Thomas R. Simpson
Thomas Robert Simpson, actor, director, producer, and writer, is the founder and artistic director of AfroSolo Arts Festival. Since 1991 he has concentrated on presenting African American and African Diasporan art and culture through solo performances and the visual and literary arts.
For the past seventeen years Mr. Simpson has produced the award winning and critically acclaimed AfroSolo Arts Festival in San Francisco, presenting over seventy-five artists. He has also showcased celebrity artists such as award-winning actor Ruby Dee, comedian and political activist Dick Gregory, beloved teacher, poet and social activist June Jordan, sensational black gospel singer Emmit Powell, and many others.
In 2006 Mr. Simpson won a coveted Bay Area Jefferson Award for Public Service. In 2009 he was awarded a prestigious Certificate of Honor from the San Francisco Board of Supervisor, as well as award from San Francisco AIDS Foundation’s Black Brothers Esteem Program, The Reggie Williams Achievement Award and the Oakland Supper Club for his contributions to our community.
Since 1999 Mr. Simpson has also used this Arts Festival to focus on the health of African Americans, he has collaborating with the medical community to present health fairs as well as sat on committees charged with decreasing the health disparity in the African American community.