Memphis Black Arts Alliance has long recognized the power of the arts to instill pride, make kids smarter, inspire action, and help heal the sick, curb youth delinquency, improve neighborhoods and create jobs. As a result its mission is to build the community through the arts. Organized by the current Executive Director in 1982, with arts-based community development as its focus, MBAA's vision is to provide the Greater MidSouth region with a premier Arts & Cultural center which promotes human, community and economic development through comprehensive arts-related, family-oriented programs, innovative education and experiences in visual, performing, literary and media arts which honor the cultural heritage of blacks. MBAA's programs have served more than ½ million Mid-South residents, engaged 325 artists of various disciplines, compensated through employment or honorarium more than 175 artists. And since 1996 enrolled more than 3,5000 students ages 2 to 82 of diverse ethnic backgrounds and abilities in MBAA's FireHouse Community Arts Academy to discover and refine their talents in music, dance, theater, visual and literary arts. The Academy has employed more than 30 culturally diverse professional artists-educators contributing more than $3 million into the Greater Memphis economy. Other MBAA programs and services include: FireHouse ArtsReach (i.e. outreach), FireHouse Presents (i.e. Performances, Art Exhibitions, Festivals, Workshops, Encore Creative Arts for Mature Adults, Jazz-A-F!RE Ensembles (Professional & Youth), Arts-A-F!RE Youth Theater Troupe (AAFYTT) organized in January 2009.