Arts and Culture

The Madame X Academy, a spy-themed experiences program for insatiably curious girls

The Madame X Academy is about sparking the imagination in kids because inspiration stimulates innovation. Building community also matters, because if they’re comfortable with who they are, nothing can stop them from reaching their full potential.

Published

3 years ago

September 30, 2021

Isabelle Price

Madame X Acamedy Leader in a chair during an “Ain’t MisBEEhavin’” class, Photo courtesy of Madame X Academy website

It’s hard to remain anonymous in a town you grew up in, but to a small number of Bay Area families, that’s the case with Madame X, the somewhat fictional headmistress of The Madame X Academy, a curated, high-end experiences program for girls 7-12 years old, that ties African-American cultural relevance to each unique pop-up style activity.

An example of the organization’s unique offerings is a class called “Ain’t MisBEEhavin’”, a multi-sensory experience where the children learned all about bees. They were taught about pioneering African-American zoologist and behavioral scientist Charles Henry Turner, known for his groundbreaking research on honey bees while observing live bee colonies and learning about them from a professional beekeeper. The kids manually uncapped honeycombs from bee panels and used a hand-powered extractor to harvest the honey. They also strained, bottled, labeled, and gift-wrapped honey. They also experienced a professional honey tasting with a flight of 10 samples from around the world. The class learned the concept behind flavor wheels, and how they could apply it to describe various nuances found in the honey’s taste, flavor, and texture. In addition, the children watched a video of Madame X and the beekeeper tour the bee boxes of the bees used in the program, so they could see them in their local habitat, and learn more about their “bees’ to bottle” origin story. All of the kids in the program received spy-themed activity packets related to the curriculum, their tasting notes, and bottled honey. The Madame X Academy’s covert spy theme permeates all of the kids’ activities and its communication with the families.

“I love spy-everything, and being part of a secret organization for girls, enables them to use their imaginations and suspend disbelief, which elevates the fun factor and makes them feel like they’re part of something special,” Madame X says excitedly. “I have several interesting ways of communicating with the kids and their parents, including, through ciphers that they must decode, but I won’t tell you anything else, or it might ruin the fun.”

The philosophy behind The Madame X Academy is that to be competitive in today’s world, children need exposure to diverse experiences, so that they can think more creatively when problem-solving. “If you gain exposure to a lot of interesting, disparate ideas, skills, and experiences; you can better make connections between and among concepts, enabling you to be more innovative in how you think,” she says.

“There’s also a huge social benefit to being an interesting person who has had a lot of fascinating life experiences. People want to know those people. It’s also why Madame X has a spy theme. James Bond can do anything and be anyone because he has a ‘particular set of skills.’ Madame X wants girls in the program to think expansively and to be able to move through society and the world effortlessly. In part, that’s why they offer professional etiquette classes like a Malaysian/British high tea service scheduled in October.

What also makes Madame X Academy different is that it uses African-American instructors and vendors for their experiences.

“I want the kids to see themselves reflected in positive role models who represent professionals across industries and occupations.” Building community is also a big part of the organization’s mission. “There are under-resourced children who lack opportunity, as well as very privileged ones, who feel socio-economic and cultural isolation. I want to bring everyone together, including their families.”

Visit The Madame X Academy for more information. Register here for the Saturday, October 23, professional etiquette class and Malaysian/British high-tea.

Isabelle Price

Posts by Isabelle Price

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Arts and Culture

Oakland Jazz Great Offers Master Class as City Declares “John Handy Day”

World-renowned jazz master saxophonist John Handy, a McClymond’s High School graduate, was presented with a Mayor of Oakland Proclamation declaring Feb. 12, as John Handy Day in the city. Handy is most notably known as the featured saxophonist for Charles Mingus on “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat” from the album “Mingus Ah Um” (1959) and on “Hard Work” from his own album “Hard Work” (1976).

Published

2 months ago

February 24, 2024

Oakland Post

(L-R) Del Handy, John Handy, Roger Glenn, and Joe Warner celebrate John Handy Day at Geoffrey’s Inner Circle, Oakland. Photo by Lady Bianca.

By Conway Jones

World-renowned jazz master saxophonist John Handy, a McClymond’s High School graduate, was presented with a Mayor of Oakland Proclamation declaring Feb. 12, as John Handy Day in the city.

Handy is most notably known as the featured saxophonist for Charles Mingus on “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat” from the album “Mingus Ah Um” (1959) and on “Hard Work” from his own album “Hard Work” (1976).

“John Handy is a jazz icon and an inspiration to musicians everywhere,” said Ayo Brame, a 16-year-old Oakland tenor saxophone player who is enrolled at the Oakland School for the Arts.

In celebration of this day, the reception in downtown Oakland at Geoffrey’s Inner Circle was a gathering of artists, young and old, coming together in his honor and celebrating his 91st birthday.

