Taharka Anderson

Taharka Anderson is a scholar-activist, educator, and Afrikan percussionist born in Atlanta, Georgia and raised in Long Beach, California. As a child, he grew up in the West Afrikan drum and dance ensemble Dembrebrah. While in this company and up until his earthly transition, he was trained by the late Master Teacher Baba Dadisi Sanyika. In 2016, he joined Le Ballet Dembaya, which consists of young adults striving to share, sustain, and revitalize West Afrikan drumming and dancing.  In the Spring of 2014 he received his B.A. in Sociology with a minor in Africana Studies from CSULB and in the Fall of 2014 he completed the M.A. coursework for the Social and Cultural Analysis of Education (SCAE) program at the same institution. In the Fall of 2017 he will be applying to doctoral programs and in the Spring of 2018 he will successfully pass the SCAE Comprehensive Exam to officially complete his M.A.Ed.  
As an undergraduate student he served as the High School & Community Outreach Chair of the Associated Students, Inc., Cultural Council, President of the Student African American Brotherhood and President of the African Student Union. As a graduate student he served as the founding Co-Chair of KING II KING, which is a Black men's union at CSULB dedicated to developing social relationships, promoting cultural consciousness, inspiring academic success, and community involvement.
In addition, he is the Youth Director for Queens Historical Society, Inc. and a former graduate intern and research consultant for Project SUCCESS, which is Cal Poly Pomona's first initiative to increase the persistence, retention, and graduation rates of African American and Latino male students. He also served as an academic tutor from 2010-2016 through the California Student
Opportunity and Access Program.Currently, he is employed as a Restorative Justice Coordinator at a continuation high school in Long Beach, CA through the California Conference for Equality & Justice. He is also a Southern California Field Organizer for the Afrikan Black Coalition-a statewide student organization that trains, builds, and sustains Black Student Unions.
Follow his journey on Instagram @kingtaharkaanderson and Twitter @kingtaharka_a.