Roselyn Berry aka Lady Rose

 

Born in Panama City, Panama; raised in Boston, MA; and now residing in Oakland, CA; Roselyn Berry is a lifelong social justice activist, writer, spoken word artist, model, dancer, actress, lover, fighter, and a passionate, lively, loud, burst of life! She is inspired by LOVE: for God, for her community, and for her family. 

 

Roselyn received her first journal as a birthday gift from her older sister when she was 9 years old and she's been a poet ever since. She's been performing her work as a Spoken Word Artist since the age of 16, in hopes of one day sharing her words with the world.

 

Roselyn has been published in various writer’s anthologies and newspapers, including Survival News in Boston, MA. Roselyn is currently in the process of publishing her first book: Revolutionary Words.

 

At the age of 17, Roselyn co-wrote, produced, directed and acted in her first full-length theater production: ‘Tabula Rasa and All that Yin Yang’. The play did a week long run at The Boston Center for the Arts and sold out every night. Four years later, at the age of 21, Roselyn co-wrote, produced, directed and acted in her second full-length theater production: ‘Spill Life: Confessions of a Butterfly’. This play did two nights at The Boston Center for the Arts and is currently being sold nationally on DVD.

 

Roselyn has performed her writing as a spoken word artist at various events throughout the country, including The USSF in ATL and Detroit, CJNY National Gathering in ATL, and Beats for Peace w/ Mos Def. She has been featured as a spoken word artist at various events throughout Boston, including Boston Renaissance, Crital Breakdown, Our Bodies, Ourselves 40th Anniversary Celebration, Quality and Soul, and Lifted. She co-coordinated a Street Theater troupe for 11 years as part of a young women’s collective that she co-founded in 2001. Street Theater has also traveled internationally with their performance art to places like Cuba, The Netherlands and Venezuela. She is also one of the featured artists for Hot Boxx Studio in Boston, MA.

 

Roselyn is in a lifelong fight for justice and liberation for Black, Brown and poor people. She believes in the right for all people to live and love and to be the healthy and vibrant people that God created us to be. Roselyn works toward social justice not only through performance art; but also through her daily work. 

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Roselyn spent 11 years as a proud co-founding member of Reflect and Strengthen, a grassroots collective of young, working class women from the urban neighborhoods of Boston who take a holistic approach to organizing and creating personal and social transformation. Reflect and Strengthens’ programming focuses were political education, healing from trauma, creative expression, community building and campaign work to end racial disparities in the juvenile justice system.

Roselyn now spends her professional time working nationally to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in the juvenile justice system and her personal time with loved ones, writing and performing.  

 

"Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable... Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals."

-Martin Luther King, Jr.