Activism
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Activism
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Pulitzer Prize-Winning Journalists for "Half the Sky" & Human Rights Advocates
Husband-and-wife duo Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn combine journalism and activism in their unique brand of reporting centered on human rights abuses and advocacy. The first married couple to win…
Female Empowerment Activist & Author, "I Am That Girl: How to Speak Your Truth, Discover Your Purpose, and #bethatgirl"
Alexis Jones is an internationally recognized speaker, media personality, activist and author. She is also a thought leader for the 21st century women’s movement, an expert on generation Y and…
Emmy, Peabody Award Winner & Host and Producer, Bravo’s "Watch What Happens"
Andy Cohen is the host and Executive Producer of “Watch What Happens Live,” Bravo’s late night, interactive talk show. The series is the only live show in Late Night, and…
Actor, Comedian, and Author
John Leguizamo is an outspoken and versatile actor, producer and playwright who has impressed audiences worldwide throughout his career. He has been seen in films including Ice Age, Moulin Rouge,…
Grammy-Nominated Musician and LGBT Faith Advocate
Jennifer Knapp’s beautifully intimate new album Set Me Free puts her uncommon honesty front and center, solidifying her return to a music career set on her own terms. Set Me…
National Syndicated TV Show Personality on "Paternity Court" and Host of HGTV’s "Spice Up My Kitchen"
Multi-faceted television personality, Lauren Lake, is a certified Renaissance woman who doesn't just talk the talk when it comes to life, love, law and living. As the judge on the…
Grammy Award-Winning Producer, DJ, College Lecturer, and Social Activist
9th Wonder is a Grammy Award Winning Producer, DJ, College Lecturer, and Social Activist.
Professional Basketball Player for Beijing Ducks of the Chinese Basketball Association
With a string of wins in early 2012, guard Jeremy Lin has become one of basketball's most famous players. Born in Palo Alto, California, in 1988, Jeremy Lin excelled at…
Legendary Gospel Singer With a Passion to Share Her Voice With Others
For Gospel legend Yolanda Adams, her stirring Elektra debut Mountain High. Valley Low was an opportunity to bring both her inspirational vision and her wide range of influences to an…
Award-Winning Musical/Talk
Griffin Matthews and Matt Gould, the young creators of Invisible Thread, present a concert of songs and stories from their new musical, winner of the 2012 and 2014 Richard Rogers…
Actor, Musician, Composer and Lyricist- Best Known for Film "Tracers" and Broadway's "Hamilton"
Christopher Jackson is an American actor, musician, composer, and lyricist from Cairo, Illinois. In 2015 Jackson originated the role of President George Washington in the musical Hamilton on Broadway, which…
National President & CEO USPAACC
Susan Au Allen came to the United States from Hong Kong on an invitation from the White House in recognition of her volunteer work for people with disabilities. She received…
Attorney, Community Leader, Social Activist and Writer
Angela E. Oh serves as the Executive Director of the Western Justice Center Foundation, a nonprofit organization that advances peaceful resolution of conflict. She has worked as an attorney, public…
CEO of McKinsey Social Initiative, a Nonprofit Organization that Implements Programs that Bring Together Varied Stakeholders to Address Complex Global and Social Challenges
Helene D. Gayle is CEO of McKinsey Social Initiative, a nonprofit organization that implements programs that bring together varied stakeholders to address complex global social challenges. Previously, she was president…
Civil Rights and Black Lives Matter Activist
DeRay Mckesson is an organizer, activist, and educator focused primarily on issues of innovation, equity and justice. Born and raised in Baltimore, he graduated from Bowdoin College and has advocated…
14th President of Wellesley College
President Paula A. Johnson is a respected and passionate leader, deeply committed to women and to sustainably improving their lives. She is recognized internationally as an innovator who has brought…
Founded Target H.O.P.E.
