Who We Are
In an effort to equip MD Eastern Shore scholars of color as change agents, the Needle’s Eye Academy partners with public school districts and local nonprofits to provide extracurricular interdisciplinary literacy programming for diverse middle and high school students that creates a dynamic learning environment and aids participants in their future academic endeavors, as well as within their Tidewater communities.
There are multiple literacies that people of color must be prepared to use, at any given time, in our nascent nation to ensure survival, prosperity and resilience. Guided by the North Star philosophy
“Right is of no sex and Truth is of no color” and supported by a “many headed hydra” of local and national educational revolutionaries, the Academy is an unapologetic think-and-do tank committed to
disrupting conventional means of amplifying underrepresented narratives and futures.
Our History
The groundwork for The Academy was laid by #DigDeep,
a U.S. House Adult Literacy Caucus-recognized program launched in 2016 whose empowerment of 20-30 Berkshire County, MA students of color each semester was twofold: enhanced access to primary resources meant to inspire and peer-to-peer dialogue exploring their unique challenges. Through an enduring and unprecedented partnership with the Berkshire County Branch NAACP and Berkshire County Public Schools, the legacy of William Edward Burghardt Du Bois lives on through the community fostered between diverse Western Massachusetts contemporaries and the Society of the Griffins at Williams College.
Propelled by Gary B. v. Whitmer (U.S. Court of Appeals—Sixth Court, April 2020) and founded in August 2020 by descendants of a founding free Black Delmarva family and ‘The First City of the New World,’ The Needle’s Eye Academy is grounded in the principle that Chesapeake contemporaries are uniquely poised as direct beneficiaries of those who originally created the mosaic that is America and are, similarly, well-endowed arbiters of just and equitable progress.
Our Logo
The logo of the Needle’s Eye Academy is a testament to the power of place—it was built by the Eastern Shore, for the Eastern Shore. Encircling the crest are leafs which honor the White Oak (Quercus alba), Maryland’s State Tree and exemplified by the
Wye Oak in Talbot County. Atop the crest are our two defining tools of agency: a threaded needle and a key. Our name was inspired by Gil Scott-Heron’s 1971 Pieces of a Man side-two feature “The Needle’s Eye” and these united symbols reflect the Academy’s commitment to equipping change agents for perseverance. The latin inscribed within each book—consuere—is a verb that translates to sew together, stitch, join or devise. Focal to The Academy’s mission is not only working at the fraying seams of society but also weaving new fabrics where necessary. Last but not least, our colors: green embodies a harmony of health and balance; gold uplifts enlightenment; and brown grounds longevity and endearing wisdom.
Our Team
The Academy is replete with nation shapers and culture makers, each called to the work of creating a more equitable society for all.
Please, meet our dynamic team whose layered identities range in geography, heritage, language, race, gender and more.
Jaelon T. Moaney
Co-founder & Director of Authentic Partnerships
Jaelon is a proud Talbot County Public Schools (TCPS) and Williams College graduate. Responsible for expanding student voice during his term on the Board of Education, Jaelon remains invested in the just futures of Talbot school communities’ on the TCPS Education Foundation Board.
Dr. Marcia Sprankle
Board Member
Dr. Marcia Sprankle serves as the Assistant Superintendent for Queen Anne’s County Public Schools (QACPS) and an Adjunct Professor for Bowie State University. Prior to joining QACPS, she served as the Assistant State Superintendent for the Division of Curriculum, Instructional Improvement, and Professional Learning and as the Executive Director for Title I - Program Improvement and Family Support at the Maryland State Department of Education.
Mika Moaney
Director of Belonging and Impact
In her final year at Barnard College of Columbia University, Mika is a Medical Anthropology major studying at the intersection of sociocultural anthropology, public health, as well as race and ethnicity. Her unwavering commitment to the lives of Black and brown people and education touches near every corner of her life.
James Redman
Board Member
James Redman brings to NEA his experience as an elementary school teacher, administrator and community organizer. James has taught grades 1st – 5th, and he served as Principal at Prince Street Elementary School, St. Michaels Elementary School, and both Easton Elementary Schools (Dobson and Moton). James is currently a Curriculum Supervisor at the Talbot County Education Center.
Nicolle Moaney
Co-Founder & Director of Academic Strategy
Born in the Dominican Republic and raised in Boston, Nicolle has shown a passion for equity and excellence in education from an early age. Alumna of Williams College, her English and Africana studies inform her focus on paying knowledge forward and affording others quality opportunities.
Mark Berry, Jr.
Board Member
Mark Berry, Jr. grew up on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in Kent County. Upon high school graduation, he continued his educational journey at Goldey-Beacom College, in Wilmington, Delaware. He is currently starting the Doctor of Education Program at Bowie State University, majoring in Educational Leadership.
