Human Rights

<p>Amber Briggle (she/they) is a self-described “mamabear” of a transgender teen in Texas.</p><p>Amber and her family were investigated by the Texas Department of Family Protective Services for “child abuse” in 2022 after TX Gov. Greg Abbott directed the agency to open such cases against families like theirs.

<p>A renowned cultural critic who coined the term “Know-Your-Place Aggression,” Koritha Mitchell created the C19 Podcast episode, <em>The N-Word in the Classroom: Just Say No!</em> </p><p>In 2013, Koritha published <em>Love in Action: Noting Similarities Between Lynching Then and Anti-LGBT Violence Now</em>. She found that what lynching and anti-LGBT violence most have in common is the targeted group’s success.

<p>Providing visionary and transformational leadership during one of the most consequential eras in our nation’s history, Sherrilyn Ifill’s voice has powerfully influenced our national dialogue on civil rights.  </p><p>Sherrilyn Ifill served as the seventh President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund (LDF) from 2013 to 2022—the second woman to ever lead LDF—and currently serves as its President and Director-Counsel Emeritus.

<p>As the grandson of both the legendary civil rights activist César Chávez and the Cuban revolutionary Max Lesnik, Eduardo Chavez is the scion of two revolutionary families.</p><p>Eduardo's political and activist background influenced his feature documentary, <i>Hailing Cesar,</i> released April 2018. </p><p>Since its debut, Eduardo has screened <i>Hailing Cesar</i> and spoken at 50+ universities in 3 different countries.

<p>C. Dixon Osburn is the Executive Director of the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, United States, a global NGO focused on strengthening democracy against the rising tide of extremism, hate and disinformation.

<p>Ijeoma Oluo is a writer, speaker, and internet yeller. She is the author of the #1 <i>New York Times</i> Best Seller <i>So You Want to Talk About Race</i>, and most recently, <i>Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America</i>. </p><p>Her work on race has been featured in <i>The Guardian, The New York Times,</i> and <i>The Washington Post</i>, among many other publications. She was named to the 2021 <i>TIME </i>100 Next list and has twice been named to the <i>Root </i>100.

<p>As the first openly LGBTQ+ professional to play in the NFL, R.K. Russell articulates how truth is essential to not only survive but to thrive.</p><p>In addition to being a professional football player in the NFL, he is also a published poet, writer, and artist. R.K. dedicated his life to football. He learned the responsibility and hard work it took to become a Big Ten Starter, an All-Conference player, and a reliable teammate. Off the field, he began to take his studies more seriously, write long-form creative pieces, and discover his sexuality. R.K.

<p>LaTosha is a contributor to <i>The New York Times</i> op-ed page and a Senior Practice Fellow at the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. As co-founder of the Black Voters Matter Fund organization, LaTosha is dedicated to increasing the political power of Black people.</p><p>The Black Voters Matter Fund was credited with energizing and turning out voters in Alabama’s Black Belt and playing a decisive role in Doug Jones’ election to the U.S.

<p>On October 7, 1998, 21-year-old Matthew Shepard, son of Judy and Dennis Shepard, was brutally attacked, tied to a fence in a field outside of Laramie, Wyoming, and left to die. In the aftermath of Matt’s death – an anti-gay hate crime - Judy and Dennis Shepard started the Matthew Shepard Foundation to honor his life and aspirations.

<p>The Black and Latina daughter of a working-class family, Victoria Pratt learned to treat everyone with dignity, no matter their background. When she became Newark Municipal Court’s chief judge, she knew well the inequities that poor, mentally ill, Black, and brown people faced in the criminal justice system.</p><p>Judge Victoria has gained national and international acclaim for her commitment to reform the criminal justice system.