Afro Aloha Live! Presents Black Is Art

Amy Benson is a Nigerian-American multi-faceted creative entrepreneur. Benson was raised in Birmingham, Alabama and her parents are both Nigerian. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Texas San Antonio. She spent most of her career working in marketing, sales, consulting, and hospitality with Fortune 500 companies before pivoting to more freelance and entrepreneurial endeavors. She relocated to Honolulu from Atlanta, Georgia 12 years ago. In 2020, Benson founded Black Bazaar Honolulu, which later transitioned to Afro Aloha. She’s the visionary behind Black is Art, DRIPNIQ Picnic Festival,  Honolulu Black Pride, and the creator of the Afro Aloha Podcast.

With a creative legacy that spans media and movement, Nai Vasha has positioned herself as Founder and Chief Land Stewart for Get Redy Farm while also serving as a creative director for several mission-driven platforms where she helps shape visual identities through conceptual 2D + 3D installations, photojournalism, and video direction. She’s known for her ability to fill the void, amplifying stories that matter and building visual ecosystems for influential brands.

As an avid distance runner and ultramarathoner, she treats sport as a metaphor and method, integrating movement into her storytelling. She’s collaborated with Nike, Puma, Reebok, Adidas, and Lululemon both internally and externally, solidifying her role as a multi-city community leader and cultural contributor. Vasha is also the co-founder of UNDO, a forward-thinking sports and wellness magazine, and its parent initiative UNDO-ORDINARY, reshaping the way we engage with health, information, and each other.

Stripping the tail off an ancient Chinese proverb, she lives by one guiding quote:

“Never trouble trouble.”

AUTHOR, “TALES FROM THE BENCH: ESSAYS ON LIFE AND JUSTICE”
Retired ADJUNCT LECTURER IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE, CHAMINADE UNIVERSITY

Judge Sandra Simms was appointed to the First Circuit Court, Twelfth Division in May 1994.  Prior to her appointment to the Circuit she served on the District Court from November, 1991. She retired from the bench June 1, 2004.  

Judge Simms was born in Chicago, Illinois. She is a graduate of Hyde Park High School, and obtained a B. A. from the University of Illinois, Chicago with a major in Sociology and Political Science. She earned her Juris Doctor degree from DePaul University, College of Law in 1978.

After graduating from the University of Illinois, she was employed as a flight attendant for United Airlines from 1972-1977.  She and her husband Hank, moved to Hawai'i in 1979 upon his transfer with United Airlines. From 1980 until March, 1982, she was law clerk to the Honorable Yoshimi Hayashi, Chief Judge for the then newly formed Intermediate Court of Appeals.

She served as Deputy Corporation Counsel for the City and County of Honolulu from 1982 until 1991. In that capacity, she served as legal counsel to a variety of city agencies and commissions, including, the Police Commission, Civil Service Commission, Liquor Commission, Building, Public Works, Fire Department, and Family Support Division. She also served as a as Staff Attorney for the Department of the Attorney General's Office of Information Practices until she was appointed by Chief Justice Herman Lum to the District Court of the First Circuit, in November, 1991, becoming the first African American female judge in the state of Hawai'i. In May, 1994, she was appointed by Governor John Waihee to the position of Circuit Court Judge for the First Judicial Circuit, State of Hawaii. As a trial judge, she presided over matters involving domestic violence, restraining orders, civil proceedings and felony jury trials, a substantial number of which were extensively covered by the media.

She served on a number of judicial committees, contributing to the work of the Jury Innovations Committee, the Domestic Violence Backlog Reduction Project, and the District Court Civil Rules Committee among others.

She was a member of the Judiciary’s Speakers Bureau, and gave numerous presentations to a variety of community organizations, schools and forums to assist them in understanding the judicial system.  Among the programs she has  participated in have been school career days, The Peoples’ Law School, Hawaii High School Mock Trial Tournament, William S. Richardson Law School Appellate Advocacy, and the Dr. Martin Luther King , Jr. Coalition,

She has been a speaker and/ or presenter for innumerable community organizations and functions, including The Rotary Club, Chaminade University, Soroptimist International, NAACP, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Honolulu Black Nurses, Trinity Missionary Baptist Church, University of Hawaii SEED program, Honolulu Masons, Hawai’i Chapter of The Links, Inc., YWCA Leadership Luncheon, and The Girl Scout Council and various military programs and forums.

