 Lumumba Akinwole-BandeleDirector of Community Organizing Alliance of Families for Justice Lumumba Akinwole-Bandele is the Director of Community Organizing and Advocacy at the Alliance of Families for Justice. He briefly served as the director of Strategic Partnerships with Movement for Black Lives (M4BL) in 2020 and from 2011 to 2020 he served as the Director of Community Organizing at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. He is a community organizer and educator from Central Brooklyn. From 1994 – 1998 Lumumba served as programming coordinator at the Franklin H. Williams Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute (CCC). During his tenure at CCC, he also co-found Azabache, an organizers training conference and workshop series for young activists. All the while as a Black Studies Major at City College of NY/CUNY, he went on to receive his Masters in Human Service from Lincoln University in 1998. As a member and organizer with the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, Mr. Akinwole-Bandele helped establish its campaign to counter police abuse and misconduct. He also co-founded the world-renowned Black August Hip Hop Project. Black August raises awareness and support for political prisoners in the United States. From 2002 to 2007 Lumumba served as a counselor and lecturer at Medgar Evers College/CUNY. Over the years he has taught at Pratt Institute, City College of NY, Lehman College, San Francisco State University and currently serves as an adjunct lecturer teaching Community Organizing at CUNY School of Professional Studies. |
 Cliff AlbrightCo-Founder & Executive Director Cliff Albright is a political economist, speaker, and activist. As the Co-founder and Executive Director of Black Voters Matter and Black Voters Matter Capacity Building Institute, Cliff discusses the importance of building power through voting and economic development. He has a deep understanding of how Black politics and Black economics are linked, and views these two strategies as complementary, rather than opposing forces. Cliff is a specialist in voter mobilization strategies, economic development, and Black political economy, as well as in the history of the voting rights movement and current battles against voter suppression. He has spent a considerable portion of his life working on building economic power and understanding the relationship between Black politics and Black economics. |
 Dushoun Almond Program Manager Dushoun Almond is the Program Manager of a Cure Violence program called Brownsville In Violence Out which serves peace to the community. Brownsville In Violence Out is a part of the NYC Crisis Management System that reduces gun violence. Before being named Program Manager, Dushoun Almond was a violence interrupter working part time with the responsibilities of intervening in any domestic violence or cruel behavior in Brownsville area. Years prior to working in the program he was gang affiliated and transfigured into something more beautiful by preventing gang related consequences. Dushoun Almond a.k.a. "Bigga" has been a part of this program for nine years, helping out young adults who are or may have been involved in street violence through help with employment and a voice to stop shootings. Bigga supervises the Violence Interrupters and Outreach Workers on the team who mediate conflicts and work closely to promote a visible message about violence not being the answer. |
 Michidael CeardOrganizing Director Michi immigrated to the United States in 2013 from Haiti and takes great pride in using her experiences abroad from oppressive regimes to fuel her passion for disenfranchised communities in the present. She is based in Miami, Florida and cares deeply about uprooting systems of oppression that greatly impact Black and Brown communities locally and nationwide. She has over 5 years of adding her own “flava” to youth organizing and works on impactful campaigns that work on making Florida sustainable for its native communities. As the Organizing Director for FL Student Power, she has the privilege of working with youth and moving campaigns around migrants, education, and climate. In her spare time, you would find Michidael surrounded by a sea of literature from contemporary Black woman writers or penning a narrative worth sharing of her own. |
 Brandon ChapmanCampaign Strategist Brandon Chapman (he/him) is Campaign Strategist for Policing with ACLU’s Justice Division. In this position, he builds and executes national, state, and local campaigns to hold police accountable, repair the harm done to communities from police misconduct, and advance a paradigm of public safety where policing is minimal and all communities are safe, free, and equal. Prior to joining ACLU, he worked with The Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights and The Leadership Conference Education Fund, where he served as Senior Field Manager for the Justice Program. He led state and local organizing efforts in Georgia, Ohio, and Wisconsin, and co-led the national Vision for Justice and Vote for Justice campaigns. Prior to the Leadership Conference, he organized in his hometown of Charleston, South Carolina with the Charleston Area Justice Ministry (CAJM). He trained community leaders to hold listening sessions, lead research visits with local and national experts, engage thousands of community members in direct actions, and negotiate with public officials to implement best practices. Brandon received his BA in African American Studies and Political Science from the College of Charleston. He lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife Kayla. |