Handy presented a Saxophone Colossus free masterclass for musicians. This class afforded a rare opportunity to learn about the saxophone from an aficionado. The class was free and open to all – saxophonists, vocalists, aficionados, students, and casual listeners.

“As a longtime friend for over 60 years, and fellow musician who has had numerous opportunities to share the stage with John, it has always been a pleasure performing with him and hearing his creative interpretations of the music and his gift of ease inspiring the next generation of jazz musicians,” said Roger Glenn, a multi-instrumentalist.

Oakland Post

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Arts and Culture

Musical Chronicling Life of Betty Reid Soskin Set for Bay Area Debut

Betty Reid Soskin’s storied 102 years includes time spent as a WWII defense worker, activist, business owner, songwriter, National Park Service park ranger and so much more. Now the Richmond icon is the subject of a musical based on her incredible life.

Published

2 months ago

February 24, 2024

Oakland Post

Betty Reid Soskin. Photo courtesy of Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park in Richmond.

The Richmond Standard

“Sign My Name to Freedom,” a San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Company (SFBATCO) production which will focus on the life, music and writing of Ms. Soskin, will premiere at San Francisco’s Z Space Friday, March 29 and continue through Saturday, April 13. Tickets range from $15–$65 and can be purchased online at https://www.sfbatco.org/smntf

The musical is directed by Elizabeth Carter, while playwright Michael Gene Sullivan integrates Ms. Soskin’s own music throughout dialogue between what SFBATCO calls “The Four Bettys” as they progress through a century of experiences of this awe-inspiring American woman.

The cast of “Sign My Name to Freedom” features Tierra Allen as Little Betty, Aidaa Peerzada as Married Betty, Lucca Troutman as Revolutionary Betty and Cathleen Riddley as Present Betty Reid Soskin, according to Artistic Director Rodney Earl Jackson Jr. and Managing Director Adam Maggio. Other casting will be announced in the future.

Jackson said that having Soskin’s blessing to steward her life’s story is an honor and career highlight for him and that her journey stands as “a beacon for Black Americans, women and people of color all across the world [and] is a testament to the strength of the human spirit.”

San Francisco’s Z Space is located at 450 Florida St. in San Francisco. Check out the trailer here at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-ap9N2XBB0

Oakland Post

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Arts and Culture

Gov. Newsom and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom Host 2024 Hall of Fame Ceremony

Former Assembly Speaker and San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown and three other African Americans were among 10 luminaries inducted into the 2024 Class of the California Hall of Fame on Feb. 8. The 17th Annual California Hall of Fame ceremony was held at the California Museum.

Published

2 months ago

February 24, 2024

Oakland Post

Willie Brown, Former California Assembly Speaker and San Francisco Mayor, was proud to be among the Hall of Fame inductees. CBM photo by Antonio Ray Harvey.

By California Black Media

Former Assembly Speaker and San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown and three other African Americans were among 10 luminaries inducted into the 2024 Class of the California Hall of Fame on Feb. 8.

The 17^th Annual California Hall of Fame ceremony was held at the California Museum.

“The California Hall of Fame is one of our families’ favorite traditions as it is a time to come together to celebrate remarkable Californians as well as their loved ones because we know that it is about partnerships,” Siebel Newsom said. “The governor likes to say that California is a dream factory because it doesn’t matter what zip code or background you come from, the California dream is alive and well to everyone who calls this state home.”

The other Black honorees were filmmaker Ava DuVernay; Federal Judge and civil rights leader, the Hon. Thelton Henderson; and basketball Hall of Fame player and broadcaster Cheryl Miller.

“It’s what I’ve been waiting for and to be among a great group of individuals that also deserve the honor,” Brown told California Black Media on the event’s red carpet before the ceremony began. “No, I never thought someone from Texas would be recognized this way. But here I am, and it all happened in the great state of California. It’s a fantastic feeling.”

Other 2024 inductees are: master chef and “mother of fusion cuisine” Helene An; computer scientist and “father of the internet” Vincent A. Cerf; all-female pop punk band The Go-Gos; Chicano Rock band Los Lobos; former U.S. Secretary of Defense and Congressman Leon E. Panetta; and artistic director and choreographer Brenda Way.

This year’s honorees join a history-making club with over 150 inspirational Californians previously inducted for their groundbreaking achievements and personifying the state’s innovative spirit.

“It’s just a humbling experience. I want to thank the Governor and First Partner. Who would have thought 100 years ago (that I would be inducted?) It’s incredible,” Miller said after her induction. “I want to thank the governor and First Partner for an incredible event.”

During his acceptance speech, Henderson said he was deeply honored.

“You know, it really would have been a really big deal to be inducted into the Hall of Fame in the area where I grew up, for example, South Central Hall of Fame, or the Watts Hall of Fame, or the Straight Out of Compton Hall of Fame,” he said. “But being inducted into the California Hall of Fame, Hall of Fame of the greatest state in the country in this great nation is something else.”