Social Justice

Judy and Dennis Shepard

<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.

Kenyette Tisha Barnes

Kenyette Tisha Barnes is a political strategist, lobbyist, public speaker, trainer, mother and CEO of Nia Vizyon, LLC, a social justice, consulting and political strategy lobbying firm; and the National Co-Founder of #MuteRKelly.  

As a political strategist, lobbyist, and National Co-Founder of #MuteRKelly, Barnes is also known as the “Legislative Empress,” best known for her work with the Georgia General Assembly. Her legislative work includes lobbying for HIV advocacy, anti-human trafficking, domestic violence, post-partum depression, special education and voter’s rights.

Bakari Sellers

<p>Bakari Sellers recently released a <i>New York Times </i>Best Seller <i>My Vanishing Country: A Memoir</i>. The book has been described as part memoir, part historical and cultural analysis illustrating the lives of America’s forgotten black working-class men and women.</p><p>Bakari recently expanded his audience with the <i>Bakari Sellers Podcast</i>, a twice-a-week show that is part of The Ringer Podcast Network.

Rosa Clemente

<p>Born and raised in the Bronx, Rosa Alicia Clemente is an award-winning organizer, producer and journalist. A leading voice of her generation, Rosa is frequently sought out for her insight on Afro/Black-Latina/Latino/Latinx identity and liberation movements as well as police violence, colonialism in Puerto Rico, hip-hop feminism and more.</p><p> In 2008, Clemente made HERstory when she became the first Afro/Black-Latina to run for Vice-President of the United States on the Green Party ticket.

Mónica Ramírez

<p>Mónica Ramírez, who helped ignite the #TimesUp movement, discusses strategies for fighting gender-based sexual harassment and achieving gender equity across industries.</p><p>Mónica Ramírez is a co-founder of Alianza Nacional de Campesinas, or the National Farmworker Women&#39;s Alliance, and she created the first legal project in the U.S. focused on representing farmworker women in legal cases involving sexual harassment and other forms of gender discrimination.

Linda Sarsour

<p>One of America’s most vocal Muslim-American advocates, Linda Sarsour inspires audiences to get off the sidelines and raise their voices in the fight for equality and justice for all.    </p><p>Linda is one of the most prominent Muslim-American, racial justice, and civil rights activists in the country. Outspoken and independent, Linda shatters stereotypes of Muslim women while also treasuring her religious and ethnic heritage as a Palestinian-Muslim American.

Carmen Perez

<p>Carmen Perez is an award-winning, internationally-known civil and human rights leader and Chicana feminist. </p><p>She is the President & CEO of The Gathering for Justice, co-founder of Justice League NYC and Justice League CA, two state-based task forces for advancing a juvenile and criminal justice reform agenda, where she spearheaded campaigns to Free Meek Mill and Take a Knee with Colin Kaepernick, among many others. She was one of the National Co-Chairs of the 2017 Women’s March on Washington, which drew over 5 million people across the globe.

Susan Bro

<p>Susan D. Bro honors the legacy of her daughter and civil rights activist Heather Heyer by empowering others to make a difference in the world by fighting for equal rights for all.</p><p>Susan is the mother of Heather Heyer and the co-founder of the Heather Heyer Foundation (HHF). Susan launched the foundation to carry on the legacy of her daughter, Heather, a young a paralegal for the Miller Law Group who had a love for all individuals regardless of race, religion or creed.

Attorney General Loretta Lynch

<p>One of the most highly accomplished public figures in America today, Former Attorney General Loretta Lynch has been a leading progressive voice during her 30+ year highly distinguished career.</p><p>She is the first female African American Attorney General of the United States, appointed by President Barack Obama in 2015. She also served as the head of the U.S.