dr. vay
Vershawn Ashanti Young
ABOUT
Here’s a bit more about me professionally and personally.
PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND:
I work primarily in the area of language studies and performance studies, drawing from the disciplines of communication, education, English language and literature, and theatre. In short, I am a multi-disciplinary artist, scholar, and teacher. I integrate these multiple areas into my published work and instruction.
For several years now, I have been writing and speaking to audiences around the globe about my educational and sociolinguistic concept “code-meshing,” about African American English, about intercultural communication, about performances of masculinity, and about representations of race in art, film, and literature. If you’re interested in my work, you can read some it on this site.
PAST JOBS: I have served as a high school drama/English/speech teacher, an elementary school principal, a supervisor of itinerant theater teachers in Los Angeles, and a school board administrator. I have served on faculty at University of Iowa, University of Kentucky, and University of Waterloo, Canada
DIVERSITY CONSULTANT:
I often work as a diversity consultant to schools and organizations, conducting trainings on cultural competency, interpersonal and intercultural communication, and how minorities can negotiate and lead in predominantly white settings without giving up their cultural backgrounds or “selling out.” I often conduct workshops with my colleague, Frankie Condon.
MY WORK AS AN ARTIST/PERFORMER:
I am solo performance artist and actor. I had the honor to be recognized for “best performance in a play,” for my portrayal of the brain-damaged Gabriel in August Wilson’s Fences. I also regularly tour my one-man show, Your Average Nigga, based on my first book of the same name. I am currently developing two other solo performances, one on living with diabetes and the other on the masculine anxiety of black men, as portrayed in this Key and Peele skit:
PERSONAL LIFE: I am a nightly fan of popcorn popped on the stove in a pot (a love I inherited from my mother); my favorite wine is from Chile, Carmenere; I love to cook for friends and family; my favorite sport is volleyball, which I play weekly. And I like hiking. I am married. My wife and I have three daughters. We currently have no pets (thinking about a dog; but we don’t know who would walk it). I would describe myself as serious but friendly. And I welcome opportunities to chat over coffee with new and old students, friends, and colleagues.