Leonette Henderson always wanted to make a difference in her hometown Clarksdale, but in order to be completely effective, that meant moving away for a period of time before coming back.
Henderson, a 2000 Clarksdale High School graduate who served as homecoming queen, was named the executive director of Griot Arts Inc. in September after leaving for 18 years and coming home in 2018.
Griot Arts Inc. is located in the Meraki Roasting Co. at 282 Sunflower Ave. Meraki is a part of Griot. She got to know Meraki program director Ben Lewis quickly.
“When I came back to Clarksdale, actually Meraki was the first place that I sort of spotted out and so I came into the coffee shop and met Ben and all of these amazing people,” Henderson said. “I saw youth doing amazing things and working and so, as I began to just get familiar with Griot, it really connected with the work that I do.”
Griot Arts Inc.’s mission is to empower young people to create positive change in their lives and community by providing access to opportunities in the arts, education, and workforce development in a Christ-centered environment. It focuses on the four C’s - creativity, community, compassion and Christ-centered.
Henderson attended Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, Ala., from 2000 to 2004 and graduated with a major in history and minor in psychology. She worked for the University of Virginia from 2004 to 2010 in the office of African-American affairs, the department of family medicine with a focus on community outreach and as a guest co-lecturer on the history of soul food as related to “Obesity in the African American Community.” She worked with New Leaders – then New Leaders for New Schools – in Memphis from 2010 to 2013 as EPIC Program Coordinator, which was a part of the Race to the Top Grant under former President Barack Obama’s administration. She was also a development manager.
Henderson worked in elementary education at Whitney Achievement Elementary School in Memphis from 2013 to 2014.
She started her master’s program in 2014 at St. Mary’s University of Minnesota in philanthropy and development and completed it in the summer of 2017 with a thesis “The Impact of Educational Philanthropy and Education Reform on the K-12.”
Henderson moved back to Charlottesville, Va., in 2014 and returned to the University of Virginia. She worked in the Dean’s Office of the School of Medicine on the Faculty Affairs and Faculty Development team from 2014 to 2018.
Career Crossroads
Then Henderson found herself at a crossroads before making the decision to come home in April 2018.
“One of the big decisions I had to make was after the 2017 Unite the Right (Alt Right) groups came to Charlottesville,” she said. “When contemplating whether to stay in Charlottesville to participate in the healing of their community or to return back to my hometown of Clarksdale, Miss., for healing/social justice work, I chose home.”
After returning home, Henderson brought an open mic night to her community through the collaboration of the Crossroads Cultural Arts Center.
“My interest in storytelling of the Mississippi Delta coincides with my work as a documentarian,” Henderson said. “During my role as the Vice Chair of the Board Higher Purpose Co., I organized an educational community excursion for 46 community members in the Mississippi Delta to tour Selma and Montgomery, Ala.”
Higher Purpose Co. is a non-profit organization investing in African-American-owned businesses to build financial, cultural, and political power through ownership.
Henderson is involved with the Aspen Institute’s Aspen Young Leaders Fellows as a local action coordinator where she serves young leaders in Mississippi and Arkansas as they journey through what leadership looks like for them and executes their own community impact project.
“My love for community, youth, education, social justice, and history shows up daily in my work and actions,” Henderson said.
Griot Arts
Henderson is the third executive director of Griot Arts Inc. succeeding Julian Gallo. Cali Noland was the founder of Griot Arts Inc. in 2011 and first executive director.
“My first week has been amazing. The staff, team is very supportive. The board members have been very supportive,” said Henderson after a week on the job.
While Henderson has an extensive resume and traveled many different places, finding work was not so easy when she came back to Clarksdale.
“When I returned to Clarksdale, I had to be creative about employment and started by own business, RetroCotton LLC where my documentary film would officially live, provide nonprofit consulting, and promotional video shorts for nonprofits and business,” Henderson said. “The purpose of RetroCotton is to bridge the gap of non-profit solutions through interconnective media. What grew out of the nonprofit consultant component was, Philanthroculture. Philanthroculture is reimagining community, recreating space and redefining the culture of Philanthropy. Philanthroculture comes as a brand but also as a movement to remind all of us that ‘giving back’ of our time. Talent is Philanthropy. This brand and movement is specific to those that do not have the millions in the bank but uses their time and talent to produce the treasure for their philanthropic efforts.”