She has been a member of the Hawai'i State Board of Bar Examiners, which writes and administers the Bar exam for attorneys who want to practice law in the State of Hawai’i, for over twenty-five years. She is a current member and former director of Hawaii Women Lawyers.  

In 1992 she joined Soroptimist International of Waikiki Foundation, Inc.  She has held numerous district and region offices within the Soroptimist International of the Americas, an international service organization committed to improving the lives of women and girls throughout the world. 

 

Upon retiring from the bench, she was invited to join the Board of Directors for Mental Health America of Hawaii and has co-chaired its annual Mahalo Awards Luncheon held during Mental Health Month to honor our community leaders in mental health services. In 2012, Governor Neil Abercrombie appointed her to the State Council on Mental Health, an advisory council for community mental health issues; in 2013 she joined the Board of Directors of Family Promise Hawaii.

She is an active member of the Hawaii Chapter of The Links, Incorporated and has held  leadership positions within the Chapter and the Western Area. The Links, Incorporated is a national service organization focused on women of color and providing cultural and educational programs for and about communities of color. 

In 2012, she published her first book, “Tales From The Bench: Essays on Life and Justice”, a partial memoir and collection of essays drawn from her experiences as a criminal court judge.  A second volume is in the works. 

In 2019, she was among a select group of African Americans in Hawaii to be included in “The HistoryMakers”, an online collection of video biographies of African American leaders across a broad spectrum of disciplines.  The biographies are on file at the Library of Congress and in leading colleges and universities across the country.

She was recently appointed to the 2026 Charter Commission by Mayor Rick Blangiardi 

She enjoys volunteering as a docent for the Honolulu Museum of Art and Hawaiian quilting with Sewjourner Truth, a group of attorneys and now retired judges who quilt for the fun of it.        

Tito “MaLik” Jones, a retired officer from the United States Marine Corps, serves as a consultant focused on mitigating risk to government infrastructure.  He began his military career after graduating from T.L. Hanna High School in Anderson, South Carolina in June 1994and served as an Electrical Optical Ordnance Repairer.  In May 2002, he earned a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from the University of South Carolina Navy ROTC Unit, was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant, and began serving as a Military Police Officer.  

In June 2003, Second Lieutenant Jones was reassigned to Marine Corps Base Hawaii at Kaneohe Bay for duty with the Military Police Departmentwhere he served as a Watch Commander, the Department’s Training Officer, and the Special Reaction Team (SRT) Commander.  From January to May 2005, he deployed the SRT on behalf of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) in support of Operation BAKER TORCH in Bangkok, Thailand.  

In June 2006, First Lieutenant Jones was reassigned to USMC Recruiting Station Baton Rouge where he served as the Officer Selection Officer.  During this tour, he selected 110 college students from the state of Louisiana and southwest Mississippi for Officer Candidates School (OCS).  In 2007, he was awarded the NAACP Roy Wilkins Renowned Service Award in recognition of his efforts in recruiting diverse applicants for OCS.  In May 2009, he earned a Master of Science in Criminal Justice from Southern University and A&M College. 

In June 2010, Captain Jones was reassigned to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina for duty as the Antiterrorism/Force Protection/Mission AssuranceOfficer of the 22d Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU).  From March 2011 through February 2012, he deployed with the MEU in support of OPERATION UNIFIED PROTECTOR in Libya and to U.S. Central Command for OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM. During the deployment, Captain Jones conducted official travel to twelve United States partner nations completing threat assessments and force protection security plans.  In May 2012, Captain Jones transferred to the Military Police Department on Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune where he served as the Director of Operations, and later as the Provost Marshal.  From February through August 2013, Captain Jones deployed in support of OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM to Kabul, Afghanistan for duty within the Joint Operations Center, NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan / Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan.  

