DAWA is an acronym, sure, for Diversity Awareness and Wellness in Action, but it’s also a word in its own right – Swahili for “medicine” – and, according to founder Jonathan “Chaka” Mahone, one that’ll soon be part of the Austin lexicon, up there with HAAM and SXSW.
Mahone is the kind of big-picture talker and intentional thinker to grow such a vision. Before starting the nonprofit focused on creatives of color in 2019, the Riders Against the Storm musician and Body Rock co-founder was supporting musicians, healers, and community advocates with money from his own pocket and pop-up fundraisers. Now, businesses and organizations across the city help Mahone do that work – donating parts of their profits “4DAWA” through partnerships and sponsored events. Six years from now, Mahone and his small, dedicated team imagine a whole city “4DAWA.”
“The people who often go underrepresented, who are not heard – the givers, essentially – they will have a platform, they’ll feel represented, because that’s what we’re all about,” says Mercedes Collins, DAWA venue manager and founder of Black fitness community We Outside ATX.
The givers, DAWA lingo for the recipients of its grants and services, make contributions to Austin through their work, whatever it may be. At the organization’s birthday bash, this Friday at Radio/East, many of these musically gifted givers will take the stage.
“We’re trying to build an ecosystem to help change people’s lives.” – DAWA’s Monique Hatch
“DAWA will always have opportunities, events, and concerts that give back to the Black, Latinx, and [community of color] in Austin, but also to the hip-hop, R&B, and soul music community,” says soul-fusion rapper David Shabani. The Nu Leopards bandleader has played on many DAWA-sponsored lineups, filmed video content at DAWA Studios – the free video and audio production space for BIPOC creators tucked in its 916 Springdale headquarters – and benefited from the DAWA Fund grant program.
JahleelFaReaL, who performs at 4DAWA Fest as a part of its curated Live Mixtape, remembers the early days of the DAWA Fund. The vibe-creating R&B rapper helped Mahone pick board members and has benefited twice from giver grants.
“A lot of artists, like myself, live paycheck to paycheck, and if we do make extra money off music, it’s not a lot to splurge on,” FaReaL says. “To get awarded grants is very helpful to continue to be creative. You can invest it in the music videos, content, or just anything you need to live day to day. It helps provide a cushion.”
Monique Hatch, a Body Rock veteran who now runs the DAWA Fund, knows how crucial that cushion can be. “We’re not just throwing parties,” she says with a laugh. “We’re trying to build an ecosystem to help change people’s lives.”
Hatch, Collins, and studio manager Ever Calderon have a front-row seat to the budding ecosystem they’re planting with DAWA.
“People develop hosting skills, interview skills, and [public] speaking skills,” Calderon says of the students and creatives he sees come into the studio. “They really become whole other people by the time they’re leaving.”
“A whole organization grew – and it’s still growing – from investing in people without thinking about an outcome [or] a bottom line,” Mahone explains. The outcome, unscripted and unprescribed, is something the founder and his team see daily in the norm-defying output of artists that perform on their stage and in their studio.
Xóchitl Stauffer, who produces psychedelic, Latin-inspired rap music under the name Locuust, has spent countless hours in those free studio sessions – working on rap beats with collaborator Free Hamze, recording tracks for her jazz duo, and creating promotional content. The spirit of giving that DAWA exudes and the reciprocal nature of their support has made an impression on her.
“I make music for trans girls, for queer folks, for brown folks,” Stauffer says. “What I want to do with my art is to open up possibilities because that’s what other folks have done for me.”
Stauffer, FaReaL, and nearly 20 other artists perform in the mixtape-style showcase, accompanied by a live band, before standalone sets by Shabani and Anatasia Hera make way for headliner Killer Mike at the anniversary festival – one all about big dreams and the support it takes to achieve them. 
4DAWA Fest welcomes audiences to Radio/East on Friday, Sept. 12.
This article appears in September 12 • 2025.