Monica Rojas-Stewart

Monica Rojas-Stewart has a doctorate degree in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Washington and has collaborated as choreographer, cultural consultant, guest artist, music and dance instructor with various college and community education youth and adult programs throughout the Pacific Northwest. A mother, wife, artist, activist and scholar, she is a pioneering promoter and educator of Afro-Peruvian and Afro-Latino arts in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. Rojas is the founder of DE CAJóN Project and the Movimiento Afrolatino Seattle (MAS), two community grassroots organizations dedicated to educating about and raising awareness of the cultural contributions of people of African descent in Peru and Latin America respectively. Rojas currently holds two positions as the Assistant Director of the African Studies and the Latin American and Caribbean Studies programs at the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington. Rojas was recently nominated for the UW Distinguished Staff Award and is a recipient of the Tumi USA award, the maximum recognition granted by the Peruvian community in the U.S. for “having excelled in her career, community service, and for her contributions to the betterment of society.”