Born to an Ethiopian family in Baltimore, Aida Mariam Davis lived between multiple worlds. She is a descendant of anti-colonial fighters who kept Ethiopia free from colonialism when virtually all of Africa was carved out and divided among European powers. She was raised in Apple Valley, CA where her father was a member of the Mojave Desert Sierra Club and instilled [...]
American rapper, songwriter, entrepreneur, community organizer and activist. F.A.B.'s community activism and philanthropic efforts have been highly visible throughout the years. Most notably, he hosts and organizes annual Thanksgiving turkey giveaways, backpack and school supply drives, holiday toys events and various charitable events benefiting Cancer and Domestic Violence. Mistah F.A.B. will be a featured speaker at the upcoming Kehinde Wiley: [...]
American filmmaker. He is a recipient of four NAACP Image Awards, four Black Reel Awards, a Golden Globe Award nomination, and two Academy Award nominations. Coogler's films have received widespread acclaim and commercial success. His work has been hailed by critics for centering on often overlooked cultures and characters—most notably African Americans. Ryan Coogler will be a featured speaker at [...]
Tamura Lomax received her Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University in Religion. She specialized in Black Religion and Black Diaspora Studies and developed expertise in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and Black Cultural Studies. She is CEO and visionary for The Feminist Wire, an online publication committed to feminist, anti-racist, socio-political critique. Tamura Lomax will be a featured speaker at the upcoming [...]
Alicia Garza believes that Black communities deserve what all communities deserve — to be powerful in every aspect of their lives. An innovator, strategist, organizer, and cheeseburger enthusiast, Alicia founded the Black Futures Lab to make Black communities powerful in politics. She is the co-creator of #BlackLivesMatter and the Black Lives Matter Global Network, the Strategy & Partnerships Director for the [...]
Kamau Bell is a stand-up comedian and the director and executive producer of the critically-acclaimed four-part Showtime documentary, We Need To Talk About Cosby, which premiered at Sundance.He is the host and executive-producer of the Emmy-Award-winning CNN docu-series United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell. Kamau’s work often highlights untold and occasionally controversial stories and centers marginalized voices on screen [...]
Emil Wilbekin is an American journalist, media executive, stylist, content creator, culture critic, and human rights activist. He is the former editor-in-chief of Vibe and Giant, editor-at-large at Essence and managing editor of its associated website Essence.com, and chief content officer of Afropunk. He is the founder of Native Son Now, an organization dedicated to empowering and lifting up Black gay [...]
