About aisha

Aisha Fukushima is an award-winning speaker, poet, singer-songwriter, and cultural strategist who founded the global RAPtivism (rap + activism) project in 2009. Challenging oppression with expression, she builds bridges across cultures through music, storytelling, and her ability to transform the energy of a room.

A multilingual, Mixed Black and Japanese artist, Fukushima has performed, spoken, and led workshops across the U.S., Sweden, Belarus, Nepal, Jerusalem, and Kazakhstan. With over two decades of cultural activism, she works at the intersection of social justice and the arts, having served as a Cultural Ambassador for the U.S. State Department, presented for major companies including Meta, Google, and Zillow in advancing their justice practices, and created liberatory spaces at institutions including Yale Law School.

A four-time TEDx speaker, she is known for her signature musical keynotes that transform the energy of a room — and for workshops that support organizations in engaging justice work in ways that are embodied, creative, and grounded in lived experience.

Her work has been featured in Oprah Magazine, NPR, on Hulu, and at SXSW EDU. She has appeared on lineups alongside Angela Davis, Bernie Sanders, Herbie Hancock, adrienne maree brown, and The Isley Brothers. She is a recipient of Whitman College's Trailblazer Award for Diversity & Inclusion and World Trust's award for Social Justice Leadership Through Hip-Hop.

Her album, There's a Sky Above Your Roof, is out now. Her forthcoming poetry collection, Mostly Water, explores mixed Black and Japanese identity across cultures and generations.

Fukushima is currently based in Copenhagen, Denmark.