RISE, STAND UP, GET LOUD!

ALPHABET ROCKERS make music that makes change. Founded by Kaitlin McGaw (she/her) and Tommy Shepherd (he/him), this intergenerational group creates brave spaces to shape a more equitable world through hip hop. Their GRAMMY nominated 2018 album, Rise Shine #Woke reached 300K kids and families since its release, inspiring American kids to stand up to hate and be their brave and beautiful selves. Their second GRAMMY nominated album The Love (2019) lifts up voices of the trans, two-spirit and gender non-conforming communities. On The Love, you hear the intergenerational sound of the Rockers, with Kali de Jesus (he/him), Lillian Ellis (she/her/hers), Maya Fleming (she/her), and Tommy Shepherd III (he/him) joining McGaw & Shepherd in anthems for change.

With headlining performances at Lollapalooza, The Kennedy Center, San Francisco Pride Festival, Art & Soul Festival and the Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture, and in over 50 schools across the country each year, diverse audiences love their contemporary sound and positive messages. They were GRAMMY nominees in 2018/2020, American Library Association’s Top Album in 2017, 2018 and 2019, and won the Parents’ Choice Award for their 5-album catalogue. Alphabet Rockers appeal to a broad audience with lyrics like “I will stand up for you” and “I shine in my beautiful skin,” landing them in the top 5 songs of 2018 on Kids Place Live SiriusXM Radio. Their music, videos, concerts and curriculum are designed by an intercultural team of anti-bias thought leaders, educators, artists, parents and young people of all genders.

During COVID-19, Alphabet Rockers quickly adapted to take their live engagements online. “Rock the Block” was created to offer free daily hip hop dance engagements, bridging communities, tearing down isolation, and engaging young folks in critical thinking about racial justice.

Tommy Soulati Shepherd (he/him/they) is an internationally renowned actor, playwright, composer, educator, rapper, drummer, beatboxer and music producer. Tommy (aka Emcee Soulati) is a longtime member of the performance group Campo Santo who continue to tell stories of the people and Oakland's own Antique Naked Soul-The Soundtrack for Revolution. Tommy has composed, performed and toured internationally with Marc Bamuthi Joseph, collaborating on Scourge, the break/s, Spoken World, red, black and GREEN: a blues and /peh-LO-tah/. Tommy won a 2018 Isadora Duncan Award for his composition work and is a two-time GRAMMY nominee. Tommy brings love for family, art, activism and community building to all of his work.  His inspiration and hope for a more joyful and equitable world is felt through the hearts of families everywhere.

Kaitlin McGaw (she/her) is a writer, listener and artist based in Oakland, CA on Ohlone lands. Her path in anti-racism and art began as a high school student in Belmont, MA, where community dialogue, activism, and poetry framed her purpose and relationship with the world.  Kaitlin is a graduate of Harvard University with a BA in Afro-American Studies. She is also a two-time GRAMMY nominee, an artist fellow and a deeply committed partner for change, often stepping back for others to shine, and stepping up for truth and our collective humanity.  Kaitlin believes radical imagination begins with the way we read, sing, and ask questions of the world with our children. She is the mother of two creative children of her own, whom she is raising with her husband Adhi.

WE GOT WORK TO DO Anti-Racism Mini Course by Alphabet Rockers is both deepens the concepts explored in the Starter Pack and gives you expanded learning through videos, worksheets and fun activities for the families. 

The online curriculum is for families with K-5 aged children designed with embodied learning at its core, through music, movement, and language. This three-lesson mini course features Alphabet Rockers co-founders Kaitlin McGaw and Tommy Soulati Shepherd and Youth Rockers Lillian Ellis, Kali de Jesus, Tommy Shepherd III, and Maya Fleming guiding users through exercises and prompts that:

• empower young people to be proud of their identities and feel powerful enough to change their world;
• model advocacy and intersectionality;
• challenge oppressive language and bias; and
• give parents and educators starting points for meaningful conversations about challenging topics with children.

All proceeds from the Alphabet Rockers music, curriculum and merch go back into supporting our mission: making music that makes change.

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