Monica Rojas-Stewart

Born in Lima, Peru, Monica Rojas became a Peruvian national dance champion at the age of 17. She has a doctorate degree in cultural anthropology from the University of Washington and has collaborated as choreographer, cultural consultant, music and dance instructor, and guest artist with various college and community youth and adult educational programs throughout the Pacific Northwest. Monica is the founder and director of DE CAJóN Project and Movimiento Afrolatino Seattle (MÁS), two community arts organizations dedicated to educating about and raising awareness of the cultural contributions of people of African descent in Peru and Latin America respectively. A wife and a mother of two, she currently holds a position as the Assistant Director of the African Studies and the Latin American and Caribbean Studies programs at the University of Washington. Monica recently received The Tumi USA Award, the maximum recognition granted by the Peruvian community in the US for having excelled in her career, community service, and her contributions to the betterment of society.

Monica received a 2012 GAP to cover artist fees, teaching and performance fees and other expenses such as costumes and printing marketing materials for the Seattle Atajo de Negritos. The Atajo de Negritos is an ancestral tradition particular to a small rural area in the southern coast of and practiced mostly by Afro-Peruvians.