Political & National Issues
Civil Rights & Social Justice
Civil Rights & Social Justice:
Daughter of Lead Plaintiff, Brown v Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education is named for Brown Henderson's father, Oliver L. Brown. She works to affirm the tenets of the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision; and to promote civic engagement, diversity and equal educational opportunity.
Global Head of Inclusion Strategy at Netflix
A thought leader, advocate and writer on gender, race and orientation equality and intersectionality, Davis is the NFL’s first LGBTQ+ consultant and works with numerous pro teams.
Documentary Filmmaker
Amy Ziering is a two-time Emmy Award–winning and Academy Award-nominated documentary filmmaker. Her most recent film, The Hunting Ground, was a piercing, monumental exposé of rape culture on college campuses.
Documentary Film Director
Kirby Dick is a two time Emmy-award winning and two-time Academy award-nominated documentary film director. His most recent film, The Hunting Ground, was a monumental exposé of rape culture on college campuses.
Cross-Cultural Performance
In The Color Orange, long-time friends Mohammed Bilal and Josh "Boac" Goldstein challenge American notions by offering a vibrant new look at race, racism and how we get along.
Award-Winning Investigative Journalist at NBC News & Criminal Legal Reform Activist
In 2002, Dan Slepian, award-winning NBC News journalist and veteran producer of its newsmagazine Dateline, received a letter from Jon-Adrian "JJ" Velazquez, a man incarcerated and serving 25 years to life in person for a crime he didn’t commit.
Deputy Superintendent & Senior Executive Officer of the Office of Equity & Access (OEA) for New York City’s Department of Education
With an unyielding commitment to a vision of transforming the lives of adults, children, communities and school systems, Dr. Ruby Ababio-Fernandez comes to the work with over twenty-three years of experience in education and leadership.
CNN Political Analyst & Anchor for theGrio
Natasha S. Alford an award-winning journalist, host and media executive driven by the
power of storytelling to inspire and change people’s lives.
TIME Women of the Year 2023, Journalist, Activist & Author
Masih Alinejad is an Iranian-American journalist and women’s rights activist who gained worldwide attention when she removed her veil, or hijab, and posted a photo on her Facebook page standing proudly with her hair blowing in the wind.
Mississippi State Representative
The youngest African American ever elected to Legislature, Rep. Jeramey Anderson inspires and empowers audiences to make a difference by reaching their highest potential, and shares why education can help one succeed.
Co-Executive Director of the CPD
Ana María emigrated to the U.S. from Colombia at the age of 17 and has become a leading voice for racial justice, economic justice and immigrant rights in New York and nationally as co-Executive Director of the CPD.
Entrepreneur, Veteran & Bestselling Author
The founder of an NGO and a former Marine, Rye Barcott has the distinction of being both a warrior and a peacemaker, a juxtaposition he explores in the memoir It Happened on the Way to War.
Gender Equality Advocate & Founder of New Light
Urmi Basu fights for social justice for the marginalized community of sex workers and women in prostitution. She founded New Light, whose mission is to promote gender equality and fight abuse of women and children.
Award-Winning Multidisciplinary Artist, Writer & Cultural Worker
Mary Enoch Elizabeth Baxter is an award-winning multidisciplinary artist, writer, pedagogue, and cultural worker based in Philadelphia PA.
Theologian, Essayist & Social Media Influencer
Candice Marie Benbow is a theologian and essayist whose work lies at the intersections of beauty, faith, feminism and culture. As a public educator, Candice cares about bridging the gap between the academy and community through digital projects.
Award-Winning Journalist & Author of The Movement
Clara Bingham is an award-winning journalist and author whose work has focused on social justice and women’s issues. She is the author of four books.
Author & Professor
Corey Brettschneider has studied and taught politics and constitutional law for nearly all of his adult life. Corey has written and taught in Brown's political science department and his focus has been on issues central to our democracy.
NAACP Board of Directors Chairman Emeritus
The youngest-ever chair of the NAACP, Brock works to secure economic justice, equal rights, and access to education and affordable healthcare for all.
Youngest Ever New York Times Opinion Writer & Host of ASK VIV Podcast
Bianca Vivion Brooks is a writer, artist, and designer from East Atlanta, Georgia. Born in Los Angeles and later raised between Atlanta and Oakland, Brooks was marked from an early age as an imaginative storyteller and critical thinker.
Dean of Harvard’s Renowned Radcliffe Institute
Tomiko Brown Nagin is a prize-winning author, eminent legal scholar and historian, dean of Harvard’s renowned Radcliffe Institute, and pathbreaking leader in higher education.
Senior ESPN Writer
The author of eight books on sports and legendary black athletes, Bryant’s latest work examines the intersection of race, sports, politics and patriotism in a divided America.
CEO of Robin Hood
Richard is the CEO of Robin Hood and former Chief Executive Officer of Achievement First, a network of 37 public charter schools providing an excellent education to 15,000 students across New York, Connecticut and Rhode Island.
Google’s Head of Black Engagement
Valeisha Butterfield-Jones is an award-winning political strategist, youth and women’s activist and lifestyle expert. Butterfield-Jones is currently Head of Black Engagement at Google as well as the author of the highly acclaimed book The Girlprint.
New York Times Bestselling Author & Political Analyst
Clay Cane is an award-winning journalist, radio host, political analyst and a New York Times bestselling author. The Grift, an instant New York Times bestseller, was released in January 2024.
Health Care Economist, Henry & Allison McCance Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School; Director of Health Policy Research, Harvard Kennedy School of Government
Amitabh Chandra is a health care economist, Henry & Allison McCance Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School and Director of Health Policy Research at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
Civil Rights Leader
Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., entrepreneur, global business leader, educator, chemist, civil rights leader, NAACP Life Member, syndicated columnist, theologian, and author is currently the President and CEO of the NNPA.
Former Broadcaster & Professional Baseball Player
Roberto Clemente, Jr. is a universally respected philanthropist, humanitarian, entrepreneur, producer, former broadcaster, and professional baseball player.
Best-Selling Author, The Campus Color Line & Higher Education Thought Leader
Dr. Eddie R. Cole is Associate Professor of Higher Education and Organizational Change at UCLA. His research focuses on college presidents’ historic role in shaping racial policies and practices both inside and outside of the educational sphere.
National Book Award-Nominated Author & Executive Editor of YES! Media
Evette Dionne, known across the internet as @freeblackgirl, is a journalist, critic, and magazine editor. She’s the National Book Award-nominated and Coretta Scott King honor author of Lifting As We Climb.
Academy Award-Winning Actor
One of Hollywood's most respected actors and producers, Michael Douglas is also a UN Messenger of Peace, champion of social and environmental causes, and advocate for human rights and nuclear non-proliferation.
Political Strategist, Social Activist & Writer
Marcia L. Dyson has been hailed as one of our nation's foremost religious figures. Using her special brand of wisdom, Rev. Dyson's speeches address issues on race, gender inequality, and other national concerns.
Teacher & Diversity Trainer
Chosen as one of Peter Jennings' ABC-TV's "Person of the Week," Jane is the adaptor of the "Blue Eyes, Brown Eyes" discrimination experiment. This ground breaking exercise is the pinnacle of all other diversity programming in the country today.