 Courtland CoxFounder Courtland Cox spent his childhood between New York City and Trinidad. Education was important to his family, and they sent him to St. Helena’s Catholic School where for one year, he was the only Black student. When Courtland arrived at Howard University in 1960, he joined the Nonviolent Action Group (NAG), already committed to fight segregation and white supremacy. He met classmates Stokely Carmichael, Ed Brown, Michael Thelwell, Jean Wheeler and others as NAG became involved in sit-ins along Route 40, Freedom Rides, and demonstrations on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. In 1963, Mr. Cox served as the SNCC representative on the Steering Committee for the historic 1963 March on Washington. The 1964 Democratic National Convention betrayal of the MFDP confirmed Cox’s view that an independent Black political party was necessary. He left Mississippi after the challenge, and joined Stokely Carmichael in Lowndes County, Alabama, known then as “Bloody Lowndes” for its anti-Black violence. When Cox started working in Lowndes, Blacks made up 80% of the county’s population, but only four black people were registered to vote. After the Voting Rights Act passed, SNCC helped register 2,800 voters, and for the first time, there were more registered Black voters than white voters in the county. But Courtland and the other SNCC organizers thought it was not enough for Black people to vote for a less racist white sheriff; they wanted local people to elect county officials who shared their concerns. “It’s not about protest it’s about power,” he explained. Why protest about police brutality by the sheriff when Black people could elect a sheriff that reflected their interests? Since the 2010 Conference for the 50th Anniversary of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, Mr. Cox has served as the Chair of the SNCC Legacy Project. Today he Chairs the Intra- and Inter-generational meetings with youth activists and organizers that discuss how collective political action might deal with some of the economic problems facing the Black community and how these problems could be solved by political actions that access federal resources. |
 Dr. Tiffany CrutcherExecutive Director Dr. Tiffany T. Crutcher is a native of Tulsa, Oklahoma, who was thrust into the national spotlight following the death of her twin brother Terence Crutcher, who was shot by a police officer in Tulsa while holding his hands in the air. The murder of her brother compelled Tiffany to speak out against police brutality, particularly the killing of unarmed black men. She has chosen to turn her personal tragedy into an opportunity to bridge fear and mistrust and help transform a justice system that has perpetuated injustice dating back to the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, when white rioters burned down her great-grandmother’s prosperous community of Black Wall Street. Dr. Crutcher has remained committed to organizing coalitions throughout the country that promote the interests of minority communities. Dr. Crutcher is the founder of the Terence Crutcher Foundation (TCF), whose primary focus is criminal justice and policing reform, providing scholarships to African-American students, community and youth development, and policy advocacy. |
 Anjene DavisCo-Founder The Lowcountry Black Parents Association, SC Anjene “AJ” Davis has a wealth of experience in non-profit administration and social program creation with an emphasis on youth and community development, poverty reduction programming, and education advocacy. He is intimately involved in his local community, tackling social justice and equity issues. Aj co-founded the Lowcountry Black Parents Association, an organization whose mission is to build the capacity of black parents and families to understand, navigate and advocate for their children in the public education system. AJ has held leadership positions in his local neighborhood association as well as leading numerous community engagement committees. AJ believes in research-based and data-driven approaches to community engagement, which simply means that he seeks to help clients understand that community engagement isn't just "talking to the community"; it is creating an environment where knowledge and understanding are exchanged and goals and objectives are reached. His work has been recognized with multiple awards including: The Social Action Award from the Xi Phi Lambda chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.(2023), Charleston Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. Education Service Award (2023) just to name a few. Aj is also a member of the Mu Alpha Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. where he holds the position of Social Action Committee Chair. |
