Myisha Cherry
Myisha Cherry is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of California, Riverside. She is also the Director of the Emotion and Society Lab. She speaks widely on the topics of emotions and race. Cherry’s books include UnMuted: Conversations on Prejudice, Oppression, and Social Justice, The Case for Rage: Why Anger is Essential to Anti-racist Struggle, and Failures of Forgiveness: What We Get Wrong and How to Do Better (released on September 19, 2023).
Hafizah Augustus Geter
Hafizah Augustus Geter is a Nigerian-American poet, writer, and literary agent born in Zaria, Nigeria, and raised in Akron, Ohio, and Columbia, South Carolina. Her debut memoir, The Black Period: On Personhood, Race & Origin, won the 2023 PEN Open Book Award. Hafizah is also the author of the debut poetry collection Un-American, nominated for a 2021 NAACP Image Award, a finalist for the 2021 PEN Open Book Award, and longlisted for the 2021 Brooklyn Public Library Literary Prize.
Omkari L. Williams
Omkari L. Williams has worked as an actor, political consultant, and coach. Though she has an affinity for supporting activists who identify as introverted or highly sensitive, as she does, she welcomes all people into the world of micro activism, a sustainable path to changemaking. As a queer Black woman, she shares her own story of challenging injustice to empower others in making a difference in their communities. She is host of the popular podcast, Stepping into Truth, where she interviews activists from all walks of life. Her book, Micro Activism: How You Can Make a Difference in the World (Without a Bullhorn) is available from Storey Publishing.
Raquel Cepada
Born in Harlem to Dominican parents, Raquel is an award-winning journalist, cultural activist, podcaster, and documentary filmmaker who travels widely to speak to diverse audiences about Latina identity, social justice, gentrification and inequality.
Susan Abulhawa
Susan Abulhawa speaks widely on the subjects of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the power of storytelling, particularly for marginalized communities. Her debut novel, Mornings in Jenin, is a multigenerational family epic spanning five countries and more than sixty years. With an unflinchingly look at the Palestinian question, it was translated into twenty-eight languages and became an international bestseller.
Wendy Pearlman
Wendy is a scholar of Middle East politics and author of the critically-acclaimed We Crossed a Bridge and It Trembled: Voices from Syria, a mosaic of first-hand Syrian testimonials that chronicles the Syrian uprising, war and refugee crisis. Wendy lectures around the world.
Sherine Hamdy
An anthropologist and graphic novelist, Sherine speaks nationally and internationally on the role of comics as a teaching tool and on social justice and representation in comics. In addition to her acclaimed academic work, she is the co-author of the graphic novel Lissa and author of the forthcoming YA graphic novel Jabs, the story of a Muslim-American girl’s coming-of-age.
Faylita Hicks
Faylita Hicks (she/they) is a queer Afro-Latinx writer, spoken word artist, and cultural strategist. With an appreciation for powerful narratives that lead to cultural shifts and community safety, Hicks works with justice-focused nonprofits, arts and literary organizations, and performance venues throughout the US to actively engage in anti-carceral liberation efforts through dynamic storytelling. Hicks is also the author of the critically-acclaimed debut poetry collection HoodWitch, a finalist for the 2020 Lambda Literary Award.
Priya Huq
Priya Huq is a Bangladeshi Texan cartoonist living in New York who speaks widely on issues related to the comics industry, art, race, culture, identity and their intersections. Her appearances include the Toronto Comic Arts Festival, Emerald City Comic Con, and New York Comic Con. In her talks, Priya focuses on practical advice for marginalized artists and cartoonists.
Allissa V. Richardson
Allissa V. Richardson, PhD is an assistant professor of journalism at USC Annenberg. She researches how African Americans use mobile and social media to produce innovative forms of journalism — especially in times of crisis. Richardson is the author of Bearing Witness While Black: African Americans, Smartphones and the New Protest #Journalism (Oxford University Press, 2020). Richardson’s research is informed by her award-winning work as a journalism innovator. She is considered a pioneer in mobile journalism (MOJO), having launched the world’s first smartphone-only college newsrooms in 2010, in the U.S., Morocco and South Africa.
Stacey Robinson
Stacey is a professor, graphic designer, and illustrator of the acclaimed YA graphic novel I Am Alfonso Jones and co-illustrator, with John Jennings, of Prison Industrial Complex For Beginners. He is an assistant professor of graphic design at the University of Illinois. He lectures on Black comics, resistance and protest.