When Jessica Georges arrived in Houston from Miami with just $700 to her name, she was seeking a fresh start and embracing a new chapter in her life’s purpose.
The Haitian-American artist, life coach and cultural organizer has become vital to Houston’s creative ecosystem, using music, storytelling and workshops to uplift Haitian identity and the city’s broader Black diaspora.
Georges grew up in a climate where her Haitian culture was often ridiculed and misunderstood. In the 1990s, misinformation about Haiti from AIDS stigma to cruel stereotypes, filtered into classrooms and neighborhoods.
“Kids used to say, ‘My mom told me Haitians are dirty, that you carry AIDS,’” Georges recalled. “It was propaganda, misinformation and ignorance. We didn’t have Google then to fact-check. We just had to endure it.”
Those early experiences led her to shy away from her heritage until she began studying Haiti’s revolutionary history.
“When I learned about our independence in 1804, the first Black republic, I realized I had no reason to be ashamed,” she said. “I chose to embrace being Haitian and that gave me confidence to walk in my truth.”
She grew up watching her mother raise eight children in a single-parent home, trying to navigate what the American dream meant for her. Georges used her love for writing and storytelling to guide herself into creating the life she envisioned for herself.
That sense of passion now permeates her work in Houston, where she balances artistry with activism. As a rapper (under Jess That Dope) and spoken-word artist, Georges insists her music is “More Than Muzek,” a phrase she coined to reflect her music philosophy to her listeners. She even re-spells it, M-U-Z-E-K, to embed her mantra “EAE: Evolve and Elevate.”
“Words have power,” she said. “The music we consume shapes how we think and who we become. For me, it’s about creating something that pushes people forward.”
Houston has become the perfect canvas for Georges to merge art and community. Through her collaborations with groups like Our African Family, she helps design retreats that teach youth emotional intelligence, self-confidence and critical thinking skills she believes are often overlooked in traditional education.
“We tell kids what to think, but rarely show them how to think,” she said. “I want to give them the tools I needed when I was younger.”
“This city gave me the freedom to be all parts of myself,” she said. “Through music, coaching and community, I want people to know they don’t have to shrink who they are. Houston is where I get to prove that our culture, our voices, our stories,they matter.”
Jessica Georges
Her cultural programming also celebrates Haitian heritage in ways the city rarely sees. This year, she hosted her first independent showcase, blending Haitian Heritage Month and Mental Health Awareness Month with a sold-out performance downtown that fused rap, poetry, and storytelling. One of the highlights was her piece Identity, which traced her journey from cultural shame to pride.
“I used to shrink when people cringed at the word ‘Haitian,’” she said. “Now I own it and I use art to teach others to see it differently.”
Georges has also tapped into Houston’s Haitian community through Houston Haitians United, where she once served as vice president and education chair. Though estimates suggest 35,000 Haitians live in Greater Houston, she notes the population feels scattered. Her events from vision board parties to Haitian-themed sip-and-paint nights draw steady crowds, often serving as rare gathering spaces for the diaspora.
“It’s always a full room,” she said. “It reminds me that we’re here, even if we don’t always see each other.”
Debo Folorunsho, Founder and Executive Director of the SAiD Institute and board member of the Houston Caribbean Professional Association, has worked alongside her on programs aimed at youth and professional development.
“She’s one of the people shaping youth culture in Houston,” Folorunsho said. “Every year she hosts a vision board session with us in January, and it’s always a packed house. Through those kinds of programs, she gets people thinking creatively about their future and preparing for life’s journey in a way that goes beyond the classroom.”
He also shares how her artistry ties directly into identity and history. “She’s a poet, a rapper, a life coach, but what stands out is how she roots her work in culture,” he said. “Jessica creates space for people to know who they are, where they come from and what their responsibility to community looks like. In a time when so much of our history is being cut down, she makes sure it’s honored.”
Georges’ efforts are part of something bigger, building bridges across Houston’s diverse Black communities.
“At SAiD, we work from the spirit of ubuntu, I am because we are,” Folorunsho said. “Jessica embodies that. She brings Haitians, Africans and African Americans together in dialogue. Because at the end of the day, nobody’s coming to save us. We have to recognize the power we already have when we unite.”
Her decision to plant roots in Houston came after a personal turning point. Laid off from her oil field job during a difficult moment nationally and personally, Georges listened to what she calls “a small voice” urging her to take a leap.
“I was tired of the hamster wheel, chasing the American dream the way others told me,” she said. “I decided to bet on myself and Houston made room for me.”
Now, as she prepares new projects for 2025, Georges continues to blend her many roles to create space for identity and empowerment.
“This city gave me the freedom to be all parts of myself,” she said. “Through music, coaching, and community, I want people to know they don’t have to shrink who they are. Houston is where I get to prove that our culture, our voices, our stories, they matter.”
