Derreck Kayongo is an entrepreneur, a CNN Hero, founder of the Global Soap Project, and former CEO of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights. Kayongo was born in Kampala, Uganda, before General Ida Admin Dada seized power. While growing up, Uganda became violent and Kayongo and his family became refugees in Kenya. He later immigrated to the United... read full bio
Ben Jealous is an American civic leader and political who has previously served as the President and CEO of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Jealous was born in Pacific Grove, California, and grew up in Monterey, California. Jealous has earned his B.A. in political science from Columbia University and went on to earn his M.S. in... read full bio
Judy Shepard is an LGBT-rights activist and Executive Director and Board President of the Matthew Shepard Foundation. Judy is the mother of the late Matthew Shepard, a 21 year old that was a student at the University of Wyoming. Matthew was beaten and pistol-whipped in Laramie, Wyoming. He died six days later in a hospital in Fort Collins, Colorado and... read full bio
Stacey Tisdale is a broadcast journalist, financial behavior expert, content development, diversity strategist, author, and CEO and President of Mind Money Media Inc. Mind Money Media Inc. is a production company that creates content, events, and campaigns that give clients the knowledge, confidence and skills they need to have a health relationship with their money. Through Mind Money Media, Tisdale... read full bio
Judge Victoria Pratt is a criminal justice reform activist who has gained attention all over the world for her work reforming the criminal justice system. She has served as Chief Judge, in Newark Municipal Court in Newark, New Jersey. During her time as Chief Judge in Newark, she learned how to deliver justice for individuals so that they could trust... read full bio
Ward Connerly is an American politician, businessman, and former University of California Regent. Connerly has also been founder and chairman of the non-profit, the American Civil Rights Institute. Connerly was born in Leesville, Louisiana, and he has earned his B.A. with honors in political science from Sacramento State College and while in college, he was the student body president, an... read full bio
Valerie Morris is an Emmy award-winning journalist who is best known for being the former Business News Anchor for CNN Business News. During her time with CNN, Morris was anchor of Headline News’ Smart Assets, which helped consumers understand areas that help them make better financial planning decisions. Morris has earned her bachelor’s in journalism from San Jose State University... read full bio
Sister Souljah is an American author, activist, recording artist, and film producer who is best known for her criticism of Bill Clinton’s remarks about race in the United States during his presidential campaign. Souljah was born in Bronx, New York, and she has earned her B.A. in American History and African Studies from Rutgers University. She has also taken a... read full bio
Shoshana Johnson was a Panamanian-born former United States soldier who is best known for being the first black female prisoner of war in the military history of the United States. Johnson was born in Panama but moved to the United States as a child. She was the daughter of Claude Johnson who was a retired Army Sergeant First Class. Johnson... read full bio
Shannon Reeves is a civil rights advocate, speaker, and political strategist who is the Assistant Professor of Political Science at Alabama A&M University. Through his work with Alabama A&M University, Reeves teaches undergraduate courses in American Politics and Public Administration. Reeves was born in San Francisco, California, and he has earned his B.A. in Political Science from Grambling State University... read full bio
Raymond Winbush, also known as Tikari Bioko, is an American scholar, author, researcher, psychologist and educator who is known for researching the impact of racism and white supremacy on the global African community. Winbush was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and was raised in Cleveland, Ohio. When Winbush was young, he scored high on the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Test and went on... read full bio
Peniel E. Joseph is an American historian, scholar, teacher, and activist who talks on race issues. Joseph holds professorship at the LBJ School of Public Affairs and the History Department in the College of Liberal Arts at The University of Texas at Austin. Joseph was born and raised in New York and he went on to earn his B.A. in... read full bio
Pamela Newkirk is an American journalist, editor, professor, author, and scholar whose work focuses on the way popular culture impacts African American lives. Newkirk has earned her B.A. in journalism from New York University, has earned her M.S. in journalism and art from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, and has earned her Ph.D. in International and Comparative Education from... read full bio
Otis Moss III is best known for being the pastor for Chicago’s Trinity United Church of Christ where he speaks on reaching inner-city black youth and talks on black theology. Moss is the son of Otis Moss Jr. who was an affiliate of Martin Luther King, Jr. where they worked together. Moss was raised in Shaker Heights, Ohio, and originally... read full bio
Ory Okolloh is a Kenyan activist, lawyer, and blogger, who is best known for being the Director of Investments at Omidyar Network and for being the former Policy Manager for Africa with Google. Okolloh has previously earned her bachelor’s in political science from the University of Pittsburgh and also earned her law degree from Harvard Law School. As a writer,... read full bio
Keith Clinkscales is founder and CEO of First World Media, which is a media content and production company that provides premium products, services, and events to an audience that is passionate about urban culture. First World Media’s streaming service is REIGN, which focuses on content for urban and multicultural audiences. Clinkscales has also been founder of The Shadow League, which... read full bio
Kathryn Finney is an American author, entrepreneur and blogger who is best known for being the founder and CEO of digitalundivided (DID), which is a social enterprise that uses data to create systems change through innovation and entrepreneurship. She is also known for her research with #ProjectDiane, which was the first research initiative to explore the state of Black and... read full bio
John Kasaona is a conservationist who is known for working with people to reinvent conservation in Namibia where he works to turn poachers into protectors of species. While under South African rule, the animals in Namibia began being poached drastically and after Namibia gain independence, the Integrated Rural Development and Nature Conservation worked with local communities such as Kasaona’s to... read full bio
Helene D. Gayle is an American doctor who is best known for being the CEO of The Chicago Community Trust, which is one of the nation’s leading community foundations that works with doctors, non-profits, residents, and community leaders to help create efforts to improve quality of life for the residents of Chicago. Gayle was born and raised in Buffalo, New... read full bio
Harry Edwards is an American sociologist and civil rights activist from East St. Louis, Illinois. Edwards has earned his B.A. from San Jose State University and has earned his Ph.D. from Cornell University. He has been a Professor Emeritus of Sociology at the University of California, Berkeley, and during his career he has spent most of it researching on experiences... read full bio
