13 Year Old Black Prodigy Raises The Bar On Youth Brilliance

By Team BLAM

Shout out to Autum Ashante, the 13 year old Bronx prodigy that is headed to the University Of Connecticut for her Freshman year.  This girl is baaad….and we mean that in the most positive way possible.  She speaks at least three different languages (Arabic, Swahili, and Spanish), is a spoken work artist, and scored 149 on an IQ test, which is higher than most college students.  Can you say WOW!!!.  We’d be irresponsible if we neglected to mention her father, Ben Ashante, who recognized his daughters brilliance at an early age and decided to assume complete responsibility for her education and home school his daughter.  Special shout out to big brotha Ben for doing the damn thang.    In a quote from AOL BlackVoices Mr. Ashante said:

“What she’s doing is groundbreaking but this is not about vanity. It’s about setting the tone for other black and Latino children who will come behind her. They’re always being told they are underachievers. We want to show this can be done.”

Autum is no newcomer to the media….her intellect, critical analysis, and courageous voice challenged some folks back in 2006 when she wrote and recited the poem below for middle and high school students.

“White Nationalism Put U In Bondage”

White nationalism is what put you in bondage
Pirate and vampires like Columbus, Morgan, and Darwin
Drank the blood of the sheep, trampled all over them with
Steel, tricks and deceit.

Nothing has changed take a look in our streets
The mis-education of she and Hegro — leaves you on your knee2grow
Black lands taken from your hands, by vampires with no remorse

They took the gold, the wisdom and all of the storytellers
They took the black women, with the black man weak
Made to watch as they changed the paradigm
Of our village

They killed the blind, they killed the lazy, they went
So far as to kill the unborn baby

Yeah White nationalism is what put you in bondage
Pirates and vampires like Columbus, Morgan, and Darwin

They drank the blood of the sheep, trampled all over them with
Steel laden feet, throw in the tricks alcohol and deceit.
Nothing has changed take a look at our streets.

Autum Ashante is serious.  She’s had several television appearances as well as performances at the Apollo Theater and African Burial Ground in Manhattan.  For all of her accomplishments we at BLAM definitely salute her and wish her continued success as she continues to grow and realize her divine destiny.