Black History Month & MLK

Malik Yoba is an award-winning actor, a playwright and a published author. He composes and performs original music and is a gifted singer, lyricist and poet. He’s a sex symbol.…

Adeeb Yousif was born in the village of Guldo in Darfur, Sudan. For 14 years, he worked with grass roots and social justice movements throughout Sudan. In April 2001, Adeeb…

DeWayne Wickham, a columnist with USA Today and Gannett News Service, Wickham is a distinguished professor and director of the Institute for Advanced Journalism Studies at North Carolina Agricultural and…

Montel Williams earned his media celebrity status as an inspirational Emmy Award winning television personality whom Americans invited into their homes for more than 17 years. He is a decorated…

Saul Williams, rapper, singer-songwriter, musician, poet, writer, and actor. He is known for his blend of poetry and alternative hip hop, and for his lead roles in the 1998 film…

Juan Williams, Political Analyst, Fox News Channel; Author, We the People: The Modern-Day Figures Who Have Reshaped and Affirmed the Founding Fathers’ Vision of America; Drawing on his nearly 10…

Micah White, PhD is a public intellectual and lifelong activist who co-created Occupy Wall Street, a global social movement that spread to 82 countries, while an editor of Adbusters magazine.…

Dr. Dennis Rahiim Watson is a motivational speaker who has received hundreds of commendations, including ones from notable names such as President Barack Obama, President George Bush and Secretary Hillary…

Faye Wattleton is a Managing Director with Alvarez & Marsal and Heads the board governace advisory practice, in New York. Ms. Wattleton’s distinguished career spans more than three decades, during…

J.C. Watts is chairman of the J.C. Watts Companies, a multi-industry holding company headquartered in Washington, DC, with operations in Texas and Oklahoma. As chairman, Watts provides strategic focus and…

Dr. Cornel West, philosopher, social activist and professor, has long held a place in the African American culture for his thought-provoking theories on politics, race relations and religion. West is…

Few entertainers today are as accomplished or as versatile as Ben Vereen. His legendary performances transcend time and have been woven into the fabric of this country's artistic legacy. A…

Black Violin is the blend of classical, hip-hop, rock, R&B, and bluegrass music.  Accompanied by a drummer and a DJ, Black Violin (declared one of the “hottest bands of SXSW”)…

Dennis Walcott is the President and CEO of Queens Library. He joined Queens Library March 2016.  Walcott is a life-long resident of Queens and has spent his entire career in…

Alice Walker is an internationally celebrated writer, poet and activist whose books include seven novels, four collections of short stories, four children’s books, and volumes of essays and poetry.  She…

Time Magazine named Rebecca Walker one of the fifty most influential American leaders under forty because of her transformative views on race, gender, sexuality and power-an award which has been…

Aisha Tyler, is an actor, comedian, director, author and activist. she is currently co-host of the hit cbs daytime talker "the talk" until end of the seventh season. Aisha joined…

Omar Tyree, is a New York Times best-selling author, journalist, lecturer, poet, screenwriter, songwriter, playwrite, host, blogger, publishing consultant and literacy advocate, who has won a 2001 NAACP Image Award…

A charismatic and versatile actor, Blair Underwood has found success acting in television, on stage, and on the big screen. His success has been driven by the underlying belief that,…

Baron Vaughn is a series regular on Netflix’s Grace & Frankie in the role of “Bud” with 3 seasons currently streaming. He is the voice of "Tom Servo" in the…

Robert Townsend started out as an extra in movies and has since become a heralded actor, comedian, writer, director, producer, and cable network programming CEO. That’s not so bad for…

Cynthia Tucker, a veteran newspaper journalist and Pulitzer Prize winner, is a Visiting Professor of Journalism and Charlayne Hunter-Gault Distinguished Writer-in-Residence at the University of Georgia. She is also a…

Judge Lynn Toler is currently the host of the nationally syndicated and Emmy Nominated television show, Divorce Court.  She is a graduate of Harvard University and The University of Pennsylvania…

Aerle Taree, two time Grammy award winning co-writer of the hit songs “Tennessee” and “Revolution” with the music group Arrested Development, has expanded her writing talent in the newly published…

