'It's time to tell our stories': DAWA opens no-cost studio to help creators of color

Antojuan Spoons, a local Austin rapper and saxophonist, said he was going through a period of writer’s block when Jonathan “Chaka” Mahone got in touch with him.

“Chaka actually reached out to me on Instagram last summer and said, 'Hey, I like your music. Keep doing what you’re doing,’” said Spoons, whose stage name is his middle name Maurvice. “I don’t wanna get too deep, but I was also in the middle of a writer’s block and I was in that hole for about two years. (Chaka) reaching out to me definitely meant a lot and it definitely motivated me to keep going.”

Mahone, a musician himself and part of the husband-wife hip-hop group Riders Against the Storm, in 2019 founded DAWA (Diversity and Wellness in Action), a nonprofit organization that uplifts creators of color based in Austin. DAWA is accepting donations for future grants.

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In mid-July, Mahone announced the nonprofit will open DAWA Studios, a no-cost content studio for creators of color. The studio on West Fifth Street has an array of video and audio equipment, from 4K cameras to professional light boxes. Content creators and organizations can use the space for podcasts, interviews, livestreams and live music performances. (As of now, it is not a studio for recording albums or music outside of live performances.)

With the addition of a studio space within DAWA, Mahone said he wants creators of color to feel empowered to share their stories.

“I created DAWA Studios to create those opportunities for people out here, saying ‘Hey, we see you. We value you. Come in, let’s get done together,’” Mahone said. "It’s time to tell our stories. It’s our time to make our mark and not rely on anyone outside our community to recognize the talent and the beauty that’s here.”

‘This is a studio for the lions’

DAWA Studios is accepting applications for studio use. With its grand opening anticipated soon, Mahone said he is excited to continue uplifting the voices of creatives of color.

“There’s an African proverb and it goes ‘Until the Lion speaks or learns to speak, the glory of the hunt will always go to the hunter,’” Mahone said. “This is a studio for the lions, it’s our time to speak.”

Ever Calderon, DAWA's studio manager, is in charge of preparing the equipment and assisting content creators in the studio. Calderon said DAWA is looking for people and organizations who want to enhance their content, with hopes that supporting new creators and artists can become a priority in the near future at the studio.

“We’re looking for the more experienced people who have a track record of putting out content and they’re comfortable with it so that we can get the most out of each other,” Calderon said. “And then eventually, after we’re settled and stuff, we can bring in newer people and develop brand new shows out of nothing.”

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Calderon chose to work with Mahone and DAWA because of their lasting community impact in Austin.

“I’ve had other people ask me like ‘Hey, can you come build a studio with me? Be a part of my team.’ And It don’t feel the same like Chaka,” Calderon said. “(Mahone is) just a real person and just cares about people out here in the community. That’s why DAWA really stuck to me, because I felt the connection.”

Spoons said that as an artist himself, he would recommend people use DAWA Studios and its equipment as best they can to share their new ideas.

“As a content creator, I would just do everything and utilize the resources that I have, because being here is a blessing and an opportunity that not many artists get,” Spoons said. “That’s why DAWA is here: to help the artists (in Austin) get the opportunities. That way, we can all grow together.”

Mercedes Perry, former management consultant for DAWA, said she thinks the nonprofit will continue to fill in the missing resources for creatives of color with the new studio space and more.

“Persons of color oftentime are not given the tools needed. And we’re not supported the way that we should be, even when we’re inside those institutions,” said Perry, a project management professional in Austin. “I think that is literally the purpose of DAWA, and it's already doing its job. So I’m really excited to keep seeing how it fills those gaps over time.”

Spoons said DAWA studios has better equipment and resources than other studios he’s paid to use.

“I come from paying $60 to $100 going to studios who might not have the resources that DAWA has,” Spoons said. “Now that I have the space and the ability to come in here and put my talents fully on display, it’s something I’ve always dreamed of.”

Spoons said you can find him at DAWA Studios in the next few months.

“I have a project coming out in May of 2023, and I definitely will be here in DAWA Studios recording,” Spoons said.

‘This is something real’

For many people involved with DAWA, the organization not only helped them with creating content but also feeling a sense of purpose.

Perry met Mahone when he started with DAWA Funds in 2019. Perry initially offered her project management services through her firm, R^3 consults, but later found herself aligning deeply with DAWA’s mission. Although Perry’s involvement with DAWA has decreased, she still sees herself engaging with the organization in the future.

“I’ll sit on the board and stay with DAWA, because it is also now a part of my heart,” Perry said. “I truly believe DAWA means healing, and it's been a healing experience for me, for my crown chakra. I was able to get out of my mind and realize my own strengths.”

Being surrounded by creative people and the energy in the DAWA community, Perry said, inspired her to create her own content.

“​​All the things I say I want to create, I gotta create these things now,” Perry said. “That’s literally the impact that the organization has had on me personally. I can not just not live to my fullest potential is how it's impacting me.”

Perry also shared that a barrier to creating content for her was a lack of quality resources. With DAWA studios, Perry said she feels confident knowing the studio equipment is high-quality technology.

“Knowing I can come into DAWA Studios now and sit down and record a few episodes of a podcast, a few episodes for a talk-show concept idea,” is inspiring. Perry said. “I know that I can do that and that it's going to be done really well, even though I know I can’t afford to do it as well as I want to in my brain.”

Veronica Moore, Ben E. Keith Beverages director of marketing, first saw Mahone performing around Austin in Riders Against the Storm. When the opportunity arose for Ben E. Keith to sponsor DAWA, Moore was convinced to support the organization.

“When Chaka first brought DAWA to me, I just thought it was such a unique opportunity to help a community that really we haven’t been serving before,” Moore said.

Moore also said she felt a personal connection to DAWA’s mission. As a person of color, Moore said she appreciates DAWA’s approach to building community with creators of color across Austin.

“I moved here in 2009 and immediately loved Austin but definitely had my own struggle finding my community here,” Moore said. “Knowing the potential that DAWA has to help people of color in the arts and in music –– when there are so many other big organizations who are not focused on people of color in Austin and our community –– I just thought it was time, (and) long past due time. (It was) kind of a way for me personally to help my own community.”

While not a content creator herself, Moore said she sees DAWA’s work as important and is excited to keep supporting their efforts in Austin.

“I just think Chaka is such an important voice in our community that I want to help him make the biggest impact possible,” Moore said.

Spoons also shared how DAWA has affected the music scene for artists of color in Austin.

“Before DAWA came, finding performances and finding funding and finding people to help artists was really hard, honestly, because music is a game where it's every man for (themselves), so trying to find someone to help you whenever you’re stuck in a hole” is a challenge, Spoons said. “And let’s say you work a full time job; you might not have time to go get ready for a performance, or you might not have the funds to go on a trip or go to an open mic across the state. DAWA has definitely helped the scene by giving artists a platform in a way that I’ve never seen."

UPDATE: This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Antojuan Spoons' first name.

More information about DAWA Studios

DAWA Studios plans to open to the public in late August. You can apply to use DAWA Studios online. DAWA Funds is currently not accepting grant applications, but you can check their website, dawaheals.org, for updates. You can also donate and find out how to volunteer with DAWA online.

DAWA Studios is hosting a 50k Glow Up fundraising livestream on Sept. 18. Find more information and a list of performers on Jonathan "Chaka" Mahone's Instagram page.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: DAWA opens no-cost studio for Austin creators of color