Join us for Black Genius, Episode 2, this Saturday May 30 at 9am EST! We’ll have in the Genius Chair Kevin Beckford, Co-Founder of The Hustler’s Guild.
The Hustlers Guild uses hip hop to expand access and opportunity to Black and Latinx youth in the innovation space. He also serves as the Advancement Manager for the Urban Assembly where he leads policy and external outreach for the public school network.
A first-generation college graduate, Kevin has committed himself to dismantling white supremacy in education and workforce development. With the Hustlers Guild, over 2,200 students in the Washington, D.C. area have been exposed to coding and workforce enrichment opportunities at organizations such as Facebook, Google, Sony Music, and Roc Nation. Using hip hop and youth culture as leverage, the Hustlers Guild is purposeful in working with Black youth from the most disadvantaged areas of Washington, D.C. Students receive support through a three-fold, hip-hop inspired program. Kevin is unapologetically Black and culturally affirming in his approach to building opportunities for Black and Latinx youth. He founded the Hustlers Guild with two colleagues with whom he developed a close bond while working for the Obama administration at the White House.
From 2014-2016, Kevin worked for the White House as the Domestic Policy Portfolio Lead in the White House Presidential Correspondence Office and as a Special Advisor to Secretary Julian Castro at the U. S. Department of Housing and Development. While working for the White House, Kevin successfully advocated for more inclusive and responsive communication practices concerning race relations and police brutality. Kevin also penned the African American History and Caribbean History Month proclamations.
Prior to serving as a political appointee under the Obama administration, Kevin taught African American history to high school students in Philadelphia. Kevin received his B.A. in African American Studies and Political Science from Yale University, his MPhil. In African Studies from the University of Cambridge, and his MSc. in Education from the University of Pennsylvania.
In his spare time, Kevin enjoys writing- he has contributed commentary to the Washington Post, the New York Amsterdam News, The Washington Informer, and other publications. Kevin also enjoys bodybuilding, fitness, and mentoring young people.
Join us Live on Facebook at 9am EST.