BRYAN STEVENSON, 62, is the founder and Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative, a human rights organization in Montgomery, Alabama. His anthem is “Climbing Higher Mountains” by Aretha Franklin.

ERIKA ANDIOLA, 35, is an immigration rights activist located in metropolitan Phoenix. Her anthem is “Latinoamerica” by Residente.

AMIRAH AHMED,18, co-founded Fredericksburg Muslim Youth in 2020 while a high school student in VA. She is also digital producer for the Muslim women-centered media company, Muslim Girl. Her anthem has been “Superwoman” by Alicia Keys, but she now finds strength in “Barbarian” by Mona Haydar.

ZEV SHAPIRO, 20 is the founder and executive director of Cambridge, MA-based, TurnUp, a non-profit organization and mobile app focused on increasing youth voter turnout and activism. His anthem: Bach Cello Suites.

ASHLEY M. JONES,  32, is Poet Laureate of the state of Alabama, the first African American to hold that position. Her anthems are a tie between "Black Superhero" by Robert Glasper featuring BJ the Chicago Kid, Killer Mike, and Big K.R.I.T. and "Love's in Need of Love Today" by Stevie Wonder.

TRAM NGUYEN 41 is the co-founder and co-director of  New Virginia Majority, a Richmond, VA-based non-profit that builds the power of marginalized communities. Her anthem is Tracy Chapman’s entire self-titled album.

DOUG GLANVILLE, 52, is a Connecticut-based former major league baseball player and current author, broadcaster, and adjunct professor. His anthem is “A Change is Gonna Come” by Sam Cooke.

CAROLYN CONSIDINE, 18, co-founded two initiatives in Lafayette, CA, that further the cause of social justice: Justice Murals and Meaningful Teens. Her anthem is “Imagine” by John Lennon.

ERYNN CHAMBERS, 30, is an educator and popular social media creator from Kings Mountain, NC, living now in Smyrna, GA.

ANTHONY TAMEZ-POCHEL, 23, is a Neighborhood Services Coordinator with the City of Chicago, a member of the Chi-Nations Youth Council, and Chairman of the Youth Advisory Board of the Center for Native American Youth. His anthem is “SUPERBLOOM” by Misterwives. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tv3gjE3zIIs

VISHAVJIT SINGH, 51, is a TEDx speaker, cartoonist, writer, performance artist, DEI advocate, and the creator of Sikhtoons.com based in New York City. His anthem is “Mori Araj Suno” (Listen to my Appeal), a poem by famed Urdu poet Fiaz Ahmad Fiaz as sung by Atif Aslam in the movie “The Reluctant Fundamentalist.”

BEN SHORE, 22. AND DEONTE HANNAH, 23, are Co-founders and Directors of the Cherry Hills, New Jersey-based Rise Against Hate.

SEBASTIAN HIDALGO, 27, is an independent visual journalist, teaching artist, writer, and National Geographic Explorer based in Chicago.

CHOKWE ANTAR LUMUMBA, 38, is the Mayor of Jackson, MS. His anthem is “Redemption Song,” by Bob Marley.

EBONY LUMUMBA, 38, is Associate Professor, Chair Dept. of English, Foreign Languages, and Speech Communication, Jackson State University. Her anthem is “Redemption Song,” by Bob Marley.

CHRISTIAN PICCIOLINI, 49, is a former Neo-Nazi extremist turned anti-hate activist. Based in Chicago, he is also an author, speaker, and podcaster. His anthem is “Redemption Song,” by Bob Marley.

EDWIDGE DANTICAT, 53,  is the award winning author of several books—novels, memoir, and collections--for adults, young adults and children.

BRIAN JON, 20, is the founder of the New Jersey-based Asian American Youth Council. His anthem is “Mic Drop” by BTS (Steve Aoki remix).

BRYAN LEE Jr., 39, is Founder/Director of Colloqate Design ,a New Orleans-based nonprofit architecture + urban design practice. His anthems are “Coming of Age” by Jay-Z and “Victory” by Diddy/Biggie/Busta Rhymes.

PRANJAL JAIN, 20, is the founder of Global Girlhood Network, a primarily GenZ, women-led community that inspires storytelling and fosters intercultural dialogue. Her anthem is “Chale Chalo” by A.R. Rahman and Srinivas.

JACQUELINE DE LEÓN, 39, is a Staff Attorney specializing in voting rights at the Boulder, CO-based Native American Rights Fund. Her anthem is “Turntables” by Janelle Monáe.

RENEE MONTGOMERY, 35, is a former WNBA All Star and champion who is currently  the Co-owner/Vice President of the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream.

LETICIA HERNÁNDEZ-LINARES, 50, is a bilingual, interdisciplinary writer, artist, and racial justice educator. Her anthem is “Talkin’ ‘Bout a Revolution” by Tracy Chapman.

CHEICK CAMARA,21 and ERMIAS TADESSE 22. co-founded BlackGen Capital, Inc., a 100 percent minority owned  investment fund in 2019, while they were undergraduates at Cornell University. Cheick’s anthem is “Essence” by WizKid. Ermias’s anthem is “Biking” by Frank Ocean.

RABBI JILL JACOBS, 46, is CEO at New York City-based T'ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights.

DAZMONIQUE CARR, 27, is a food educator, food grower, founder of Deeply Rooted Produce, Detroit's First Zero Waste mobile grocery store. She is also co-owner of Detroit's first farm to table corner store. Her anthem is “We Are Growing,” by Margaret Singana.

