profshaq
1 Course • 3 StudentsBiography
Shakeema D. Funchess is a multidisciplinary educator, author, and cultural storyteller with a passion for language, liberation, and literacy. She holds a Master’s in Healthcare Administration and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a minor in Arabic and Islamic Studies from St. Bonaventure University. As the founder of Adventures in Zen Books, Professor Shaq has published over two dozen inclusive children's books that celebrate identity, culture, and social justice through storytelling.
Her course, Sounds of Culture, invites students to explore the intersections of language, rhythm, resistance, and identity—examining how sounds shape and reflect culture across the African diaspora and beyond. From African American Vernacular English (AAVE) to hip-hop, protest chants to poetry, students will engage critically with the power of sound as a cultural artifact and a tool of both oppression and empowerment.
Shakeema’s work is rooted in community, drawing from lived experience, historical research, and creative pedagogy. Whether she’s leading a classroom discussion or hosting a coloring wellness event, she creates spaces where culture is honored, questions are welcome, and every voice matters.
