Chancelor Jonathan Bennett known professionally as Chance the Rapper, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, record producer, and philanthropist from the West Chatham neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. In 2013, he began to gain recognition following the release of his second mixtape, Acid Rap. Apart from his solo career, he is a member of the …
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DeRay Mckesson was born in Baltimore, Maryland. The son of two now-recovered addicts, he thrived under the love and guidance of his father as well as other members of his family. By the time he was a teenager, DeRay became the chairman to Youth As Resources, Baltimore’s only youth-led grant-making organization. He also was a …
Dr. Courtney D. Cogburn is an assistant professor at the Columbia School of Social Work and a Faculty Affiliate of the Columbia Population Research Center. Her research integrates principles and methodologies across psychology, stress physiology and social epidemiology to investigate relationships between racism-related stress and racial health disparities across the life course. Her work has …
Jazmin Graves is a PhD candidate in the Department of South Asian Languages and Civilizations at the University of Chicago. Her doctoral research centers on the African-Indian (Sidi) Sufi devotional tradition of western India. In spring 2017, Jazmin organized the SISAAS (Scholars at the Intersection of South Asian and Africana Studies) Colloquium at Howard University, …
Justin Hansford is a Howard University law professor and Executive Director of the new Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Center. He is a leading scholar and activist in the areas of critical race theory, human rights, and law and social movements. He is a co-author of the forthcoming Seventh Edition of Race, Racism and American Law, …
Shaun King is an American writer and civil rights activist. He is noted for his use of social media to promote religious, charitable, and social causes, including the Black Lives Matter movement. He is a columnist for the Intercept. Previously, he was a contributing writer for Daily Kos and a political commentator for The Young …
With nearly twenty years of experience, Semhar Araia is a recognized practitioner, organizer and thought leader on diaspora engagement, African affairs, women’s leadership and international development. Her mission-driven lens and approach has helped amplify diaspora contributions through national and global discourse on diaspora identities, next generation leadership and the role of diaspora communities in global …
Leila Akahloun is an international development professional and serves as Special Advisor to Mrs. Graça Machel. She supports Mrs. Machel in her international advocacy efforts around child health and nutrition, education, women’s economic empowerment, as well as leadership and good governance. Ms. Akahloun has over 15 years’ experience in the design of innovative social development programming, creation …
Rene Silva, who was known during the invasion of the Complexo do Alemão by the Armed Forces in 2010 for the coverage he was doing on Twitter, is the newest employee of the State Secretariat of Culture of Rio. He was appointed by the secretary, André Lazaroni, as cultural advisor for special areas. The young …
As Managing Director, Ms. Soleye Niniola is responsible for leading DRASA’s day-to-day operations, the overall growth and launch strategy, fundraising, financial and organizational management, communications/marketing/PR, and partnership efforts. Ms. Soleye previously worked at Management Sciences for Health (MSH), a global health organization operating in more than 50 countries with a focus on priority health issues …