Fresh Voices for MLK Day and Black Heritage Month

ALLYSON FELIX: Most Decorated U.S. Track & Field Olympic Athlete; Holder of 13 Global Titles, 10 United States Championships, 11 Olympic Medals, and a World Record; One of Bloomberg's 50 People and Ideas that Defined Global Business in 2021, One of TIME's 100 Most Influential People; Advocate

VAN JONES: Political Contributor, CNN; Social Entrepreneur and President and Co-Founder, Dream Corps; Three-Time New York Times Bestselling Author; Former Special Advisor for Green Jobs, Enterprise, and Innovation, Obama Administration

ELIZABETH NYAMAYARO: United Nations Senior Advisor on Gender Equality (2013 – 2020); Founder, HeForShe Global Solidarity Movement for Gender Equality; Voice for Global Social Change; Author of I Am A Girl From Africa, A Memoir

LATOSHA BROWN: Cofounder Black Voters Matter; Advocate for democracy/Civic Engagement, Philanthropy, and Women's Empowerment; Fellow at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government; National Organizer, Political Strategist, and Contributor to MSNBC, New York Times

ENUMA OKORO: Nigerian-American Writer & Lecturer; Financial Times Weekend Columnist

SARAH ELIZABETH LEWIS: Associate Professor of History of Art and Architecture, and African and African American Studies, Harvard University; Founder, Vision and Justice Project; Author of Bestseller The Rise: Creativity, the Gift of Failure, and the Search for Mastery

KAHLIL GREENE: Yale's First Black Student Body President; New York Times Featured Social Media Influencer; "The Gen-Z Historian"

AKALA: BAFTA and MOBO award- winning Hip-Hop Artist, Writer and Social Entrepreneur; Co-Founder of The Hip-Hop Shakespeare Company; Sunday Times Bestselling Author

MARRA B. GAD: Award-Winning Author of The Color of Love; President of Egad! Productions

JENNA WORTHAM: Staff Writer for The New York Times Magazine; Co-Host of the podcast, Still Processing; Editor of the Visual Anthology Black Futures; Community Care Worker

AFUA HIRSCH: Award-Winning Writer, Broadcaster and Film Maker on Issues of Race and Equality; Co-host of Enslaved with Samuel L Jackson; Writer and host of African Renaissance, the landmark documentary series on Black culture 

DR. MARCIA CHATELAIN: Professor of History and African American Studies, Georgetown University; Pulitzer Prize Winning Author; Author of Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America; Creator, #FergusonSyllabus

MASAI UJIRI is the Vice Chairman and President of the Toronto Raptors, the Founder of the Giants of Africa Foundation, an advocate for youth development, and led the Raptors to most successful era in the franchise's history, culminating in NBA Championship. As great leaders do, Ujiri is willing to address any problem in a straightforward way, as he does in his talks about social justice and race and gender equality.

Olympic Track and Field athlete SYDNEY MCLAUGHLIN was featured as a TIME Magazine “2021 TIME100 Next” honoree, which recognizes emerging leaders. As recognizable as she is on the track, she is also known for being an inspiring role model since giving a notable and headline-making speech about overcoming obstacles to become one of the top young track and field athletes in America.

Spearheading social media, TAYLOR CASSIDY is a content creator on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube teaching millions of unsung Black history figures accompanied by her quick wit and strong passion. Seen in her series Fast Black History and Black Girl Magic Minute, she uses her platform to advocate for inclusion, representation, and love for one’s culture.

As the Founder & CEO of Blavity Inc., the leading digital media company for Black culture and millennials, MORGAN DEBAUN has grown the company into a market leader for Black media, reaching over 100 million readers per month through a growing brand portfolio. DeBaun is also an Entrepreneur, Angel Investor, and Small Business Advisor, Host of The WorkSmart Podcast with Morgan DeBaun, and activist.

As an accomplished actor and producer, TIKA SUMPTER has established herself as one of Hollywood’s rising stars. Sumpter, along with Thai Randolph, is also the co-founder of Sugaberry, a lifestyle brand created by, for, and about moms of color. Their podcast, The Suga, recently won a Gracie Award for co-host/ensemble podcast.

MATT JAMES felt called to take on the role as the first Black male lead on The Bachelor, which was announced just four days after the death of George Floyd and in a time of heightened focus on civil rights and racial injustices in both the United States and globally. Since the March 2021 season finale, James continues to use his platform of over 1 million followers to encourage important conversations and work as a conduit for social change and awareness.