Ali Richardson

Born and raised in Newark and East Orange, New Jersey, Ali Richardson spent his childhood participating in various activities such as local choirs, African drumming, debate, and television production. He credits his parents with first exposing him to the art of storytelling and notes that he learned early in life the value of art and music as healing forces. Ali would go on to graduate from Lehigh University, where he studied English Literature and participated in musical theater and began to hone his skills as a performance poet.

Ali Richardson went on to teach English Literature to middle school students in Newark, New Jersey and subsequently lead an After School program at the Free Library in Philadelphia. In the Summer of 2004, Ali Richardson teamed up with Nathan Lee Jones, a local producer and friend, to found the CODA Program, a Philadelphia-based company dedicated to providing quality youth music workshops and educational solutions to students at schools, museums, libraries, and community centers. The CODA (Community Outreach, Development, and Achievement) Program has serviced thousands of youth throughout the East Coast for over four years.

Inspired by Stevie Wonder, Bob Marley, KRS-One and John Coltrane, Ali notes that African concepts of community and the works of authors like Na’im Akbar have also provided him with an important cultural framework he then integrated throughout the CODA Program. As importantly, Richardson understood the value of documenting these experiences for students—connecting youth with the creative processes for developing music.

Mr. Richardson has created and hosted a variety of events including “The Family Vibe” at Doc Watson’s and “The World Music Jam Session” at Dahlak. He has worked as a guitarist for Ronin Ali in a soul vocal performance band, Toni Blackman, a published poet and emcee who would ultimately go on to tour the East Coast and Germany with, and serves as Musical Director for Aaron Mingo and the AskForMercy Orchestra.

Ali Richardson also serves on the Board of Directors with OnTrackAmerica, a non-profit company working to improve economic disparity through the efficient utilization of railroads. He is also working on the Hip-hop project, Universal U, a joint musical venture between himself (as his alias Text Rich) and Industrial Death, drawing on diverse musical influences to channel poetry and hip-hop-styled verse.