Photo by Hiromu Yabuki
about aisha
Photography by Amanda Thomsen
Aisha Fukushima is a multilingual poet, speaker, musician, and cultural strategist of African American and Japanese heritage. For over two decades, she has used creative expression — across poetry, music, and facilitation — to cultivate healing, belonging, and cross-cultural connection.
A four-time TEDx speaker and former U.S. State Department Cultural Ambassador, Aisha has shared her work in boardrooms, classrooms, and concert halls across more than a dozen countries. Whether on stage or in the room with a small group, she helps people move through complexity toward deeper connection — and toward what becomes possible when they get there.
Her debut poetry collection, Mostly Water, explores memory, mixed heritage, and Black-Japanese histories. She is also the founder of RAPtivism, a global project merging rap and activism, and the creator of the solo album There's A Sky Above Your Roof, which invites listeners toward hope and collective care.
Selected Highlights
Four-time TEDx Speaker
U.S. State Department Cultural Ambassador
Featured by Oprah Magazine, NPR, Hulu & SXSW EDU
Headlined concerts for 20,000+ people internationally
Mostly Water
D E B U T P O E T R Y C O L L E C T I O N
A poetry collection exploring Mixed Black and Japanese identity, memory, and belonging.
Shaped by life between the U.S. and Japan, Mostly Water refuses the math of halves and quarters and welcomes in abundance.
We are, after all, mostly water — fluid, uncontainable, beyond measure.
D E B U T S O L O A L B U M
THERE'S A SKY ABOVE YOUR ROOF
SPEAKING
From TEDx stages to intimate workshops, Aisha weaves poetry, music, and cultural strategy into experiences that move people — and stay with them long after.
“Aisha Fukushima is an activist because she is always present with whoever she is in front of. Presence takes work, compassion, and a deep love for self and others; Aisha has that. Her energy is captivating. Her artistry is inclusive and therefore she models for us the elements of liberation. Aisha's gift is teaching and healing, and it comes through in her voice and the voice she gives to others.”
— Dr. Lumas Helaire, Annual Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Symposium Chair, University of Michigan