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Akala

Akala

Co-Founder, The Hip-Hop Shakespeare Company

Akala is an award-winning hip-hop artist, writer and social entrepreneur, and one of the most respected voices in the UK's racial equity and social justice movement.

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Bio

Full Bio

Akala is an award-winning hip-hop artist, writer and social entrepreneur, and one of the most respected voices in the UK’s racial equity and social justice movement.

His best-selling memoir, Natives, is a searing modern polemic about race and society: From the first time he was stopped and searched as a child, to the day he realized his mom was white, to his first encounters with racist teachers. The memoir is now being adapted into a documentary series on BBC. Always working to promote bigger ideals to the collective through his work, Akala takes his own experiences and widens them out to look at the social, historical and political factors that have shaped modern society, and where we might go from here. With a potent grasp of history and profound storytelling ability, Akala’s debut young adult novel The Dark Lady gives a rare insight on the life and times of multicultural London during the 16th century – this brilliant, at times brutal, novel from the amazing imagination that is Akala is inspired by Shakespeare’s ‘Dark Lady’ sonnets.

Akala is also the co-founder of The Hip-Hop Shakespeare Company, a music theater production company aimed at exploring the social, cultural and linguistic parallels between the works of William Shakespeare and that of modern day hip-hop artists, which he chronicled in his TEDx Talk. Akala’s work offers young people a different view of the arts and ultimately, themselves.

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Topics

Topics

A Discussion on Race, Social Justice & Equity

The Creative Process and Entrepreneurship

Hip Hop and Shakespeare: An Overview and Explanation

Videos

Videos

Akala Talks Twitter, Hip Hop, and Spice Girls | The Russell Howard Hour
Akala | Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire | Equity Talks

Books

Natives
Natives

News

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The American Psychological Association was thrilled to have Dr. Antonia Novello as our speaker for the 2024 APA Convention. Dr. Novello was fantastic, and her presentation was a tremendous success. Thank you, Peter, for all your hard work in making this event such a resounding success.

American Psychological Association

For our annual Native American Heritage Month celebration, PDA Group arranged for John Echohawk to join us for a virtual moderated discussion. The program was thoughtful, engaging, and highly impactful for our audience of lawyers and professional staff. We are grateful for their partnership and look forward to working with them again.

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Investcorp Strategic Capital Group

It was an absolute privilege to have Dr. Sanjay Gupta as our keynote speaker for the 2026 GME Leadership Conference. He delivered an outstanding address that resonated deeply and left a lasting impression on everyone in the room. The entire planning process was seamless and collaborative. It was a pleasure working together, brainstorming suggestions, and ultimately selecting the perfect fit for our event. We couldn’t have asked for a better experience.

HCA Healthcare

We had a fantastic day with Inge! She was very engaging with all those that attended. Her personal stories about the holocaust were very special and we were moved that she was willing to share them with everyone. Thank you again, PDA for all your hard work and dedication to make this program such a success!

Salt Lake Community College

It was a great pleasure to work with PDA Group! The communication was always prompt, friendly and helpful. We loved the speakers and events we booked through Mr. Peter Walker (PDA Group).

Western Michigan University

On behalf of myself and my organization Entertainment Unlimited the Campus Programming Board of Ferris State University, we thank you PDA and Dan for a successful event!! Dan was magnificent! Students really enjoyed the presentation. I know I did. Can’t wait to bring in more programs with PDA Group.

Ferris State University

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