Akilah Halley Keynotes African American Heritage Month Celebration

On Sunday, February 15, 2026, Marwen’s own Akilah Halley, Executive Director and Alumna, was invited to be the keynote speaker at the African American Heritage Month Annual Luncheon. The celebration was hosted by the United Methodist Church and held at The Chicago Temple Building in downtown Chicago. Nancy Renick introduced Akilah, who spoke about her personal story as a former Marwen student as well as about Marwen’s mission and impact on the lives of Chicago students from all backgrounds through art, creativity, and community.

“Now in our 39th year, I am proud of our history, fueled by our present, and inspired by our future,” shared Akilah. “Never saw myself becoming an Executive Director, yet I couldn’t imagine a better place to be one, making a difference in the lives of young people and working with a community who cares just as much as I do…just as a previous generation did the same for me. As African American novelist, Alice Walker, says, ‘Look closely at the present you are constructing; it should look like the future you are dreaming.’ She also said, ‘The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.'”

“Getting to sit in the room and hear Akilah Halley speak about Marwen was really special,” said Juliette Buford, Marwen’s Deputy Director, Finance & Operations. “I learned so much about [Marwen’s] history. The audience leaned in the whole time, lots of head nods, quiet laughs, and those moments where you could tell something really landed. You could feel how connected people were to what she was sharing.”

Pictured left to right: Akilah Halley, Elsa Tullos, Nancy Renick