Hello everyone and welcome to A Pretty Normal Podcast, a show that re-imagines what society considers normal. Each week I interview different guests about the topics they’re most passionate about. This week I had the opportunity of interviewing Soraya Sheppard, the founder and president of Color Me Africa Fine Arts, a majority woman owned and run non profit organization centered on creating awareness of African visual artists in the U.S and Canada. Soraya immigrated to the United States during the uprising in South Africa in 1987 where many of her friends and family were being arrested for resisting the apartheid regime.In 2011 Sheppard, a single mother of four adult children returned to her birth country to explore new possibilities and opportunities. What she discovered was a sense of despair, resignation, hopelessness and frustration at the government for failing to deliver on its mandate. This is Soraya's story and what drove her to create Color Me Africa Fine Arts.If you enjoy this interview and believe in what Soraya and Color Me Africa Fine Arts is doing make sure to connect with her at the link below. As I said in last weeks monologue, there are many ways to participate in #GivingTuesdayNow and non-profit organizations would greatly benefit from any sort of contribution you can give right now so make sure to go check them out and connect with Soraya.You can connect with Color Me Africa Fine Arts on Instagram @colormeafricafineartsand learn more at www.colormeafricafinearts.com Subscribe to the show and follow us on Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // YoutubeRemember to leave us a rating and review if you enjoy the content brought to you every week. Message us if you would like to come on the show or know anyone who you would like to see come on the show.