Meet Azmera Hammouri-Davis: Poet, Spiritual Practitioner, Educator, Organizer, Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Azmera Hammouri-Davis and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Azmera, what’s your definition for success?
I come from public schooling and free and reduced lunch programs. According to the U.S. census that means I grew up in poverty, but it’s all relative. The poverty I saw in Puna County, Hawaii doesn’t compare to what I saw in Salvador Bahia, Brazil. And what I saw in Brazil is starkly distinct from what I saw in Pompano Beach, Florida or Palestine. After learning to navigate predominantly white institutions (PWI) as a first-generation low-income (FGLI) student at the University of Southern California (USC) and Harvard I’ve realized that success is not about the title, status or prestige that comes with external achievements. Success is really about how keenly one can walk in their purpose and give back. For me, my life’s mission is to break the boxes of expectation, stereotypes, assumptions and systemic designs of exclusion so that I can create a positive difference. If I can bring others along with me, especially those I love, to experience the quality of living I get to experience then I consider myself successful. And that means creating generational wealth. In order to break the boxes of structural inequity, intergenerational trauma and interpersonal violence, exacerbated by poverty, conversations that foster entrepreneurial acumen are imperative. I need to feel comfortable enough in my own skin to show up in any and every space I enter as my 100% most authentic expression of myself.

Rather than hide who I am or code switch constantly, success to me means creating systems change that produce clear lines of communication and access for those on the margins to gain spiritual and creative nourishment, economic empowerment and educational equity. This is what inspired me to create #breaktheboxes, an non-profit organization which believes that if intergenerational trauma exists, so too can intergenerational healing. We engage audio-visual and embodied storytelling to shatter harmful beliefs about difference. Many black and brown students from backgrounds similar to my own aren’t afforded the resources necessary to build financial literacy or actualize their human right to self-determination like most of our white counterparts. In LA, the average net worth of white families is nearly ten times greater than that of black families. Just as intergenerational wealth exists in white communities, success to me is a world in which cycles of intergenerational poverty are broken and such wealth can exist for black communities, too. I envision a world where every young adult has the tools, resources and techniques necessary to navigate conflict, cultivate inner healing and be financially empowered.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My offerings are rooted in the pursuit of liberation. I am an artist, entrepreneur, producer, organizer and educator originally from Keaáu, Hawaii but I was raised for five of my formative years in Pompano Beach, Florida. I come from a musical and theatrical family. I saw my parents struggle with substance abuse and though it wasn’t always easy, I’m grateful for the ways it’s fortified my spiritual resolve and purpose. Creativity frees me from anxiety and depression and I feel blessed when I see it do the same for others as well. I love to see people lean fully into the highest expression of themselves.

I started writing poetry when I was 5 or 6 years old, and I started training the Afro-Brasilian martial art of Capoeira when I was seven years old. In college at USC, I began to tap into Spoken Word poetry as an extension of my faith, and painting to process my pain. Poetry and Capoeira opened portals of possibility for me and birthed Break The Boxes spoken word youtube series in 2016 which won awards and ultimately landed me a Fulbright Creative Artist Fellowship to study my craft in Salvador Bahia, Brasil for ten months. This led me to teach “Capoetic” workshops, and I’m blessed to have had the fortune to teach, perform and train with over 170 communities across four countries in seven cities and counting.

During the pandemic, I’m learning how to record my own music and produce my own sounds. For my birthday, I was gifted a keyboard and am jazzed to see what it can do. My crew and I have adapted our creative work so now anyone can listen to “Break The Boxes Stories” on all streaming platforms. We just wrapped our second season, focused on Spirituality, and calling on the wisdom from curators across sectors in education, film and entertainment, academia, chaplaincy, and more. I glean wisdom from my elders, peers as well as the younger generation and the podcast is an attempt to capture some of this multigenerational knowledge by drawing on conversations about mental health, spirituality and the creative process for healing and transformation. I deeply believe that as humans we always possess the potential to transform. To become better. Evolution is our birthright. I’ve seen it happen in my own life.

My upbringing prepared me for this path, one marked by innovation, creation, and commitment to becoming the highest expression of myself. I love myself for who I am, and for all of who I have yet to become. My ancestors, both African and Palestinian blessed me with the tools I needed to thrive in this lifetime. I call on them when I need support, strength and clarity. My creative and spiritual practice are intimately interconnected. Alongside my music, poetry and performance I guide students, faculty and staff in spiritual counseling at Tufts University Chaplaincy. I’m excited by the infinite possibilities for growth.

I want those who are experiencing a transition in life — whether in their rhythm, relationships or responsibilities to know that you are not alone and to have the courage to keep going. You are exactly where you need to be. You can trust the process. You are worthy. You are sacred. You matter, and the world needs your light. I want you to know it’s never too late to align with your God given purpose and birthright. To make manifest the glory of all that is within you. I want you to know that you, at your core, are love. You are loved. You are accepted. You are acceptance. And you are seen. As bell hooks says “when we choose to love, we begin to move away from domination, away from oppression. when we choose to love, we begin to act in ways that liberate ourselves and others.”

