. His hard work in high school opened many doors for college, including Cornell University and Duke University.
West chose to attend Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. During his time at Duke, he also studied at Howard University, a historical black college, for a year. He returned to Duke and graduated in 1994 with a degree in philosophy. After working as a college admissions officer at Duke for a few years, he moved to New York City. There, he earned a master's degree in 1998 from The New School for Social Research. He also became very involved in the spoken word and poetry scene in Brooklyn and Manhattan. Later, he earned another master's degree from Stanford University.
Music and Art
West moved to the west coast to study at Stanford University. In 1999, he took a break from his studies to focus on his health. During this time, he started working to help young people. In early 2000, he teamed up with Juba Kalamka and Phillip Atiba Goff to form the hip-hop group Deep Dickollective (DDC). West believes the Bay Area was a special place for DDC to start because it brought together different ideas. DDC was one of the first groups of its kind.
Their first recording, "BourgieBohoPostPomoAfroHomo," surprised many in the hip hop and spoken word communities. It offered a new way to talk about political and social issues from a unique perspective. What started as a fun project became a successful underground group. West continues to teach about understanding and acceptance in hip hop. He created the term homohop but now feels it should be changed. He thinks it helped organize artists at first, but now it separates artists who are simply hip hop artists.
West is featured in the 2005 hip hop documentary, Pick Up the Mic. He also appears in Byron Hurt's documentary Beyond Beats and Rhymes. More recently, he was in documentaries directed by Mario Van Peebles about black manhood and responsibility: Bring Your 'A' Game and Fair Game?. In Spring 2007, DDC released its last studio album, On Some Other. The group stopped performing together in 2007. DDC was included in The Anthology of Rap book from Yale University Press in 2010. West says DDC helped them break through the media as black artists, allowing him to perform as a solo artist.
As a solo artist, West released Songs from Red Dirt in 2004. This album went along with his first book, Red Dirt Revival: a poetic memoir in 6 Breaths (2003). West says the book and CD share his personal journey from silence to self-love.
In 2005, he released a small book of poems called BARE: Notes From a Porchdweller. Flirting (2007) was his second full-length poetry book. Also in 2007, he finished his second solo album, Blakkboy Blue(s), which received good reviews. In Fall 2008, West created a limited edition poetry book called Love In Full Color to support a campaign. In January 2009, he released his third solo rap project, In Security: The Golden Error. In July 2011, he released Fly Brotha, which also received praise. His fifth solo album, Snapshots: The He-Art and Experience of Tim'm T. West, came out in April 2013.
West still hosts "Front Porch," a spoken word, hip-hop, and soul showcase at colleges and universities. He continues to teach and perform across the country. He promotes a collection of poetry released in April 2015, "pre|dispositions: affirmations on loving," and a new music project, "ICONography," which was released in October 2015.
Educator and Advocate
West worked to raise awareness and support for health issues, especially for young black men, at AID Atlanta and Saint Hope Foundation's FUSION Center in Houston, Texas. He has been recognized for his work by the National Association of People with AIDS and the Black AIDS Institute.
West was the Department Chair of English and Creative Writing at the Oakland School of the Arts from 2002 to 2004. Then he moved to Washington, DC, where he taught English at the Cesar Chavez Public Charter High School. Since 1995, West has also worked for College Summit. He helped high schools get more of their students into college. He is known for his engaging teaching style. He has taught writing classes at Eugene Lang College in New York City and at Stanford University. From 2008 to 2009, West was a Visiting Lecturer in Ethnic Studies at Humboldt State University in California. More recently, he taught English and Philosophy at Houston Community College. In summer 2011, he joined the Washington National Cathedral Scholars Program, where he taught a 6-week online course about social justice and activism.
In May 2011, West moved to Chicago, Illinois, where his daughter, Shannon Rose Matesky, lives. She is a poet and performer. He started MyWritingProfessor.com, where he is the owner and main consultant. He continues to be a strong supporter of young people. In December 2012, he started working at the Center on Halsted and was quickly promoted to director of youth services until May 2014.
Tim'm wanted to help more young people. This led him to Teach For America, which had just started its LGBTQ Initiative and was looking for a managing director. Tim'm accepted this position with Teach For America in July 2014. He feels this job connects his work as an educator with his long-standing commitment to helping young people. He moved from Washington, DC, to Atlanta, GA, where he serves on the programming board for the LGBT Institute. Tim'm was promoted to Senior Managing Director of Teach For America's LGBTQ Community Initiative. He continues to work across the country to create safer and more welcoming classrooms for young people and educators.
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