At the age of 16, Crystal was the first African-American to be crowned Ms. Dorman High School. As a college student activist and actress, she searched for a place where she could hear her own voice. Crystal found refuge in the spoken word community. Everything in her – frustration, pain, heartbreak, knowledge, love – all poured out on stage in her own words. Now, her life mission is to inspire and create change through art.

Crystal has performed on several world famous stages including the Comedy Store and the Pan-African Film Festival. Crystal is a member of Da Poetry Lounge family in Hollywood, California. She was the 2004 Los Feliz Grand Slam Champion & the 2006 Hollywood Grand Slam Champion (only the 2nd female in the history of the team). Crystal has shared the stage with several artists, including opening for rapper/actor Mos Def.

In addition to spoken word, Crystal is Editor-in-Chief of LOUDmouth, a feminist magazine. She has been published in two books due to be released this year, HIS RIB: Poems, Stories, and Essays by HER and Right Side of the Wrong Bed by Frederick Smith. She has just completed her first book Milk: Poems, Short Stories, and Other First Lessons From God and is currently working on first spokenword CD due out next summer.

In June 2005, Crystal traveled to South Africa and performed in the premiere of the original multi-lingual theater piece, Colors of the Diaspora, at the internationally acclaimed Market Theater in Johannesburg and the Grahamstown National Arts Festival.

Crystal made her film debut in Strangers, which focuses on child abuse. She is featured in I Am A Woman, a documentary focused on the creative process of Colors of the Diaspora. Crystal also appears in SP!T, a documentary which focuses on spokenword and its power to change lives and give hope.

Crystal has worked tirelessly as an activist including Program Coordinator for the Pan African Student Resource Center, volunteer for the Boys & Girls Club, and Community Educator for the Refuge House, a domestic violence shelter. She is one of the co-founders of Artists For Obama, whose purpose is to become a unified instrument for change, hope, and a more compassionate society. Crystal has also coordinated and facilitated several workshops and conferences around race, gender, and activism.

Crystal credits her success to her mother, Etta Irby, who worked hard to provide her children with every opportunity and encouraged them to dream big and never give up. For her passion for both the spoken word and the power it has to create change, 107.3 JAMZ is proud to salute Crystal Tenille Irby as a 2008 Upstate Black History Maker.