DAVID MATA, 33, is a medical student in Chicago who plans to practice community medicine in low-resourced areas upon graduation. Among his anthems is “Underdog” by Alicia Keys.

KEITH WHITE, 46, is a legal expert and community advocate who co-founded the not- for- profit community organization, Brooklyn Combine, His anthem is “Baltimore” by Nina Simone.

MELISSA “MISSY” JONES, 52, is a Mississippi historian whose focus is African American History. She is particularly interested in Reconstruction and in historical memory.   Her anthems are “Use My Voice” by Evanescence and “Go” by The Indigo Girls.

KAHLIL GREENE, 22, was the first Black Student Body President at Yale and is now a Gen-Z Inclusion Expert, with over 15 million views on Tiktok. His anthem is “Save the Day” by Mariah Carey,

JULIAN D. MILLER, 36, is a Mississippi-based lawyer, law professor, and community organizer who co-founded the Reuben V. Anderson Center for Justice. His anthem is “Optimistic” by Sounds of Blackness.

CLARISSA MARTINEZ De CASTRO, 55 is Deputy Vice President for Policy and Advocacy at Washington, D.C.-based UnidosUS, the nation’s largest Latino civil rights and advocacy organization. Her anthem is “Workin’ Together,” by Tina Turner.

BRANDY COLBERT, 43, is an award-winning author of several books for children with themes related to social justice. Her anthem is “Alright” by Kendrick Lamar.

NADA AL-HANOOTI, 31, is a community organizer who is currently the Executive Director for the Michigan chapter of Emgage, an organization whose mission is to provide Muslim American communities with the framework and resources necessary to be politically engaged in America. Her anthem is “Dammi Falastini” by Mohammed Assaf.

MICHAEL STRAUTMANIS, 53, is Executive Vice President for External Affairs, The Barack Obama Foundation, in Chicago. He was formerly a White House  counselor to President Obama for Strategic Engagement; and Chief of Staff to White House Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett. His anthem is “What’s Going On” by Marvin Gaye.

DON KATZ, 70, is the founder and executive chairman of Audible, Inc., the leading creator and provider of premium audio storytelling. Prior to starting the company in 1995, Katz was a globetrotting, award-winning journalist and author. His anthem is “For What It’s Worth” by Buffalo Springfield.

I came from a faith tradition that reinforced this idea that we are all more than the worst thing we've ever done. I had never doubted that if someone tells a lie, they're not just a liar. If someone takes something, they're not just a thief. I think even if you kill someone, you're not just a killer. That belief made the prospect that these people I met would be executed completely unacceptable.

Bryan Stevenson

I remember staying up the night of the 2016 presidential election.  It was a pivotal moment. I was twelve, in eighth grade.   I didn't understand everything that was going on, but I did know the result held so much emotion and consequence, particularly for Muslim Americans like our family. I remember the results coming in and just sitting in the bathroom, sobbing.

Amirah Ahmed

Every election cycle I hear some of the same old, tired and incorrect statements about the Latino community, calling us “a sleeping giant” or “apathetic.” Something is getting lost in translation –a good example of why cultural competence, real understanding, matters. A community that works this hard, that has a higher labor participation rate than any other group, that believes in family and country, is not “apathetic.” It's “unconvinced.”

Clarissa Martinez De Castro

Philanthropy is too often giving away money by people who have earned returns through intensive and creative use of inputs and measurable outputs, and they don’t apply rigor to their giving….We understand that you have to make distributable wealth in the more marginalized locations; it's not a trickle-down process. You have to do it programmatically. 

Don Katz

I remember very vividly being in first grade and my classmates debating in front of me whether I was Black or whether I was white, because nobody in the suburbs of Richmond looked like me. I remember asking a lot of my teachers and the adults around me, “What does this all mean?” And the response that I kept getting was, as I’ve said: “Don't worry about it. Keep your head down. Get good grades and, and you'll be fine.”

Tram Nguyen

At the protest, Native youth were able to speak. It was my first time speaking in front of a huge crowd. I recall thinking, Holy crap, this place is packed! I was worried beforehand, but I remember that once up there simply feeling so passionate about what I was saying and hearing people applaud. Wow. They were interested in what a small brown boy had to say! It gave me the sense that what I say matters.

Anthony Tamez-Pochel

You are not going to be able to figure out the right model that works right away. But the more you do it, the closer you are to accomplishing whatever you want and serving your community.  I think what stops a lot of people is the belief that they don't have what it takes or they don't have the network.  But once you start, things will sort of just fall into place or you'll navigate and figure out what works best for you and what doesn't.

Pranjal Jain

In the end I saw that the best way for me to make a difference was through politics and government.… I saw that Barack and others were being successful in driving a different dialogue and talking about different issues and then getting elected and having the ability to put their agendas in place. 

Michael Strautmanis

We have to commit to be in this fight for the long run, which also means that we can't burn ourselves out along the way.  Having a connection to a spiritual community is helpful because that's part of what gives us the resilience to be able to keep going for the long term. Having a spiritual practice including Shabbat can help build this resiliency. This forces us to take one day when we're not trying to change the world around us; one day when we're saying, “Actually I can't do everything.”

Rabbi Jill Jacobs

It was a diverse group banding together. It wasn’t only Black people. It was Black and brown people. There were white people in the protest. It was a whole melting pot. And I thought, Wow, this is beautiful. I wish people would band together for more causes more times. And to me, that was the shift. I wanted to add my moment to the momentum.

Renee Montgomery