Lakiba Pittman 

Lakiba Pittman is an educator, artist, and healing practitioner whose work lives at the intersection of cultural expression, education, and spiritual transformation. For over two decades, she has taught courses on race, equity, and media while facilitating mindfulness and compassion-based practices in both academic and community settings. A professor and doctoral scholar, Lakiba’s research explores the healing power of gospel, jazz, and ancestral sound traditions—uncovering how voice and vibration serve as technologies of liberation and repair.

Her approach to teaching and healing is deeply integrative—braiding together storytelling, compassion, and ancestral wisdom to help individuals and communities reconnect to their own power and purpose. As a Black woman, intergenerational caregiver, and lifelong learner, Lakiba carries forward the traditions of those who came before her, transforming classrooms and circles into spaces of remembrance, joy, and renewal.

Through the Acosta Institute Fellowship, Lakiba hopes to deepen her healing-centered leadership and continue bridging academia and spirit in service of collective transformation. She is especially excited to learn and build in community with others committed to centering love, creativity, and liberation as guiding principles in education and beyond.