In 1977, the Black Theatre Alliance was founded by Abena Joan Brown, Okoro Harold Johnson, Useni Perkins, and Pemon Rami, which focused on providing resources, community support, and visibility for the Black Theater in Chicago. In 1990, the Black Theatre Alliance changed its name to the African American Arts Alliance to expand its reach in the arts community; however, it ceased operations shortly after that. Seeing a gap and a great need for community interaction and development, Jackie Taylor, Joan Gray, Chuck Smith, and Ron O.J. Parsons came together and, in 1997, incorporated a new African American Arts Alliance to continue the work of the original Alliance to serve the needs of Black performing, visual, literary, technical and design art forms. Since then, these incredible leaders and artists cultivated and supported Black artists and organizations by providing programs and services to increase the interaction, collaboration, and communication within the Black Arts Community. The vision that these leaders saw is why we are here today. In the same way that they were the voice of the time for our community, the board of directors was ready to pass on the torch of leadership to continue the legacy of the Alliance for the next generation.

In 2023, our African American Arts Alliance of Chicago became the Black Arts & Culture Alliance of Chicago. Charlique C. Rolle served as President, and Vershawn Sanders-Ward as Vice President. Now we welcome Vershawn Sanders-Ward as President. 
“I am honored and excited to be appointed the new President of the Black Arts & Culture Alliance of Chicago, and I am deeply committed to our mission and community,” says Vershawn Sanders-Ward. “As the third president in the Alliance’s history, I stand on the shoulders of the remarkable work done by Jackie Taylor and Charlique Rolle, and I am eager to continue their legacy. My goal is to ensure that the Black Arts & Culture Alliance of Chicago remains a vibrant hub where Black artists in Chicago can find the resources and collaborative opportunities they need to thrive. We have significant work ahead of us, and I am ready to roll up my sleeves and dive into this important liberation work.”