 Cagney GoodlyPolitical Consultant & Chief Executive Officer The Front Woman represents the many Black women that work in politics behind the scenes. The Front Woman is me. For several years I have volunteered and later worked campaigns, but was never taken seriously and was always overlooked. This space was created purely out of necessity, Creating my own lane and controlling my space was the best thing I could have ever done for myself. Since our founding in 2020, we have won 7 judicial races ranging from criminal court all the way up to Supreme Court, participated in the outreach and education portion of Bring Back Louisiana in efforts to improve vaccine participation, played in integral role in assisting our clinics in the loss of reproductive rights, won 2 state legislative races in both house and senate, and won the Second Congressional of Louisiana seat with Congressman Troy Carter. We take our work seriously and believe that in order to improve our society balance and equality must coexist, which means putting the people first. |
Brooke Floyd Director |
 Kia GregoryKia Gregory is a journalist drawn to people, and how they and their neighborhoods are affected by public policy, with a focus on racial justice. Kia has covered local politics, education and the criminal legal system, and won numerous awards for her enterprise reporting and narrative writing. She has written at publications such as The Atlantic, The New Republic and The New Yorker, and has been on staff at the New York Times, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and the Philadelphia Weekly. Kia is also an author at Knopf, working on a narrative non-fiction book titled Indictment: An American Tragedy, interweaving the stories of four people who have been indelibly marked by ongoing police violence against African Americans, and who are on the front lines for justice and healing. She furthermore is the publisher of LEGACY, a news organization and community-led collective, focused on Black policy, Black power, and Black joy. |
Chris Harris Policy Director Chris Harris is a native Texan, proud husband and son, and passionate advocate working to upend our unjust status quo by dismantling systems of surveillance, punishment and exclusion and building systems of support, accountability and restoration. He currently serves as the Policy Director for the Austin Justice Coalition, as a Board member for the MOVE Texas Action fund, as Board President of Equity Action, and as a volunteer for numerous organizations and causes in Austin. Chris has contributed to winning campaigns aimed at limiting: racial disparities in the criminal legal system, police violence, criminalization of poverty, ICE detentions, pre-trial incarceration, subpar indigent defense and investment in police and prisons. |
Norris Henderson Founder & Executive Director Norris Henderson is the Founder and Executive Director of both VOTE and our sister organization, Voters Organized to Educate. Norris is a former OSI Soros Justice Fellow and has had tremendous success impacting public policy and discourse about reentry, police accountability, public defense for poor and indigent people, and reforming the notorious Orleans Parish Prison (OPP), also known as the Orleans Justice Center (OJC). In 2018, Norris served as the statewide campaign director for the Unanimous Jury Coalition, a ballot campaign that ended non-unanimous juries, and thus Jim Crow’s last stand in Louisiana. As someone who was wrongfully incarcerated for 27 years, Norris shares firsthand experience of racism and brutality of the criminal justice system with communities of color across Louisiana. He was a jailhouse lawyer, a co-founder of the Angola Special Civics Project, and a trailblazer for freeing other wrongfully convicted people prior to the inception of the Innocence Project. While incarcerated, Norris co-founded a hospice program and also drafted a successful parole reform law for Lifers. |
 Mary HooksLeadership Movement For Black Lives, Southerners On New Ground, BOLD, Freedom Community Center, CommUniversity, CopCity Vote Campaign Mary Hooks is a 41yr old, Black, lesbian, feminist, abolitionist, pan-Africanist, mother, a member of Southerners On New Ground and part of the leadership of the Movement 4 Black Lives. Mary’s commitment to Black liberation, which encompasses the liberation of LGBTQ folks, is rooted in her experiences growing up under the impacts of the War on Drugs. Her people are migrants of the Great Migration, factory workers, church folks, Black women, hustlers and addicts, dykes, studs, femmes, queens and all people fighting for the liberation of oppressed people. She has served in campaigns to stop deportations, abolish bail, defunding police, re-imagine public safety, #StopCopCity, while developing other organizers, movement and coalition building. “The mandate; to avenge the suffering of our ancestors, to earn the respect of future generations, and to be transformed in the service of the work. Let’s get free ya’ll!” - Mary Hooks |
Alison Johnson Executive Director |