Henderson had already put together other documentary films, including one on the New Roxy Theater in 2008. She also worked at Collective Seed & Supply Co., The Travelers Hotel and served as the director of development for Higher Purpose Co.
Looking ahead
Griot Arts Inc’s mission works toward three programs. The Mint Griot program serves third through sixth grade, The Sage Griot program serves seventh through 12th grade and the Meraki program helps students gain work experience at Meraki Roasting Co.
“The work of Griot Arts Inc. speaks to the advocate, historian and artist in me,” Henderson said. “The youth ignite my drive, my activism, and my commitment. This place (Clarksdale) is home and it fuels my desire to want more for it and demand more of it. I see the eyes of wonder in our youth. I see the fire in their eyes, some burning, some flickering which means there is work still to be done. My experience working with students comes from having spent 15 years in higher education, education reform and secondary education, collectively. Whether in the classroom, supporting African American college students at the University of Virginia or standing in the audience watching them rally their community on to make a change, I am them and they are me so I serve them and be the person I needed at their age(s).”
Henderson said the organization will be working towards an extensive and inclusive development within the community it serves and to have deeper impact around programming.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Griot has moved all programming to online, made sure our technology was up-to-par to ensure students had access to our online resources. Meraki has been in keeping with the guidelines of both local and state regarding operation.
During Gallo’s tenure as executive director, the organization launched a student-led podcast and an instrument rental project.
As Henderson looks to make a positive impact in the lives of the youth, many changes are being made in the education system locally, including at her alma mater.
Clarksdale Municipal School District superintendent Dr. Earl Joe Nelson is in his second year and has made some personnel and organizational changes. She believes all schools should have that focus on the youth.
“If we keep students first in our decision making, strategic plans, and overall trajectory, there will continue to be a shift in the right direction,” Henderson said. All education is structured around a system. Systemically it does not work for all children. It is not and has never been a ‘one size fits all.’ I feel that our school districts are working with what they have and being creative in their execution. For our local school districts, I would love for the schools to allow Griot Arts to be a part of that creative process through our art programming and workforce development program.”
Inspirations
Henderson has had many inspirations throughout her life, but it all started with her mother and father.
Her dad, Leonard, was an educator for 40 years, principal of Riverton Elementary School and a state representative for District 26 following Aaron E. Henry.
“He really instilled a love of Clarksdale and music in me,” Henderson said.
Henderson’s father took her to Greater Centennial Missionary Baptist Church, but by around age 8, she was able to choose her own church. She chose Chapel Hill Missionary Baptist Church and still attends there today.
Her mom, Cal, was an educator for 37 years, taught typing at Clarksdale High School and then co-op at s Carl Keen Career and Technical Education Center in the CMSD.
Henderson said both of her parents opened their home to their students and the community. Kids would come to her house as a child to eat, talk or just get away from everything.
Henderson was a part of REACH Institute that was started by Eurmon Hervey and Cheryl Green in the 1990s. She said it was similar to Griot and inspired her to take the path she has.
Clarksdale native Eurmon Harvey, who has one of his degrees from Harvard, and her eighth-grade English teacher, Cheryl Green, founded the organization.
Influences in Henderson’s life on the national stage include the late US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Democratic Vice Presidential nominee Sen. Kamala Harris and filmmaker Ava DuVernay.
To this day, Henderson acknowledged there are obstacles black female leaders still endure.
“As a woman, I have experienced discrimination, gender bias and have been overlooked regarding my ideas or direction when it has been presented by me yet accepted when shared by my male colleagues,” Henderson said. “As a black woman, I have experienced what so many black women have faced. I have been labeled too bossy for what others would deemed great leadership with impactful outcomes. I have been tokenized. I have been used as the diversity poster child. As a black leader, advocate and business woman, and nonprofit profession, I have experienced what most women have. Yet we survive. We find our support circles and we hone in on what the truths are and what our values really bring to the body of work we serve in."