Mikki Taylor is the quintessential authority on all matters regarding beauty and style. From A-list celebrities and world-renowned cover models to women in the know, Taylor influences all types of…

Kristin Clark Taylor is an award-winning author, veteran journalist, and nationally recognized communications and political strategist. Taylor was a member of USA Today’s original creation and launch team. She remained…

After 27 years as the chief editor of Essence magazine and the visionary credited with building the brand, Susan L. Taylor left publishing to devote her life to building an…

Inspirational speaker, columnist, author, poet, radio and TV personality Jewel Diamond Taylor's high energy keynotes and workshops go beyond the average. Jewel Diamond Taylor lifts the low, pushes the slow,…

Selected in 2009 as "Pastor of the Year" in Brooklyn, New York, by Church Women United and in 2005 and 2006 by Beliefnet.com as one of "The Most Influential Spiritual…

Raven-Symone, actress, comedian, model, singer, songwriter, dancer, television producer and talk show host. She first appeared on television in 1989 on The Cosby Show as Olivia Kendall. She released her…

Award-winning actor/author/educator Akuyoe Graham possesses an extraordinary gift – the ability to sit with society’s outcasts and rapidly guide them to a life-changing experience of their own Beauty of Being.…

Shelby Steele is currently a senior research fellow at The Hoover Institution at Stanford University. He has a BA in political science, an MA in sociology and a Ph.D. in…

Ian K. Smith, M.D. is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of SUPER SHRED, SHRED, THE 4 DAY DIET, THE FAT SMASH DIET and EXTREME FAT SMASH DIET among…

Born in the Bronx and raised in the projects, Sister Souljah is a fighter who came up from the bottom. A graduate of Rutgers University, she earned a degree in…

It's hard to keep a straight face when talking to Chris Spencer. Extremely talented and hilarious, this quick-witted funnyman began his stint in the entertainment industry at the age of…

Barbara Smith is best known for her innovating work as a critic, author, activist and lecturer. She was among the first to define an African American woman's literary tradition and…

Growing up as an only child in Richmond, Virginia, Kemba Smith Pradia graduated high school and continued her education at prestigious Hampton University. What happened to Kemba in her new…

Stephen A. Smith, along with Max Kellerman, is a featured commentator on ESPN’s First Take weekdays from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. ET, discussing and debating the sports topics of…

You may know Comedian writer actor Owen Smith Owen Smith’s face from some of your favorite television commercials but OWEN is first and foremost a comedian.  Owen made his late…

Rodney E. Slater, former U.S. Secretary of Transportation has had a long and distinguished career of accomplishment in both the public and private sectors.  He is nationally recognized for his…

From his celebrated conversations with world figures to his work to inspire the next generation of leaders, Tavis Smiley broadcaster, author, publisher, advocate and philanthropist has emerged as an outstanding…

Rickey Smiley is the host of BET’s highly popular nightly comedy showcase, ComicView. ComicView, currently in its ninth season on BET, is consistently among the network’s highest rated programs, and…

Jada Pinkett Smith has proven herself to be one of today's most versatile and gifted young actresses. Recently, she landed one of Hollywood's most sought after roles, as Niobe in…

Whether on stage or screen, Daytime Emmy Award-winner Sherri Shepherd’s magnetic personality and hilarious sense of humor never fails to delight audiences. In August 2009, Sherri was a part of…

Dr. Mary Schmidt Campbell, A leader in education, the arts, and the public sector for nearly 40 years, Mary Schmidt Campbell, Ph.D., began her tenure as the 10th president of…

Bobby Seale is one of the last surviving architects of one of the most important social change movements in American and African American history. Taking to the stage with his…

Joseph Sebarenzi lost his parents, seven siblings, and countless other family members when 800,000 Tutsi were brutally murdered over the course of 90 days in 1994 by extremist Rwandan Hutu…

Ilyasah Al-Shabazz is a community organizer, social activist, motivational speaker, and author of the critically acclaimed Growing Up X (Random House, 2002). Her father, martyred human rights activist known as…

Sonia Sanchez is an African-American poet most often associated with the Black Arts Movement. She has authored over a dozen books of poetry, as well as plays and children's books.…

Loretta J. Ross was a co-founder and the National Coordinator of the SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective from 2005-2012, a network founded in 1997 of women of color…