DeWayne Ewing Jr.

Associate Director of Recruitment and Black Educator Initiative Coordinator
dewingjr@aldergse.edu

Pronouns: he/him/his

DeWayne LaMont Ewing Jr., also known as Consci8us, is an inspirational hip-hop artist, educator, and speaker from Oakland, California. Growing up with two older brothers and a single mother, DeWayne recognizes that he is fortunate to have overcome the pressures and challenges of living in the inner city of East Oakland. His testimony continues to inspire and encourage hope for young people that they too can overcome the obstacles and challenges they face daily.

In 2013, DeWayne moved to Sacramento to attend Cosumnes River College, where he eventually received three degrees in the social sciences and one in liberal arts. He continued his education and received a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with Summa Cum Laude honors at Sacramento State University. While in college, DeWayne worked for the City of Sacramento at the Oak Park Community Center for five years as a youth mentor, coach, outreach coordinator, and supervisor for K–12 youths in recreation, sports, after-school, and summer programs. He also worked in the Martin Luther King Jr. Center with the MLK Scholars Program at Sacramento State, where he facilitated lectures, workshops, and events focused on student engagement and retention for African-American college students. DeWayne created the Inspire Me Summer Leadership Program at the Oak Park Community Center, as well as supervised the Summer @ City Hall program and the Sacramento Youth Commission as the first and youngest African-American Youth Civic Engagement Supervisor. He also has close to three years of experience as a Youth Development Trainer for the City of Sacramento’s Department of Youth, Parks, and Community Enrichment.

DeWayne has been recognized by Assembly member Kevin McCarty and the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency for Community Spotlight recognition. He has also been highlighted by the Los Rios College District as an Alumni Ambassador for Cosumnes River College’s Smart Move campaign and Sacramento State University’s Made at Sac State campaign.

DeWayne uses music, media, and education as tools to inspire and empower communities. His work has provided him the opportunity to collaborate with a variety of schools for work around bullying prevention, school climate, and academic achievement, including Skyline High School, Sacramento Charter High School, Grant Union High School, and Roy Herburger Elementary School. He has performed and facilitated lectures at Sacramento State, UC Davis, the Golden 1 Center, the Sacramento MLK March, the Sacramento Convention Center, Sacramento’s Memorial Auditorium, the California State Fair, Underground Books, and Sacramento’s Black Book Fair, among many others. His mission is to establish positive pathways in communities and schools while working to shift youth and community culture toward a positive conscious culture. Education is a key tool he uses to do this work.