 Katrina JohnsonPolicy Director Food Lifeline, BLMSKC, Washington Coalition for Police Accountability Katrina became a social justice organizer, advocate, and spokesperson for her family in June of 2017, after her first cousin Charleena Lyles was killed in her home in North Seattle after police officers responded to the location to investigate a burglary Charleena had reported. Katrina is a core member and executive director of Families are the Frontline. They provide rapid response to help families across the nation who have lost their loved ones to the police use of deadly force. Katrina works with other families who have lost loved ones to the use of deadly force in Washington state, as well as local nonprofits working to improve policy on the use of lethal force, emphasize de-escalation, reduce instances of deadly force, and improve police-community relations. Katrina gathered signatures for I-940 and supported the resolution negotiated by De-Escalate WA and law enforcement leaders that resulted in House Bill 3003, modifying I-940 after it was adopted by the legislature. Katrina has been a guest speaker in various cities and states on police reform, served as a panelist locally, nationally, and internationally on police reform and state sponsored violence. Katrina organizes events, and authored an op-ed piece for BET.com |
 Kayla KnightTechnical Assistance Project Manager Participatory Budgeting Project Kayla serves as a project manager on PBP’s technical assistance team. She is responsible for supporting the delivery of training, consulting, and capacity building services for government and schools. As a high school student, Kayla helped implement the first youth-led participatory budgeting process in Boston. Since then, Kayla has been dedicated to improving economic development in Black and Brown communities and making government more accessible to immigrants and refugees. Prior to joining PBP, she spent time at nonprofit organizations Bowdoin Geneva Main Streets and Yellow House Kuala Lumpur. Outside of work, you can find Kayla reading, hiking, and learning Spanish. |
 Sharon LavigneTechnical Assistance Project Manager Sharon Lavigne is native to St. James, Louisiana, a small country town along the Mississippi River. Growing up, Sharon lived off the land. Sharon was a Special Education teacher for 38 years in the St. James Parish school system. In 2018, Sharon founded RISE St. James, a faith-based, grassroots, nonprofit organization fighting for clean air and water as well as the eradication and expansion of petrochemical industries in St. James Parish. She hosted the first meeting in her den with approximately 10 individuals present. During this year, Sharon retired to dedicate herself full-time to the fight for environmental justice. Ms. Lavigne has adopted the mantra “To love a community is to find ways to heal the community.” In June 2021, Sharon received recognition when she was awarded the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize for her environmental activism in her community. In February 2022 Lavigne received the Mary Magdalene Award for Courageous Women of Faith from the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola, in New York City. Most recently, Lavigne received Notre Dame's 2022 Laetare Medal, the most prestigious honor given to an American Catholic layperson. Sharon is a mother of six and a grandmother of twelve, she’s blessed to have her family’s support in protecting the environment and the eradication of air, water, and land pollution in majority Black communities. |
 Mel LeblancRegional Program Coordinator Texas Rising, Texas Freedom Network Mel Leblanc has been a community organizer for 6+ years, as a first generation college student they got their degree from the University of Houston and that's where their organizing journey began. Through the years they've worked on various campaigns from electoral to issue based, and was even a high school teacher. Now, they currently work at Texas Rising as the Regional Program Coordinator where it's the perfect blend of organizing and education. At Texas Rising, they help young folks get civically engaged, whether that's doing voter registration, GOTV work, or testifying before the legislature or city council. They have a passion for getting folks civically engaged in the community! |
 Tiffany Dena LoftinSenior Campaign Lead Communication Workers of America Tiffany Dena Loftin is an award-winning international, civic, racial, and labor justice organizer. Over the last 16 years, Loftin has led the US Student Association and the NAACP Youth and College Division through three national electoral organizing campaigns. As one of the many strategists in the fight to cancel student loan debt for 40 million families, Loftin’s service has been paramount. She also developed the first comprehensive racial justice recommendations report and curriculum for the AFL-CIO's sixty affiliates. In 2015, she was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve on the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans in Higher Education. Tiffany currently serves as the Senior Campaign Lead at the Communication Workers of America assisting Delta Flight Attendants at Los Angeles and Las Vegas airports in their fight to unionize 28,000 employees. In 2021, as an organizer with the Grassroots Law Project she worked to successfully stop the execution of Julius Jones and is currently working to Free Marvin Guy. While organizing in the streets she’s also teaching the pillars of leadership, coalition building, and running campaigns at the University of California Santa Cruz and the University of Ohio, Toledo. As an advisor to United We Dream, Grassroots Law Project, Until Freedom, Sephora, and Reebok, Tiffany connects community agendas to corporate and nonprofit advocacy organizations' missions to build political power. Ms. Loftin has appeared on Oprah Winfrey Network, CNN, Good Morning America, Fox News, ABC, NBC, National Public Radio, Al Jazeera, and more. She currently lives in her hometown of Los Angeles, CA. |
