Malik Yoba

Although this Hollywood veteran offers over three decades of commitment to the arts with over fifty film credits and more than a dozen lead roles in network/cable television series, Malik Yoba considers himself a community and youth advocate first, with over four decades of experience working with young people globally, in schools, prisons and community-based organizations.  Born in the South Bronx and raised in Harlem, it was his debut in the Disney classic Cool Runnings and his performance as NYPD Detective J.C. Williams in the groundbreaking police drama, New York Undercover, that catapulted Malik into the fabric of mainstream culture.  A writer, director, producer, musician, serial entrepreneur, and emerging real estate developer, Malik founded Yoba Development in 2017 as a way to educate and empower communities of color, and increase diversity in commercial real estate. He has projects in NYC , Baltimore and Georgia and is currently touring the country screening and hosting workshops in conjunction with his educational docu-series, The Real Estate Mixtape, Volume 1: I Build NY. The series was created for high schools, colleges and community-based organizations and follows Malik and a cohort of youth as he navigates his first development deal in NYC.

In 2022, Malik received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Livingstone College and was awarded for his work in commercial real estate by Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement. He has also been offered a fellowship with Pratt Institute Undergraduate School of Architecture.