Born and raised on Chicago’s west side, known in the 80’s as the gangbang capital of the world, Kwabena lost his father to street violence at the age of 11. From his early teens, well into his days as a young adult black man, Antoine (as he was known then) struggled like many of that time, to find his voice and his purpose. He moved to Milwaukee to escape a lifestyle that many of his closest friends and family had fallen prey to. He found his voice in art. Still looking for his place and purpose, after completing a Rites of Passage program, he made the transformation to Kwabena when a local community elder gave him the name meaning “Inspirator.” Since, Kwabena has dedicated his life’s work to inspiring, not just a generation, but a movement.