WOMEN BEHIND THE MIC | A Busboys and Poets Books Presentation

Volume Two "The Hip-Hop Edition" from the WOMEN BEHIND THE MIC series contains the stories of 21 veteran executives who were the engines behind the most iconic artists and brands of all time. As the 50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop is being celebrated, the women who worked behind the scenes have been glaringly absent. These women quietly toiled in the trenches and have curated what is known as Pop Culture. Today, these "Sheroes" who championed The Culture of a genre no one expected to last -so much so- that Hip-Hop is now classified as the most-listened-to-genre globally Propelled by a sisterhood that personifies excellence and the importance of maintaining a positive self-esteem while working in a male-dominated industry, the Women Behind The Mic(TM) share their stories of handling business for some of the biggest names and brands in entertainment. Queen Latifah, TLC, Tupac, The Notorious B.I.G., Rakim, and DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince are just a few of the names found on these pages.

Join us for a chat with these movers and shakers we call “Sheroes" who worked behind the scenes with the most iconic artists and brands of all time in Hip-Hop, R&B, Film, Fashion, and Television. Come hear these women discuss their significant contributions to The Culture in the male-dominated Entertainment Industry. Joining this cast of amazing women is moderator, Dr. Omekongo Dibinga.

Featured Contributors:

LaJoyce Brookshire
Pamela Crockett
Richelle Cross
Thomasina Perkins 
Gwendolyn Quinn 
Audra Washington-Madison 

The cast of WOMEN BEHIND THE MIC are joining us on the Busboys stage to share their stories and life experiences contributing to The Culture and their places in Hip-Hop, Film, Media, and more. Copies of the book will be available for purchase during and after the event, and our contributors will be signing following the program.

This event is free and open to all. Our program begins at 6:00 pm, and will be followed by an audience Q&A. Copies of WOMEN BEHIND THE MIC: CURATORS OF THE CULTURE VOLUME TWO will be available for purchase before and after the event. Please note that this event is in person and will not be livestreamed. 

We ask that guests RSVP in order to receive direct updates about the event from Busboys and Poets Books

Ask LaJoyce Brookshire who she is and quickly she will tell you she’s God’s Girl, a full-time wife and mother and a part-time everything else. She is a licensed and ordained Pastor, Doctor of Naturopathy, a Master Herbalist, Professor at The City University of New York, and Host of ASK THE GOOD DOCTOR on SiriusXMs UrbanView Channel.

As a graduate of Trinity College of Natural Health, Dr. Brookshire is a Naturopath in the Poconos treating many how to stay well with everything in nature and how to attain, maintain, and reclaim ones Perfect Health. Affectionately called “The Good Doctor”, Brookshire teaches that you ARE what you eat. Her most popular requested lecture, “If Your Doctor Is So Smart, Why Are You So Sick?” is a favorite among community organizations seeking better health practices.

Dr. LaJoyce Brookshire is a seven-time bestselling author and a New York Times bestselling author of the novel based on the smash hit movie Soul Food with six concurrent bestselling books. With Soul Food, Dr. LaJoyce is the First African American to novelize a major motion picture. Brookshire’s latest bestseller is WOMEN BEHIND THE MIC: Curators of Hip-Hop featuring women who have worked behind the scenes in the entertainment industry.

Dr. LaJoyce transitioned the Faith Under Fire memoir about the man who married her knowing he had AIDS which sold over 250 thousand copies into an Off-Broadway smash hit stage play with Co-Writer Blake Roberts and have written the script for the feature film. She has become an HIV/AIDS educator and is an advocate for Abstinence and Health Literacy.

In her former career, Dr. LaJoyce was a high-powered entertainment publicist to the STARS. As Director of Publicity at Arista Records in the mid-90s, she represented music legends, multi-platinum and Diamond Certified artists such as The Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin, Sean “Puffy” Combs, Toni Braxton, Kenny G, OutKast, Monica, Deborah Cox, Craig Mack, Total, Faith Evans, 112, Usher, TLC, Whitney Houston, and The Notorious B.I.G aka (Biggie Smalls) until his death.

Richelle Cross is a 25 year music veteran based in Atlanta, GA. She is the CEO/President of Class & Sass Promotions, a visual marketing and PR company. Since 1992, she has successfully launched campaigns for nearly 2000 videos. Over the years, she has promoted videos and secured television appearances for Drake, Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne, DJ Khaled, Alicia Keys, Birdman, Ice Cube, Diddy, Notorious B.I.G, Janet Jackson, Lenny Kravitz, Madonna and Erykah Badu to name a few.

Pamela Crockett is best known for her large-scale oil paintings of small, natural decaying objects in active environments. In them, she imbues inanimate objects with life, and her attention to texture invites the viewer for a closer look. A former fellow in residence at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts and recipient of the Olssen Faculty Incentive Award, Pamela has been teaching art and painting since receiving her Master of Fine Arts and Masters of Arts degrees from the University of Iowa in 1991. Teaching positions include Mt. St. Mary’s College, Loyola University, Notre Dame of Maryland University, McDaniel College, St. Timothy’s School, and the University of Iowa.  She maintains an artist studio in the Woodberry neighborhood of Baltimore, and her work appears widely in collections across the U.S. Recent solo exhibitions include the Honfleur Gallery in Anacostia, DC, and the Montpelier Arts Center in Laurel, MD. 

Dr. Omekongo Dibinga’s life has been devoted to challenging bias and smashing stereotypes for over 30 years since first getting involved as a community activist. Dr. Dibinga is Senior Professorial Lecturer of Intercultural Communication at American University. He is an award-winning poet and a world renown professional speaker working with corporations and school districts across the country on leveraging diversity. His undergraduate and doctoral work has centered around issues facing the Black community not only in America but across the globe, which has led Dr. Dibinga to live and work in almost 30 countries. Dr. Dibinga earned his Ph.D. in International Education Policy at The University of Maryland (UMD) where his dissertation centered on post-Civil Rights Era Black youth. He also worked with the Southern Poverty Law Center’s “Teaching Diverse Students Initiative” and provides leadership, educational and diversity empowerment as a consultant and motivational speaker for organizations, associations, and institutions around the world.

Gwendolyn Quinn knows a little something about Queens. The power publicist counts as clients Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin and Queen of Funk, Chaka Khan; credits Queen of Disco, Gloria Gaynor for her first job in entertainment, and considers hip-hop’s Queen Latifah among her many PR successes. But before the royal fanfare, there was mom, Queen Quinn.

Thomasina Perkins is Chief Executive Officer and Principal Publicist of Capitol Public Relations, LLC(CPR). She is a Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, Minority Business Enterprise Fellow, Chief Communications Officer of the Meet/Now dating app, WinknDrink, Majority Team Owner of the Washington Women’s Football Team of the Women’s Football League Association (WFLA)) and Executive Team Member/VP of Partnerships at the Marijuana Hall of Fame.

Audra Washington-Madison is a highly accomplished marketing executive known for driving success across diverse industries. Her proven track record includes impactful contributions to the realms of music, financial services, and horse racing. Renowned for strategic vision, innovative thinking, and meticulous attention to detail, she plays a pivotal role in the success of the prestigious Preakness Stakes. 

Event Venue

Busboys and Poets - Takoma, 235 Carroll Ave NW, Washington, United States