About Me (Biography)

Consci8us (DeWayne Ewing Jr.) is an educator, keynote speaker, hip-hop artist, and youth development professional from Oakland, California, with more than 15 years of experience educating, inspiring, and empowering youth and communities.

Growing up in East Oakland shaped DeWayne's appreciation for culture, community, resilience, and the importance of positive influences. It also gave him an early understanding of many of the challenges young people and communities face. As a teenager, discovering conscious hip-hop changed the way he viewed music. He saw that hip-hop could be more than entertainment - it could be a vehicle for education, empowerment, and impact. That realization became the foundation of Consci8us.

After relocating to Sacramento, DeWayne attended Cosumnes River College before transferring to Sacramento State, where he earned his degree in Sociology. While in college, he was also building his professional foundation in youth development with the City of Sacramento. He began as a Recreation Aide, leading summer and after-school programs, coaching youth sports, and working directly with young people and families. He steadily advanced into leadership and became the first and youngest African American male supervisor in his role with the City of Sacramento and began working at Sacramento City Hall.

His impact was later recognized when he was named Employee of the Year across the City's Youth, Parks & Community Enrichment Department. He also served as a leader in a citywide Youth Development Institute, helping train City staff and community organizations in youth development practices, program quality, engagement, and strategies for better serving young people. At Sacramento State, he also worked with the MLK Scholars program, contributing to workshops, lectures, and programming designed to support college students and student success- also launching his Let's Build Series.

Over the past 15+ years, DeWayne's professional work has spanned youth development, K-12 education, higher education, community engagement, mentorship, program development, training, leadership, recruitment, and student support. Today, he continues his work in higher education and educator development, helping recruit and support future educators while expanding his reach and impact.

Through the Consci8us Framework, he delivers Anti-Bullying, Anti-Drug, Life Skills, leadership, character development, and youth empowerment assemblies and workshops designed to connect with young people while reinforcing respect, kindness, confidence, positive choices, resilience, purpose, personal responsibility, and community. He also speaks for colleges and universities, community organizations, conferences, and special events, blending education, storytelling, culture, motivation, and music.

As a speaker and artist, Consci8us has brought his message to stages and organizations throughout California, including Golden 1 Center, Sacramento State, UC Davis, Mission College, Memorial Auditorium, and the California State Fair. He has also been recognized as a Sacramento Music Awards (SAMMIES) winner for both Emcee and Hip-Hop/Rap.

But the music has always been part of something bigger. Whether he is standing in front of an elementary school assembly, facilitating a workshop, supporting future educators, delivering a keynote, mentoring a young person, or performing on stage, DeWayne's work is rooted in the same purpose: using education, culture, creativity, leadership, and authentic connection to help people recognize their potential, make positive choices, develop confidence and character, strengthen their communities, and understand that they have the power to make an impact.

Consci8us is an educator and youth development professional who uses hip-hop as one of several tools to educate, engage, inspire, and empower. That is what it means to Stay Consci8us.

To inspire the current and next generation to live positive, healthy, purpose-driven lives and recognize their power to positively impact the world around them.

Consci8us uses education, music, media, speaking, and youth development to educate, inspire, and empower youth, teens, young adults, families, and communities. Through engaging programs, content, experiences, and resources, Consci8us promotes positive choices, character, confidence, life skills, leadership, personal growth, and community impact.

Consci8us is more than a brand—it is a purpose, a calling, and a ministry.

The purpose is to use education, creativity, music, media, lived experience, and authentic connection to positively impact lives, strengthen communities, and help people recognize their potential, develop their gifts, and live with greater purpose.

At its core, Consci8us exists to educate, inspire, empower, and help bring about positive change—one person, one school, and one community at a time.