From her early beginnings as a member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), Amina Claudine Myers has gained acclaim as a skilled composer for voice and instruments, often displaying her gospel influences. Her move to New York City in the 1970s led her to prioritize her compositional work and to take on theatrical production projects.
Former Chief Diversity and Equity Officer, Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department of Labor
Lucinda Roy is an award-winning novelist, poet and memoirist, and a lifelong advocate for diversity and inclusion.
Andrea Davis Pinkney is the award-winning author of nearly 50 books for young readers, among them “The Red Pencil” and “A Poem for Peter,” as well as several collaborations with her husband, Brian Pinkney, including “Martin Rising: Requiem for a King,” “Sit-In” and “Hand in Hand,” which received the Coretta Scott King Book Award.
Aminatta Forna is the author of the novels “Ancestor Stones,” “The Memory of Love” and “The Hired Man,” as well as the memoir “The Devil That Danced on the Water.” Her books have been translated into more than 20 languages.
Alaya Dawn Johnson is an award-winning author of speculative fiction for young adults and adults.
Alexis Pauline Gumbs is the author of several works of poetry as well as “Undrowned: Black Feminist Lessons from Marine Animals” and “Survival Is a Promise: The Eternal Life of Audre Lorde.”
One of the Little Rock Nine children who de-segregated their Arkansas schools and author of A Mighty Long Way: My Journey to Justice at Little Rock Central High School
One of the Little Rock Nine children who de-segregated their Arkansas schools, she later founded and served as the Editor-in-Chief for Computers in Industry, an international journal of computer science and engineering.
One of the Little Rock Nine children who de-segregated their Arkansas schools, she later served in Clinton Administration as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Workforce Diversity in the Department of the Interior.