Aralee Strange Lecture: Lemuel “Life” LaRoche, “Art, Chess, and Resistance: Exploring Tools to Build Community Impact and Change”

Lemuel “Life” LaRoche is an author, poet and local community leader with over 20 years of experience in youth development and community empowerment. Based in Athens, LaRoche holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work from UGA. He is the founder of Chess and Community, an organization that creates opportunities for youth to develop strategic thinking, explore emerging technologies and engage in conversations that strengthen community understanding and collaboration.

In this talk, LaRoche will explore how chess, art and civic engagement can serve as transformative tools for strengthening students, families and communities. Participants will examine chess as a framework for cognitive development by enhancing critical thinking, strategic planning, emotional regulation and decision-making skills in young people.

The session will also explore how students and families can better understand and navigate educational, social and civic systems, using strategies and creativity to empower themselves. Through examples of youth-led conferences, community events, AI literacy initiatives and intentional child development programming, attendees will see how structured play and collaborative learning can foster resilience and inspire constructive action. Educators will leave with practical insights into how strategy, creativity and community-centered approaches can move from the classroom or chessboard into meaningful, real-world impact.

This program is presented in partnership with UGA’s department of language and literacy education and is made possible by the Aralee Strange Fund for Art and Poetry.