Bassey Ikpi is the author of the New York Times bestselling essay collection, I’m Telling the Truth but I’m Lying (Harper Perennial, 2019), which Kirkus Reviews praised as “relentlessly honest.” An American-Nigerian writer and mental health advocate, she is an active voice in pop culture commentary and the mental health community, Bassey’s essays have been...
Profile Category: Diversity and Inclusion
Staceyann Chin
Poet, actor, and performing artist Staceyann Chin is the author of the critically acclaimed memoir The Other Side of Paradise, co-writer and original performer in the Tony Award–winning Russell Simmons Def Poetry Jam on Broadway, and author of the one-woman shows Hands Afire, Unspeakable Things, Border/Clash, and MotherStruck. She has appeared on the Oprah Winfrey...
Etan Thomas
Etan Thomas is More Than An Athlete, he’s redefined himself “The Activist Athlete.” Thomas defies the stereotype of the apolitical athlete, planting his roots in his formidable literary career, passion for mentoring and civic engagement. Born in Harlem, New York and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Thomas’ childhood was surrounded by books on the civil rights...
Dr. Cornel West
Dr. Cornel West has been described as one of America’s most vital and eloquent intellectuals. A noted philosopher, he has taken his struggle for racial equity to the national spotlight, providing a gifted and stimulating voice to the ongoing debate. Currently the Class of 1943 University Professor of Religion at Princeton University, Dr. West has...
Cece Telfer
In today’s world, we are becoming more and more accepting of transgender people yet there’s still widespread misunderstanding which makes it an important topic to discuss. Cece Telfer is the first-ever openly transgender athlete to become an NCAA champion. Cece puts a face to one of the most hotly debated subjects in the country today. Cece’s story...
Cariol Holloman Horne
Cariol Holloman Horne is an outspoken activist against police brutality. A former New York Police Officer, Horne prevented an assault by a fellow officer on a handcuffed suspect. Horne then endured the harsh consequences for breaking the blue wall of silence. She wa fired from her job and her pension was disqualified. Undeterred, Horne went...
Keith Boykin
Keith Boykin is a CNBC contributor, MSNBC commentator, BET columnist, and New York Times best-selling author. He is also the former editor of the online news site, The Daily Voice. In his upcoming book RACE AGAINST TIME: The Politics of a Darkening America (Bold Type Books; on sale September 14, 2021), national political commentator, Keith...
Marisa Hamamoto
Named 1 of 13 People Magazine “Women Changing the World 2021”, 1 of 9 women leaders “reimagining sport” for the adidas International Women’s Day Campaign 2020, and listed on InStyle Magazine Badass 50 2021, Marisa Hamamoto is a stroke survivor who lives with PTSD, speaker, dancer, proud 4th Generation Japanese American, and founder of Infinite...
Bobby Seale
Within the last fifteen years the demise of several sixties left radical icons [including Huey P. Newton’s death in August of 1989; Abbie Hoffman 1991; Jerry Reubin in 1993, Eldridge Cleaver and Quame Turea in 1998, and now Dave Dellinger in 2004], Bobby Seale, in effect, has become one of the last surviving architects of...
Dr. Michael Eric Dyson
Dr. Michael Eric Dyson is a Georgetown University sociology professor, a New York Times contributing opinion writer, and a contributing editor of The New Republic, and of ESPN’s The Undefeated website. Michael Eric Dyson Michel Eric Dyson is a globally renowned scholar of race, religion and contemporary culture. Dyson also is a prominent commentator across...