Justin Emeka is a scholar, director, and filmmaker whose work blends cultural research, rigorous artistry, and community-centered storytelling. Born in Englewood, New Jersey and raised across several states, he found an early creative home in Seattle, where spaces like the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute and Seattle Children’s Theater helped shape his artistic imagination. Now a tenured professor of Africana Studies and Theater at Oberlin College, Emeka is recognized for reimagining classical texts through Black cultural and historical perspectives. His influential chapter, “Seeing Shakespeare Through Brown Eyes,” in Black Acting Methods has become an essential resource for artists seeking culturally grounded approaches to performance. As a director, he has created acclaimed work with Pittsburgh  Public Theater, the Old Globe, and Classical Theatre of Harlem, while his films—including Biological and Six Winters Gone Still, expand the narrative landscape. As a teacher and longtime practitioner of Capoeira Angola, Emeka builds interdisciplinary curricula that blend  performance, history, and embodied knowledge. Across his work, he is committed to expanding the reach of  theater and film by inviting new communities to see themselves reflected in powerful, timeless stories.