In November 2014, Major Jones was reassigned to Camp Smedley D. Butler in Okinawa, Japan for duty as the Deputy Provost Marshal for the 2,600 police officers assigned to the five bases within Marine Corps Installations-Pacific. During this tour, he was temporarily reassigned to Marine Corps Base Hawaii in December 2014 for duty as the Provost Marshal.  In August 2016, Major Jones transferred to Third Law Enforcement Battalion for duty as the Executive Officer.  During his time at the battalion, he conducted numerous official visits to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia for KHAAN QUEST 2016.  

In November 2017, Major Jones retired from active duty service and assumed the duties as the NJROTC Senior Naval Science Instructor at West Feliciana High School in Saint Francisville, Louisiana.  In January 2018, he became an Adjunct Professor of Criminal Justice at Southern University teaching Advanced Police Administration and Criminal Justice Systems.  He is scheduled to earn a PhD in Public Policy from the Southern University in December 2026.    

In October 2023, he relocated back to Hawaii to serve as a consultant focused on mitigating risk to government infrastructure.

Tito Jones is married to Dr. Chanika Jones, PhD, (LSU ’07) who is also a former US Marine and a retired professor from both LSU and Southern University.  They make their home in Kaneohe and have a blended family of four daughters.

Oaklea Rowe, a lyric soprano originally from Denver, Colorado, where she pursued opera studies at the University of Denver's Lamont School of Music, has a rich performance background. Following her education, Oaklea toured as a featured soloist with the Denver-based Spirituals Project Choir and went on to perform in New York City with companies such as Harlem Opera Ensemble, Regina Opera Company, Distinguished Concerts International, New York Lyric Opera, and Opera Company of Brooklyn.

As a promising young artist, Ms. Rowe gained valuable touring experience throughout the United States, South America, and Italy. She made her Lincoln Center debut in 2011, performing Handel's Messiah. In 2018, her talent was further recognized when she was selected as one of 20 classical vocalists to participate in the prestigious St. Goar Music Academy and Festival in St. Goar, Germany.

On the island, Oaklea has performed with Hawaii Opera Theatre as both a studio artist and chorister. She has proved to be a versatile artist who also enjoys singing a wide range of genres—including liturgical works, opera, jazz, traditional spirituals, and musical theater.

This marks Oaklea’s fourth performance at Afro Aloha’s Black Is Art showcase—and her debut singing appearance at the iconic Blue Note Hawaii. She extends heartfelt thanks to Amy Benson, founder of Afro Aloha, for her unwavering dedication to uplifting Hawai‘i’s Black community and for creating space to celebrate Black culture, art, and music.

DJ Jrama, originally from San Francisco CA, Has Over two decades of DJ experience, & over a decade experience with the award-winning music production group, “The LEVEL.”
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Has been a fixture in Hawaii's nightlife scene and is a founding member of the infamous “Stone Groove Family DJs.” also is a member of The Worldwide Fleet DJs (Hawaii State Manager) and one of the longest tenured DJs for Motown On Mondays HNL
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In 2015 won a Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award & Pacific Island Music Award for being one of the producers on one of Hawaii’s most talented artists, Maryanne Ito's debut album "Waking Up,"  which made it to #4 on the UK Soul Charts
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Jrama is the co-founder of an independent media company called Slapp Radio, which focuses on covering the talents and stories of artists all across Oceana.

Sayada is a passionate and versatile artist born and raised in Guyana, South America. A lover of all things art, she has been creating for as long as she can remember. While she considers herself multi-talented, her heart is deeply rooted in making art that tells a story. Sayada resists labels and fixed definitions—her creative expression is ever-changing, evolving with her emotions, experiences, and growth as an artist.

Her work is best described as a reflection of what she feels deeply. Through her art, she aims to evoke thought, raise questions, and stir emotion—even when those emotions are uncomfortable. Sayada’s preferred mediums include canvas, wood, acrylic, oil paints, resin, and mixed media. She is also an abstract artist, drawn to the freedom abstract art gives her to explore form, color, and feeling without limitations.

With a love for woodwork that blends craftsmanship with creativity, Sayada brings depth and dimension to her work. Her artistic mission is simple yet powerful: to create as much as she can, for as long as she can.