Five lessons I’ve learned:

1. Perfection is an idea, not a reality. Life does not have to be perfect to be beautiful.
2. Life is a team sport. Be intentional about who you recruit for your team.
3. Humility matters. There is so much you do not know, and that is a good thing!
4. Do it afraid. You will never feel like the “perfect” time has arrived. Do it anyway.
5. Gratitude determines your latitude. There is always something to be grateful for!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If my best friend were in town I would take them first and foremost to Venice beach! Nothing beats feeling the sand between my toes and the warmth of the sunshine on my skin. We would bring a few books — discuss audre lorde, adrienne marie brown, octavia butler and have a guitar nearby for a jam session. I’d play a little afro-beat, Maleek Berry, Fela Kuti then switch to some Miles Davis or Thelonius Monk. I’m a Harlem Renaissance poet at heart, so any Zora Neale Hurston would do, too. We’d have a little vinho and of course some delicious comida. In the evening I would take my friend to an open mic, specifically my favorite spot downtown LA at Da Poetry Lounge. The next day would be devoted to the capoeira community, we’d spend time at a Capoeira class and maybe even street roda (in my ideal post pandemic world!)

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
First and foremost I thank God for blessing me with life. My family, loved ones, partner, and dear friends. My village, who took time out to write letters of recommendation on my behalf in high school like my high school counselor Ms. Eleyne Fia, Mr. Glen Waters and the late Mr. William Braitsch. My upward bound counselor Deanna Marshall who inspired me to seriously consider college. Those who guided my learning while at USC: Anita Dashiell-Sparks, Dr. Rosalind Conerly, Dr. Corliss Bennett MccBride, Erica Lovano, Dr. Varun Soni. The USC Blackstone Launchpad, USC McNairs/Gateway Program, USC Academic Honors and Fellows Program, USC Kortschak Center for Learning and Creativity, USC Center for Black Culture and Student Affairs (CBCSA) and the USC Black Alumni Association (BAA). My roommate Joy Ohiomoba, my sisters in spirit Mo Alabi, Cristin Dent, Akeallah Blair. My OG Break The Boxes team Hunter Bermudez, Alexandra Baker, Shanelle Sua, Demontae Thompson who encouraged the creation of this organization, and the new squad Lynn Ezzedine and Lama Aoudi for affirming its continuation. My capoeira community in LA Capoeira DTLA, Prof Saracuru, Keenan Theus, Fumi Malagueta and Capoeira Batuque. Minha Gemea Zaire Overton for journeying with me to Brazil both times. The USC Department of Romance Languages and Prof. Ellen Oliveira for teaching me the Portuguese Language.

Those who wrote letters on my behalf for the U.S Fulbright Program: Dr. Jennifer Cohen, Dr. Jungmiwha Bullock, Dr. Rosangela Araujo. My host dad, dear brother and padrinho Dr. Carlos Moore, my sister in spirit Eilen Itzel-Mena who connected us, and Dr. Paula Barreto who welcomed me as a Special Student at the Cor da Bahia department at the Federal University of Bahia. My Fulbright cohort Vanessa Castaneda, Jamie Lee Campelo, Joshua Reason, and my Capoeira sister Nina Monroy Diaz who I shared many adventures with. My SMASH community of friends, guides, and learners Ramon Chairez who introduced me to bell hooks work, took a chance on me as a young professional and modeled what creating a beloved community could look like. Vannary Jim, Cindy Lora who continues to be a dear process partner, and my students over those five summers. My beloved community at Harvard, Angela Counts who inspired me to seriously consider that Theological Studies may have a space for a creative, Katrina Miller for putting Divinity School on my radar to begin with, Reem Atassi at the Religion, Conflict and Peace Initiative, Alexa Klein-Mayer, Saran Sidime, Edward Ablang whose listening ears counseled and comforted me enough to boldly look in the mirror.  My dear sisters in spirit and prayer partners Britney Foster, Pamela Nwakanma, Angela Dixon, Shahara Jackson. Nahja Zigbi-Johnson and the Harvard Freedom School, Rev. Karlene Griffith Sekou, Akua Naru, Debra Peterson and the KEEPERs Collective. My proctor mentor Aaron Jennings. My dear partner Dennis Ojogho who continues to be a pillar of support, affirmation and perspective. Minha amiga Jasmine Guimaraes for introducing us and inspiring me to lean into every good thing this life has to offer, and Vaneshia Reed for encouraging me to become financially empowered!

I also want to shout out bell hooks, who I haven’t had the privilege to meet yet but whose life’s work has changed the way I think about the world and my role within it. Specifically her books “All About Love” and “Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom” are references I’m constantly returning to. Along with Paulo Freire’s “Pedagogy of the Oppressed” which continues to guide my spiritual, creative and teaching practice. Last but certainly not least, I must shout out my mother for bringing me into this world, my siblings Abyssinia, Araja and Uluremi who have been my greatest teachers in what it means to let love transform, expand, and grow you through this complex human existence. Without any of them, there would be no me, and I am so deeply grateful for each and everyone of them. To the many I may be forgetting to name, I thank you for informing, uplifting, teaching and guiding my path in this brief journey we call life.

Website: azmerarhymes.com, breaktheboxes.org/btbstories

Instagram: instagram.com/azmerarhymes

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/azmera-hammouri-davis-6b235366/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/azmera_davis

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/house-of-hammouri-cambridge?osq=black+owned

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikYZQR03iiQ&t=3s

Image Credits
Dennis Ojogho (the profile photo), Gia Trovela, Joshua Reason