User:Brightmoments52/African american female singer song writer

A life committed to inspiration  through art and culture brings Tulani Kinard to audiences in need of “good news”. Her music is current and yet at times poignantly chronicles the ancestral stories of love, activism and spiritual awakenings. A believer in the fact that “a song can save your life”, Tulani has taken the power of that statement and woven it’s profundity into every note of the music of her live performances and recorded music. While growing up in Boston, Ma. in her grandfather’s Pentecostal church Tulani learned how to use her gifted voice to inspire. As a fifth grader the legendary Boston educator, Jonathan Kozol took her to Washington DC to testify before a Senate Hearing about the racism in the Boston Public School System. Kozol had been fired by the chairperson of the Boston School Committee for reading a Langston Hughes poem to his students. Tulani began performing regularly in school and on locally televised Black history programs. Tulani’s musical career began with the Grammy award winning A ccapella group Sweet Honey in The Rock. Tulani’s experience as a member of the group is chronicled in her autobiographical chapter in the book, We Who Believe in Freedom: Sweet Honey in the Rock...Still on the Journey. Her voice is heard in Sweet Honey’s first grammy nominated song State of Emergency on the Live at Carnegie Hall CD. Over the years the impact of Tulani’s creative expression lead to a word and music collaboration with best selling author Iyanla Vanzant on her the cd In the Meantime and as the musical director for Iyanla’s 32 city US tour. Tulani’s work led to a performance on the Oprah show where her life and music were profiled on the In The Spirit segment of the show. Tulani is an ordained minister and in past years has served as a dean and currently sits on the advisory board of the NY based, New Seminary a interfaith institute. Tulani’s first CD’s, "expressions of my MIND”, (available on iTunes.com/CD Baby.com) and “Faith Love and Power” are collections of songs that reflect her unlimited musical scope. "A beautiful voice of conscience," Tulani's gift of bridging  musical genres has produced  inspirational messages that have been used for leadership conferences, choir repertoire, inspirational workshops, radio shows, and as a theme song for a network television show.  She has provided opening performances for keynote speakers such as Dr. Maya Angelou, Dr. Carolyn Myss, Dr. Christiane Northrup, Eve Ensler, and Anita Hill. Standing in the belief of utilizing her gifts to uplift the quality of life in her community led Tulani opened the first natural hair care salon in Brooklyn, NY. As an author, her book  NoLye –The African American Woman’s Guide to Natural Hair Care became a best selling  “how to” book for the natural hair care industry. Working with civil rights attorney, Esmeralda Simmons, Tulani wrote the language for legislation sponsored by State Senator Velmonette Montgomery which created the first natural hair care license in the United States. Encouraged by friends, community residents and family, Tulani entered into the 2009 New York City Council race. The 41st district in Brooklyn, NY held the anomaly of being the only race where two incumbents were running against insurgents. Having garnered twenty percent of the vote, Tulani is recognized as a leader with a vision of education, art and culture as a means to engage, educate and empower the residents. Standing in her vision of creating a culture of peace in urban communities, Tulani recently founded The Ase of Peace Fellowship, a non- profit organization. Educational workshops, The Power of Peace Experience-cultural artistic performances and civic based activities become the experience of peace for inter-generational residents in the New York metropolitan area. Tulani is a recipient of the Fannie Lou Hammer Award from Medgar Evers College and served as a model for designer, Eileen Fisher, in the fashion industry's groundbreaking campaign "Women Change the World Every Day." Tulani’s music is a voice of love, truth and the power of the spirit of peace.