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 Black art and culture through solo performances and the visual and literary arts.

For the past twenty-three years Mr. Simpson has produced the award winning and critically acclaimed AfroSolo Arts Festival in San Francisco, presenting over one-hundred 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.

 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.

In 2014 he created the “Project Empowerment: The Audacity to Succeed-Young Black Men and Boy Soaring Into the Future.” The mission being to support this population successfully  transverse youth to adulthood.