Donney Rose is an educator, community organizer, published writer, and the new director of our free after-school arts academy in Washington, DC.

Donney Rose is a prolific writer, poet, essayist, educator, community activist, and Baton Rouge native currently living in Maryland. He graduated from Southern University and A&M College, an HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities). Rose's community organizing and poetry has been featured in the Atlanta Black Star, Blavity, the British Broadcast Channel (BBC), and The New York Times.

Rose has always shown commitment to his community, as an activist and investor in developing local youth. His work in Baton Rouge, where he taught spoken-word workshops, fostered activism, and organized expressive events, precedes his excitement to elevate the Academy.

Rose's art and his positive impact on the community have been recognized with several awards. He was named Louisiana's Role Model in 2018, the Humanitarian of the Year in 2016, and a Kennedy Center Citizen Artist Fellow from 2018–2019.

Rose is well-known for his calm demeanor, articulate communication, and ability to maintain the synergy of the program amid the chaos of day-to-day programming. As Academy Director, he's everywhere at once, overseeing operations at any one of the Academy's sites. Rose isn't new to this — he's true to this. His 15 years of experience as a teaching artist and community organizer allows him to wear any hat at any given time. From filling in for academy instructors to performing last minute logistics, Rose has it covered.

With his first semester at the academy in the rear view mirror, he is gearing up for the fall semester to begin on September 11th. Rose says the Academy is "a program that provides pathways for young artists in the DMV while also instilling the soul and traditions of hip-hop into our young folks."

Enrollment is open year-round for our free after-school academy. We offer classes to students 8 to 22 years old in Washington, DC and online. Classes are available in a variety of art forms, including music, visual arts, media arts, fine arts, business of the arts, and performing arts.

Our elementary classes for kids 8 to 12 years old meet in Washington, DC on Mondays and Tuesdays from 3:30 to 6:00

Our DC classes for youth and young adults between the ages of 13 to 22 meet on Wednesdays and Fridays from 3:30 to 7:00

Our virtual classes for youth and young adults (13–22) meet on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 6:30 to 7:30.

Our college radio broadcast class for broadcast journalism majors, teaches the fundamentals of show hosting, running, and formatting. Students work alongside experienced industry professionals to produce WBL's weekly radio show, Something to Say. This course provides valuable information and prepares students for a career in radio broadcasting.

We know that hip-hop beats throughout the bodies of cultures around the world. Through our academy curriculum, we employ hip-hop as a catalyst for change. We recognize the transformative influence hip-hop has on young people and that it opens doors for creative expression and artistry within.