These activists are powerful speakers at the forefront of the fight for social justice and change, and are leading us towards a more equitable and just future.
Victoria Alexander
<p>A third-generation educator whose work centers on authenticity, belonging, and meaningful social change, Victoria Alexander invites audiences into an honest and interactive journey toward progress—not perfection.</p><p>With over half a million followers across social media platforms, Victoria is known for blending storytelling, scholarship, and cultural commentary to create “edu-taining” experiences that are as insightful as they are impactful.
Koritha Mitchell, PhD
<p>A renowned cultural critic, feminist scholar, and award-winning author, who coined the term “Know-Your-Place Aggression, Koritha analyzes American culture to empower audiences and advocate for social equity.</p><p>Her first book, <em>Living with Lynching</em>, won awards from the American Theatre and Drama Society (ATDS) and from the Society for the Study of American Women Writers (SSAWW).
Maria Ressa
<p>Maria Ressa co-founded Rappler, the top digital-only news site that is leading the fight for press freedom in the Philippines. </p><p>As Rappler's CEO, Maria has endured constant political harassment and arrests by the Duterte government, forced to post bail eleven times to stay free. Rappler's battle for truth and democracy is the subject of the 2020 Sundance Film Festival documentary,<em> A Thousand Cuts. </em>For her courage and journalistic integrity, Maria has received numerous accolades.
Sherrilyn Ifill
<p>Sherrilyn Ifill is a civil rights lawyer and scholar. From 2013-2022, she served as the President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF), the nation’s premier civil rights law organization fighting for racial justice and equality. She recently served as a Ford Foundation Fellow and as the Klinsky Visiting Professor for Leadership & Progress at Howard Law School.
Terrence Floyd
<p>As Terrence Floyd once said, I am speaking for my brother.
LaTosha Brown
<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.
Angela Davis
<p>Iconic activist Angela Davis has made it her mission to share her life story and challenge her audiences to join the struggle for racial, economic, and gender justice. </p><p>Angela has been deeply involved in some of the major social movements over the last 50 years. She was born and raised in Birmingham, Ala., by parents who were active community organizers. As a teenager, she marched and picketed against racial segregation. Angela went on earn a doctorate in philosophy.
Michelle Alexander
<p>Michelle Alexander’s acclaimed best-seller,<i> The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness</i> released a special 10th anniversary edition in January 2020.
Winona LaDuke
<p>A Native American activist, Harvard-educated economist and author, Winona LaDuke has devoted her life to advocating for indigenous people’s rights and environmental justice.</p><p>In 1985, LaDuke co-founded and co-chaired the Indigenous Women’s Network (IWN), a coalition dedicated to empowering women to take active roles in tribal politics and culture. In 1989, she founded the White Earth Land Recovery Project (WELRP), a tribal land re-acquisition and environmental advocacy effort and one of the largest reservation-based nonprofits in the country.
Bree Newsome
<p>Bree Newsome rallies your spirit with her impassioned message about racial equality and illustrates how, with courage, zeal and the support of others, ordinary people can make an extraordinary difference. </p><p>This contemporary civil rights icon first garnered national attention for her daring act of peaceful disobedience in June 2015.