Akilah Newton is an activist, entrepreneur and author. She has always had a fascination with the arts and pursued her passion by studying music, drama and dance, and performing in productions at John Abbott College and as a member of the Montreal Jubilation Gospel Choir. In 2003, she moved to the UK to attend university at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts. After earning a bachelor’s degree in Arts, Music & Entertainment Management, she returned to Montreal and created an organization for artistically inclined youth. She founded Overture with the Arts (OWTA) in 2009, an organization committed to making performing-arts education accessible to youth from all walks of life. She recognized that the arts have the power to unite communities and made it her mission to produce OWTA programs and events that spark discussion about social change. In that vein, one of OWTA’s most popular programs is their annual Black History Month school tour. The tour visits schools across Canada and educates youth about Canadian Black history using music and spoken word.

In 2018 Akilah co-wrote children’s book Big Dreamers: The Canadian Black History Activity Book for Kids Volume 1. The book highlights the achievements of Black Canadians whose stories are often left untold. Since then, she has written and self published several more books and expanded her line of products to include games, sticker sheets and more!