Amplify voices.
Collective HEALING.
Reclaim POWER.
Empower In Color exists to spark courage, voice, and connection through story. Rooted in the belief that our full spectrum of identity is our power, we educate, engage and empower BIPOC, LGBTQ2IA+ communities to live boldly in their truth.
HOW WE EMPOWER
From keynote stages to community circles, we bring liberation to life through workshops, performance, speaking, and facilitation.
Performances
Solo shows to full cast productions — live storytelling that moves audiences and shifts narratives.
Workshops
Facilitated experiences for organizations, libraries, and community spaces that build voice and connection.
Storytelling Classes
Craft and share your story in a space built on care, consent, and community.
Emcee
RC brings commanding presence and heart to fundraisers, galas, and community events.
Podcasts
Two shows, one mission — tune in to Be Empowered! with RC Riley and Sex, Race & Jesus.
Travel & Gather
Community outings and international trips for BIPOC queer and womxn communities — led with care and intention.
Where art
meets activism
Founded by playwright, storyteller, educator, and performer R.C. Riley, Empower In Color transforms lived experience into meaning. Rooted in care, consent, and community, we believe our differences create the brilliance—each voice essential, amplified, and bound together in radical visibility.
Gather with us
Join us for workshops, performances, and events that build courage, connection, and community.
In community With
In their words
"R.C. Riley has a natural gift for creating community wherever they go. Their warmth, humor, and deep care for people make every experience — whether a workshop, a trip, or a performance — feel like home."
Naomi Griffin
Godmother & biggest fan
"R.C. Riley is one of those rare humans who can hold space for the full spectrum of human experience — the funny, the painful, the tender, and the transformative — all at once."
LeeAnn Trotter
Mentor & Former NBC5 Reporter
"R.C. Riley is a force. Watching them perform is like witnessing someone crack open their chest and hand you their heart — and somehow make you laugh in the process."
Stanley King
Co-cast, Road to Freedom
"It's been my privilege to see the evolution of R.C., the writer and actor. Always a strong performer, I've seen them grow from their first one-person show, where they used humor to blunt the trauma, to their most recent performance where they stood in their truth, making the audience feel and see their raw pain and tenacious spirit. R.C.'s journey is the epitome of a caterpillar turning into a butterfly, and I can't wait to continue to watch them fly."
Nesheba Kittling
College friend
"R.C.'s For Colored Girls performance was amazing! A stellar actor and storyteller. I drove up from St. Louis, MO to see them and attended two shows! R.C.'s character, Lady in Red, was compelling and heartbreaking. If you see R.C. listed in a cast or performing a one-person show, don't walk — run to the box office and grab a ticket!"
Andrea
Friend
"[LBF trip leader testimonial coming soon]"
Lesbifriends Travel
Trip participant