 Mayah LubinSenior Coordinator Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Mayah serves as Senior Coordinator for Higher Education Access & Equity on the Educational Opportunities Project at the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. In her role, Mayah drives student and community centered initiatives building comprehensive strategies to close gaps and broaden opportunity for historically underserved communities in higher education. Prior to joining the Lawyers’ Committee, Mayah worked with The Education Trust– Massachusetts, supporting the Massachusetts Education Equity Partnership (MEEP), a collective of statewide civil rights, social justice, and education advocates working to expand opportunity. A proud Mississippi native, Mayah is a graduate of Mississippi State University where she served as the first Black female Student Body President and. She holds a Master’s degree in Urban Education Policy from Brown University. |
 Elyse Martin-SmithPolitical Action Chair Harvard Black Students Association Elyse Martin-Smith (she/her) is a junior at Harvard College studying Social Studies and African American Studies with a focus in Black Artvisim. Originally from Vermont, Elyse strives to merge arts, academics, and activism to empower diverse communities. She currently serves as the Political Action Chair of Harvard's Black Students Association and is an active member of the Association of Black Harvard Women, Phillips Brooks House Association, and the Coalition for a Diverse Harvard, among other organizations working towards social change. |
 Melody McCurtisDeputy Director Melody McCurtis is the Deputy Director & lead Organizer of Metcalfe Park Community Bridges, a resident-led organization committed to creating a thriving, liberated and robust Metcalfe Park community. Melody Mccurtis grew up in Metcalfe Park a hyper-majority Black community on Milwaukee’s Northside. She has always been committed to working with her neighbors of Metcalfe Park to create the community they deserve by way of dismantling, imagining, creating, and building at the same time. By all means of organizing, grounded in community-led power and creation, understanding that we/us are the experts of what we experience, the dreamers of our desires and the genius of our liberated future. She prioritizes and is directed by her Neighbors Community-led Reinvestment Plan. |
 Briana PaytonSenior Policy Analyst Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts Briana Payton is the Associate Director of Policy and Advocacy for the Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts. Prior to joining Appleseed, Briana was the Senior Legislative Advocacy Coordinator at the Chicago Community Bond Fund and the Policy Coordinator for the Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice. In these positions, she collaborated with organizers, impacted people, attorneys and policy experts to pass and protect of the Pretrial Fairness Act, which makes Illinois the first state in the country to end money bond. At Appleseed, Briana continues participating as a member of the Coalition to End Money Bond and Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice, and directs other initiatives that advance criminal legal system reform. Briana holds her Bachelors degree (AB) in Sociology with minors in African American Studies, American Studies, and Spanish from Princeton University. She also obtained her masters (AM) from the University of Chicago Crown School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice and participated in the Transforming Justice program of study. |
 Colette Pichon Battle, Esq.Vision & Initiatives Partner Colette Pichon Battle is an award-winning lawyer and climate justice organizer. She is a trusted voice in the climate justice and Black liberation movements, and her work focuses on creating spaces for frontline communities to gather and advance climate strategies that help us steward the water, energy, and land. A generational native of Bayou Liberty, Louisiana, she is a 2019 Obama Fellow and is the recipient of many prestigious awards, including the 2023 Heinz Award for the Environment, the 2022 Catalyst Award from Rachel’s Network, and the 2022 William O. Douglas Award. Colette is the co-founder and Vision & Initiatives Partner for Taproot Earth and is a former corporate lawyer. Internationally, Colette has gained recognition for her outstanding use of the legal and judicial process to achieve environmental goals. After 17 years of work leading the Gulf Coast Center for Law & Policy’s development of programming focused on equitable climate resilience in the Gulf South, in 2022, she expanded her vision into Taproot Earth, inspired by her learnings with GCCLP and movement partners across the South. |
