Richard A. Love Mentoring Through Arts
Exuding love and challenging complacency
Hampton Road’s own, Richard A. Love is a living Testimony. He has been chosen for national recognition along with 27 other young, gifted and Black millennials who are redefining what it means to be Black in America today through their work and accomplishments.
This February, NBCBLK, the African-American vertical of NBCNews.com will reveal the second annual NBCBLK28 list to honor 28 game changers, all 28 years and younger, for 28 days. February 1st and each day following, NBCBLK will showcase an entrepreneur, policy maker, athlete, entertainer, activist, or artist. Some of them are household names like Stephen Curry, Basketball Player, Von Miller, five-time Pro Bowler, Super Bowl MVP and Chance The Rapper (class of 2017), Simone Biles (class of 2016) plus national unsung heroes.
This year Hampton Roads own youth advocate, artist, and mentor, Richard Love, the artist know as Testimony is one of the NBCBLK28 heroes. His feature will air on February 16th. At 12, Richard started his journey writing and performing as a peer leader addressing social justice issues involving AIDS, poverty, racism and diversity. Richard has spent half his life ensuring marginalized youth are heard. Now, 25, he is Creative Program Manager Teens With a Purpose- creative youth development organization. Testimony helps young people define and transform their lives and communities through the arts.
Testimony’s Art Gives Life! Richard has always put his work with youth ahead of his personal aspirations; yet each day he has developed skills and impact in both. This poet, musician and teaching artist focuses on creating dynamic, music that exudes love and challenges complacency. He combines spoken word poetry, vocals and eclectic guitar styles in his original brand of music. Testimony cultivates teen’s passion for life, knowledge and purpose, helping them value the power of giving back as he helps shape young leaders who mentor one another. Music has always played a role in his life, At 16, in his home studio, he started making beats and recording original songs, many of which were used in an AIDS role model story program for teens. To this day, Testimony continues to use art as his vehicle to transform lives
All the honorees are leaders in their industry. They are breaking barriers and smashing stereotypes about the Black community/Diaspora, redefining what it means to be Black in America. They are young, gifted, and unapologetically Black.
Testimony’s goal is to show the world his soul through his undefined genre. “I want my music to be THAT place, that sound, where the human group comes together.” He is a Living Testimony!
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