Mission
One Breath Rising is a non-profit organization committed to providing opportunities for diverse artists working in the African American tradition to collaborate, and to present and document their work.

Vision
Our vision is to live in a world where arts in the African American tradition – such as poetry, jazz, and dance – are incorporated into every day life, where its creators are held in the highest esteem, and where its traditions are passed along from generation to generation.

Board of Directors

Darryl Alladice

Darryl Alladice is a performance poet/storyteller who grew up in both Harlem and Brooklyn as well as spending some time in Boston, MA. His work has been performed at many venues, including Schomburg Research Center, Boulevard Books in Brooklyn, Barnes and Noble, Queens Public Library, City College of New York, Dwyer Cultural Center, Bowery Poetry Club, Dark Room Writers Collective, Columbia University, Black Box Theatre in Boston, Central Library of Boston, and Trinity Repertory Theatre, Providence, RI.  His latest collection of poetry, Measuring in Liters, focuses on learning to live with Sickle Cell Anemia and end-stage renal disease. He is also a founding member of One Breath Rising, a Jazz/Arts collective.

E. J. Antonio

E.J. Antonio is the author of two chapbooks, Every Child Knows (Premier Poets Chapbook Series 2007) and Solstice (Red Glass Books, 2013). She has received fellowships in Poetry from the New York Foundation for the Arts; the Hurston/Wright Foundation and the Cave Canem Foundation. Her work has appeared online at www.torchliteraryarts.org, and has been published in various Journals and magazines; including, African Voices Literary Magazine, Terra Incognita, Black Renaissance Noire, Mobius: The Poetry Magazine, The Encyclopedia Project, The Mom Egg, and One Word/Many Voices: A Bi-Lingual Poetry Anthology. She is a founding member of the Jazz & Poetry Choir Collective. She is the author of two chapbooks, Every Child Knows (Premier Poets Chapbook Series 2007) and Solstice (Red Glass Books, 2013), and a CD, Rituals in the marrow: Recipe for a jam session. – www.ejantoniobluez.net

Richard Brown

Rick Brown is a newly retired psychotherapist. He worked for over 40 years with adults suffering from depression, anxiety, and recovery from drug and alcohol addiction. Rick is an educational storyteller who works weekly in his local public school in Brooklyn. The stories encompass science, entertainment, reading and human relations. He enjoys sketching and water-color painting. He has been an avid fan of One Breath Rising at 440 Gallery. 

Abby London-Crawford

Abby London-Crawford is a retired NYC day care and elementary school educator of over 42 years; a founding teacher of the four  schools she taught in. Great literature, poetry, Music Appreciation and choral singing have always been a major component of her curriculum. Having lived in Mexico from 1968 - 1971 has enhanced her current understanding and compassion for her volunteer work with the New Sanctuary Coalition of NYC. Abby holds a BA in Theater and Communication Arts from Queens College and a Masters in Informal Education from CCNY. For over 10 years, she helped produce music concerts as a member of the Hell's Kitchen Cultural Center and now produces independently as a partner with Sanctuary Arts of Metro Baptist Church under Abby London-Crawford Presents. Abby recently adapted a chapter of her friend's memoir into a graphic novel for 8- 11 year old girls, and is working on a Reader's Theater script about making dinner for James Baldwin at her apartment. 

Jacqueline Johnson

Jacqueline Johnson, is a multi-disciplined artist in writing and fiber arts. She is the author of A Woman’s Seasonfrom Main Street Rag Press and A Gathering of Mother Tongues, winner of the Third Annual White Pine Press Poetry Award.

Joy S. Rosenthal

Joy S. Rosenthal, Esq. is the principal of Rosenthal Law and Mediation in New York City, and trustee of the William J. (Count) Basie Trust. Joy was one of the principals of the Contemporary African American Music Organization (CAAMO) from 2000-2015, during which she produced two albums by CAAMO’s founder, Dr. Makanda Ken McIntyre (1931-2001), A New Beginning and In the Wind, and produced several concerts of his music. She also helped to establish The Makanda Project, a Boston based big band that performs Dr. McIntyre’s music regularly. Joy has partnered with her husband, Darryl Alladice, since 2012 to produce jazz and poetry events in Park Slope, Harlem, and on the Lower East Side.