 Carlos Pollard Jr.Redistricting Fellow & Volunteer/Campus Coordinator Power Coalition for Equity & Justice Carlos Pollard, Jr. is a Social Entrepreneur and a native of New Orleans. His passion runs deep for civic engagement and helping people in marginalized communities. He believes his purpose and life calling is deeply rooted in the community he knows and loves. His mission is to organize and engage Generation Z in every aspect of civic engagement and support them as they develop their own voice as change-makers. He believes in the intergenerational power and connection of “passing the torch”. He approaches each project with the quote, “Action over words, dreams over destiny, community over everything.” Carlos graduated from Dillard University with a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice. Carlos is a Juris Doctorate Candidate at Southern University Law School and will graduate in 2025 and in the second cohort of the Marshall - Motley Scholars Program (LDF). |
 Kristin PowellDeputy Director Kristin Powell is the Deputy Director of Black Futures Lab and Black to the Future Action Fund, where she leads political and organizational strategy. Kristin is a long-term freedom fighter with over 13 years of community organizing experience. Her track record demonstrates her ability to cast vision and train and develop community members and staff to organize campaigns that build power in Black communities. Before coming to Black Futures Lab in 2021 she was a local Executive Director and faith-based organizer at ICARE in Jacksonville, FL, and then a National Training Director with the Dart Center. |
 Dana RandL.M.S.W. Mitigation Specialist Dana Rand is a licensed social worker and artist with a deep commitment to creating accessible and culturally competent spaces of healing for young men of color. She is a Dominican native New Yorker and a graduate of the Columbia University School of Social Work. With a passion for addressing the unique challenges faced by Black and Latine communities, Dana’s clinical training is focused on trauma therapy for Black and Latin young men. A seasoned mitigator, Dana’s specialty is in preparing both written and video mitigation for young people facing felony charges in New York State Supreme Court. Alongside her mitigation work, Dana currently serves as an adjunct professor at Marymount Manhattan College. As a professor of social work, Dana shares her knowledge and experience with aspiring social workers, fostering the next generation of professionals dedicated to promoting equity and healing. In addition, Dana facilitates a monthly group at the Bard Prison Initiative, focusing on love, intimacy and re-entry. |
 Ashley K. SheltonFounder, President, and CEO Power Coalition for Equity & Justice Ashley K. Shelton is the Founder, President, and CEO of the Power Coalition, a statewide 501c3 table in Louisiana. The Power Coalition uses a broad-based strategy that combines community organizing, issue advocacy, and civic action all while increasing the capacity of community organizations throughout the state to sustain and hold the work. She also was the former Vice President of Programs at the Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation (LDRF), now the Foundation for Louisiana. In her role at the Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation, Ms. Shelton managed a system of integrated, value-added programs in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. In her role at LDRF, she designed, initiated and coordinated a comprehensive policy strategy, which led to a systemic, multi-pronged approach to equitable policy development on a local, state and national level. She utilized a participatory model that engaged local, state, and national partnerships to develop and nurture civic engagement throughout the state. |
 Diamond SpratlingFounder & Executive Director Diamond Spratling, MPH (she/her) is an award-winning environmental justice activist, storyteller, and public speaker. In 2019, she founded Girl Plus Environment, the national non-profit organization designed to educate, engage, and empower Black and Brown girls, women, and non-binary folx to stand up for environmental justice in their own neighborhoods. Diamond's leadership in environmental justice and beyond is driven by her own lived experiences in Detroit as well as the motivation to dismantle health, racial, and environmental inequities in other Black and Brown communities alike.The Detroit native and two-time TEDx speaker has spent years at the intersection of environment and health. Her strong dedication to the sector has earned her the William H. Sterner Memorial Award (2017), the Elmore Manufacturing Award (2018) and the Yale New Horizons in Conservation Award (2021, 2022). In addition to her work at Girl + Environment, she has helped many cities, companies, and organizations globally to adopt meaningful, equitable processes that prioritize community and protect our planet. Namely, Diamond has supported projects at Bloomberg Associates, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, City of Atlanta, Climate Advocacy Lab, Greenlink Analytics, International Society for Urban Health, among others. Subject matter expertise include: environmental justice; health equity; energy justice; nonprofit management; public speaking; spatial analysis; climate storytelling; equitable community engagement; digital media advocacy Notable speaking engagements: Earth Day at Hasbro, Columbia University, COP27, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Detroit Mayor's Council on Equity, Families USA Health Action Conference, World Resource Institute, University of Michigan, MIT Energy Conference |