Euclid Williamson, founder of Target H.O.P.E., a nationally acclaimed academic achievement and high school retention model for Chicago area schools. Mr. Williamson’s Target H.O.P.E. is a nonprofit college preparatory academy…
Pulitzer Nominee, Award-Winning Author & Reporter
Best known as the author of the New York Times bestseller The Butler: A Witness to History, Wil Haygood is a distinguished writer whose career has spanned decades. He was…
Director, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture; Author of "The Condemnation of Blackness: Race, Crime and the Making of Modern Urban America"
Khalil Gibran Muhammad, director of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, an archive repository for information on people of African descent worldwide Prior to his appointment as the…
Renowned Human Rights Activist, musician and Cambodian Genocide Survivor
Internationally-renowned human rights activist, community organizer, and musician Arn Chorn-Pond inspires change through his incredible stories of surviving the Cambodian Khmer Rouge genocide. Subject of the Emmy-nominated documentary, The Flute…
Educator and Advocate for Education Reform. Founder & CEO, StudentsFirst and Author
In the ever-evolving landscape of education in America, Michelle Rhee has been working tirelessly for the past two decades to give children the skills and knowledge they will need to…
Professor, Author and Activist
Charles M. Payne is the Frank P. Hixon Distinguished Service Professor in the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago, where he is also an affiliate of…
General, U.S. Army (Ret.), and Former Commander of U.S. Central Command
Lloyd J. Austin III General, U.S. Army (Ret.), and Former Commander of U.S. Central Command General Austin is a retired U.S. Army General with nearly 41 years of military service.…
Author, Life Coach and Reality Television Personality
From welfare mother to New York Times best-selling author, from the Brooklyn projects to Emmy Award winner, from broken pieces to peace, Iyanla Vanzant is one of the country’s most…
Award-Winning Speaker, Author & Historian. Founder of HAGAR Civilization Training Missionary
Precious Muhammad helped advance the depth and authenticity of our exhibition America to Zanzibar: Muslim Cultures Near and Far. She worked with us to form the exhibit’s American Muslim narrative,…
Singer-Songwriter and Child Prodigy; "Isn't She Lovely" and "Superstition"
American singer, songwriter, musician, and producer, Stevland Morris AKA Stevie Wonder, is one of the most celebrated and prominent figures in popular music, who at the age of 13, was…
Former Secretary of Homeland Security
Jeh Charles Johnson was sworn in on Dec. 23, 2013, as the fourth Secretary of Homeland Security. Prior to joining DHS, Secretary Johnson served as general counsel for the Department…
Attorney, TV Host, Legal Analyst and Civil & Human Rights Advocate
Areva Martin is known to audiences across the country from her regular appearances on Dr. Phil, The Doctors, Anderson Cooper 360, Nancy Grace, Good Morning America and various other daytime…
Walt Disney Film "Queen of Katwe" & Candidate Master And National Chess Champion
From living in the streets in the slums of Katwe to learning chess in a Sports Outreach Institute missionary program
Co-Founder, The Malala Fund & Founder, NOW Ventures
Shiza Shahid is a social entrepreneur, television personality, speaker and women’s rights advocate
Actress & Youth Volunteer. Star of "Black-ish"
Tracee Ellis Ross, actress, motivational speaker and performance artist, is the star of the new hit ABC comedy series Black-ish. For her role, Ross won the 2015 NAACP Image Award…
Professor, Author and Activist
Horace G. Campbell is a noted international peace and justice scholar and Professor of African American Studies and Political Science at Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York. Born in 1945…
First African American Woman United States Senator & Former United States Ambassador
In an historic effort, Ambassador Carol Moseley Braun was elected to serve as the only black member of the United States Senate in 1992, and the first and only woman…
Award-Winning Actress
Classically trained, award-winning actor, Viola Davis has conquered every medium from stage to television to film.
Best known as the Native American Indian attired vocalist in the world famous group VILLAGE PEOPLE
Felipe Rose came to prominence in the 1970's out of the urban gay clubs and discotheques In New York City, best known as the Native (American) attired vocalist and founding…
Award-Winning Artist, Activist and Philanthropist
David Banner, born Lavell Crump in Jackson, Mississippi, is a Grammy Award winning music producer, recording artist, philanthropist, civic activist and actor who recently appeared in Lee Daniel’s The Butler…
Activist for Civil Rights & Social Justice. Former President of the NAACP
Cornell W. Brooks, president and chief executive officer of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). In May 2014 Brooks became the 18th president of the NAACP,…
Holocaust Survivor & Author
Holocaust survivor and human rights activist Inge Auerbacher spent three years as a child imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp in Czechoslovakia, where out of 15,000 children, barely 1 percent…
U.S. Army Veteran, Amputee & Finalist on "Dancing With The Stars"
A native of Birmingham, Alabama, Sergeant Noah Galloway was assigned to the 1st of the 502nd Infantry of the 101st Airborne Division out of Fort Campbell, Kentucky, during Operation Iraqi…
Human Rights Activist and is the great-great grandson of Frederick Douglass and the great-great grandson of Booker T. Washington
Kenneth Morris descends from two of the most important names in American history: he is the great-great-great grandson of Frederick Douglass and the great-great grandson of Booker T. Washington. His…
Award-Winning Teacher | Acclaimed Spoken Word Poet and staff writer at The Atlantic
Clint Smith is a staff writer at The Atlantic.
Pulitzer Prize-Winning Journalist and Immigration Reform Advocate
The Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, immigration reform activist and renowned speaker, Jose Antonio Vargas. Vargas admitted he was an undocumented immigrant in a groundbreaking essay published in The New York…
Educator, Social Activist and Author. Inner-City Youth & Education Advocate
Geoffrey Canada has been president and CEO of the Harlem Children’s Zone, for the past 20 years. Canada is nationally recognized for his pioneering work helping children and families in…
Legendary Civil Rights Activist and co-founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center
Civil rights and diversity speaker Morris Dees is the co-founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center, a non-profit group specializing in lawsuits involving civil rights violations, domestic terrorism, and hate-motivated…
Human Rights Activist; Nobel Peace Price Winner
Rigoberta Menchu-Tum was born on January 9, 1959 to a poor Indian peasant family and raised in the Quiche branch of the Mayan culture. In her early years she helped…
Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author & Journalist
An award-winning journalist, committed to tackling some of this country’s most intractable problems, author and activist, Sonia Nazario, is a leading advocate responsible for generating national attention to critical social…
Former Congressional Intern Credited with Saving Congresswoman Gabrielle Gifford
Daniel Hernandez Jr., is a native Arizonan, lifelong Democrat, and Member of the Arizona State Legislature representing South Tucson, Sahuarita, Green Valley and Santa Cruz County. He currently serves on…