Then later a government liaison and mass communications specialist, an assignment to Asia left him forever changed. He experienced true freedom of expression due to the kind nature of the people he has met around the world. He was even surprised to find out that people half a world away knew of his ethno-nationality and history .
After completed seven years of his military service, Danny returned home to Texas, where he experienced hardships and culture-shock due to racism, people’s general lack of knowledge, the housing crisis and soon after Hurricane IKE passed through city causing flooding, wind damage and widespread power failures. He then joined AmeriCorps to train in community building to pull communities together after the aftermath. During this time the groups that he was assigned to help, helped him instead. In the midst of going through so much despair, a local Houston Community asked him to create a festival and a created the A-Fest. The A-Fest attracted Houstonian’s that were from all over the world and since no one had a concentrated place to collectively tell their stories through the art at the time, he was asked to keep it going. This helped Asberry El to heal the shock that he felt when he first arrived in Houston in late 2007. Based upon first hand experiences of what is needed to provide cultural storytelling and inclusion beyond government programs, while honoring the communities that were rebuilding, Danny established and founded Solel Intentional.