 Raynique SyasExecutive Director Charleston Area Justice Ministry Raynique Syas, a native of Watts, California, and a resident of Charleston since 2016 is a dynamic and dedicated leader with a proven track record of transformative impact. With over 5 years of experience as an Associate Organizer, she has consistently demonstrated unwavering commitment to social justice and community empowerment. As the Executive Director of the Charleston Area Justice Ministry for the past year, Raynique has exhibited remarkable vision and leadership, driving positive change and advocating for justice in our local community. Her ability to bring people together and inspire collective action has been instrumental in addressing critical issues. Raynique Syas is not just a leader in her professional life but also a committed advocate for policy change. Her affiliation with the Black Futures Lab Public Policy Institute as a fellow has allowed her knowledge of shaping and influencing public policy, making her a force to be reckoned with in the realm of social justice and equity. Beyond her professional accomplishments, Raynique is a devoted mother of four and a loving grandmother. Her role as a caregiver and mentor reflects her genuine passion for nurturing the next generation and instilling values of compassion and social responsibility. Raynique's commitment to community service extends beyond her leadership roles. She actively serves as a Metanoia Board Member and a South Carolina Legal Services Board Member, where her expertise and insights are invaluable in creating positive changes in the lives of marginalized and underserved communities. Her dedication to justice and her exceptional leadership have not gone unnoticed. Raynique is a distinguished member of the 23/24 Power 50 Cohort, a recognition of her significant contributions and influence in the field of social justice and community empowerment. Raynique Syas is an unwavering advocate, a passionate leader, a loving mother and grandmother, and a catalyst for change. Her work and commitment continue to inspire and make a profound impact, creating a more equitable and just world for all. |
 Germain ThompsonFounder & Community Liaison Take It To The Court Foundation Germain is the founder of Take It To The Court Foundation (TITTCF). TITTC is a non-profit organization designed to bring awareness to the violence that takes place in black and brown communities. In 2014, Germain began organizing basketball tournaments for young adults nationally. These tournaments helped bring the community together and bring awareness to the violence in the community he serves. He has an extensive background working in the community as a community organizer for the Legal Aid Society. During his time with LAS he built relationships within the community and a host of grassroots organizations. On December 16, 2022, the Court appointed Germain Thompson to serve in the newly-created role of independent Community Liaison. The Community Liaison’s full-time focus is to engage the community by offering the public, particularly members most impacted by stop, question, and frisk policing and trespass enforcement, more opportunities to be heard and to provide input into the reform process. |
 Austin ThompsonFounder & CEO Austin Thompson is the leader of Community Dynamix and operates at the intersection of racial equity, technology, economic development, and community empowerment. With an impressive track record, he spearheads a groundbreaking campaign to leverage $42B in federal funding for high-speed internet to build lasting civic infrastructure in the Black Belt South. Austin's impact extends globally, having played a pivotal role in SpaceX's Starlink initiative, delivering satellite internet kits to unconnected children worldwide. Austin cut his teeth as a community and labor organizer. As Deputy to the Secretary-Treasurer at the Service Employees International Union, he provided invaluable thought leadership in a complex political landscape. He was a significant force in the Union's support of the Movement for Black Lives. Austin's administration as the Executive Director of the Youth Engagement Fund resulted in a movement to center youth and emerging leaders of color in the fight for a multiracial democracy. He serves on several boards and provides organizing training to global leaders, including, most recently, Salvador Bahia, Brazil. |
 LaTisha N. VaughnFounding Partner & Chief Programs Officer LaTisha Vaughn is an education revolutionary, who has exhibited innovation at the classroom level, as a principal and as a District-level over her twenty-five-year career. As the Founding Partner and Chief Programs Officer for E3 Foundation, LaTisha leads the Advocacy, Co-Creation, and Workforce programmatic areas for the organization with a foundational grounding in listening to and acting on the voices of those most impacted by the systemic issues facing marginalized communities. Passionate about serving her community, LaTisha has also served on several non-profit boards, including her current service on the board of directors for Teach for America, South Carolina and the Ghana Education Collaborative. Vaughn resides in North Charleston, South Carolina with her two vivacious daughters. She enjoys traveling to exotic locales, spending time at the beach, and reading a great book. |
 Neil VolzDeputy Director Florida Rights Restoration Coalition Neil Volz has more than 25 years of experience working as a public servant and community advocate. He is currently the Deputy Director of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition (FRRC). His previous work includes being the Chief of Staff for a Member of Congress and the Staff Director for a full Congressional Committee. Volz’s work also includes directing the Community Outreach efforts for one of the fastest-growing Churches in the country and working as the Program Director for a leading Non-Profit Organization that serves formerly homeless veterans. Additionally, his career includes working as an entrepreneur, leading numerous social and media campaigns, and successfully representing clients at two top 100 law firms. |
 Alonzo Waheed Sr.Organizing Director Alonzo Lee Waheed Sr is the leader for Equity And Transformation which is organizing to create change and justice for men and women within the incarcerated community. EAT works to help raise the standards of men by incorporating restorative justice practices such as peace circles along with providing skill sets such as learning how to center one's self, communicate effectively, and re-establishing yourself after incarceration. Alonzo understands the unique collaborative responsibilities by which all organizations must abide. As the Organizing Director for Equity and Transformation, Alonzo's experience not only includes organizing individuals and communities but also training participants in relative campaigns that advocate for social and economic justice. Alonzo studied accounting at Taylor Business Institute. He is invested in showing individuals the value of an education and making sure that they can make it over hurdles to have the skills that they need. His training includes Restorative Justice training through Nehemiah Trinity Rising, Cognitive Behavior Training, and over 10 years of mentoring directly impacted individuals. |
 Vincent WarrenExecutive Director Center for Constitutional Rights Vincent Warren is a leading expert on racial injustice and discriminatory policing and is the executive director of the Center for Constitutional Rights. He oversees CCR's groundbreaking litigation and advocacy work, using international and domestic law to challenge human rights abuses, including racial, gender and LGBT injustice. Under his leadership, CCR successfully challenged the NYPD’s Stop-and-Frisk policy and profiling of Muslims, ended long-term solitary confinement in California’s Pelican Bay Prison and the torture of prisoners in Abu Ghraib prison. CCR is currently challenging the abuse of migrants at the US southern border, the Muslim Ban and the criminalization of transgender people, as well as providing legal and policy support to Black, Brown and Native organizers across the country.Vince was previously a Senior Staff Attorney at the ACLU. He is a graduate of Haverford College and Rutgers School of Law and currently holds the W. Haywood Burns Chair in Human and Civil Rights at CUNY Law School. |
 Nique WilliamsSolidarity Coordinator Nique was born and raised in North Carolina and currently resides in Raleigh, NC. She is a dedicated and passionate individual, devoting her time to elevating the voices within her community, spreading love, and building collective power to bring about transformative change in her city. Her commitment to liberation is evident in her legal advocacy work and grassroots organizing. As an attorney, Nique represents veterans and their families to help them thrive and organize against oppressive structures. In her capacity as an organizer, Nique works with Refund Raleigh to address critical issues, from police violence and economic exploitation to community safety and the city budget process. The team's ability to build power among Black working-class communities has been instrumental in building bridges with city leaders, fostering relationships with community members, and creating coalitions enabling the community to speak with a unified voice. Organizing in her city is an enduring source of inspiration for Nique, a reminder that revolutionary change is possible when we come together. |
 Tari Williams |
 Keli Young Civil Rights Campaign Coordinator Keli Young (she/her) is a Black Christian lawyer, community organizer, and Brooklyn native working towards Black liberation. After graduating from NYU Law, she worked in local and national criminal justice policy for 5 years. Most recently, she was the Civil Rights Campaign Coordinator at VOCAL-NY. Keli is committed to living out her faith and advocating for actual justice. |