Category: Black Excellence

Gary Holness

Associate Professor of Computer Science, Clark University

Gary gets an absolute thrill from building things; that is bringing ideas, theories, and algorithms to life! He focuses on the investigation, design, and algorithmic realization of models that endow computing machines and systems with the ability to sense, interpret and act upon the content of their environment. His work ranges from theoretical to applied including the development of new mathematical models, algorithms for pattern recognition, computational approaches and architectures in support of intelligent systems, prototype systems, and experiments.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shari_Dunn

Shari Dunn (born 1968) is an American non-profit executive, journalist, and writer. She is the author of Qualified: How Competency Checking and Race Collide at Work (2025), and is known for her work in workplace equity, media, and public policy.^[1][2]

STOMPing Back to Worcester

Daysha Williams ’17 keeps the beat onstage on national tour

Daysha Williams ’17 arrived in Worcester in February with a Nor’easter in the forecast and a table at Da-Lat awaiting her. It was like coming home. 

Williams was back in the city with the touring company of STOMP, an inventive and explosive stage show in which the performers bang everyday items—from trash can covers to broomsticks to grocery carts—to create a percussive theatrical experience of music and movement.

“I drum on everything but a drum,” she says. “By the end of the show, you’re dripping with sweat. You leave everything on the stage.”

https://canvasrebel.com/meet-cameron-mccloud

We were lucky to catch up with Cameron McCloud recently and have shared our conversation below.

Cameron, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Day to day the world can seem like a tough place, but there’s also so much kindness in the world and we think talking about that kindness helps spread it and make the world a nicer, kinder place. Can you share a story of a time when someone did something really kind for you?

Putting together my first book should have been the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, and it would have been if not for all the people I had helping me.

https://www.npr.org/2026/05/28/g-s1-121470/cure-for-paranoia-tiny-desk-concert

Cure For Paranoia wants you to believe in yourself. Perseverance, plus a whole lot of talent, is what got the Dallas hip-hop collective to our space after submitting to the Tiny Desk Contest four years in a row.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floetry

Floetry is an English music duo formed in 1997 by singer Marsha Ambrosius (“the Songstress”) and spoken-word poet Natalie Stewart (“the Floacist”). They are known for their diverse musical and performance style referred to as “poetic delivery with musical intent”.^[1][2][3]

https://www.npr.org/2026/06/02/g-s1-123334/floetry-tiny-desk-concert

Floetry made its way “from London’s SE5 to Philly’s west side just to bring the vibe” to the Tiny Desk. And with the poetic flows of Natalie Stewart (aka The Floacist) and a rich, floating soprano from Marsha Ambrosius (aka The Songstress), the vibe in our space was immaculate.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frantzdy_Pierrot

Frantzdy Pierrot (born 29 March 1995) is a Haitian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Süper Lig club Çaykur Rizespor, on loan from AEK Athens, and the Haiti national team.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherrilyn_Ifill

Sherrilyn Ifill (born December 17, 1962) is an American attorney and the Vernon E. Jordan, Jr., Esq. Endowed Chair in Civil Rights (Vernon E. Jordan) at Howard University. She is a law professor and the former president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.^[1] She was the seventh president of the Legal Defense Fund, an organization that Thurgood Marshall founded in 1940. Ifill is a nationally recognized expert on voting rights and judicial selection.^[2] In 2021, Time named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world on its annual Time 100 list. In 2025, she was elected to the American Philosophical Society.^[3]

Clark student’s nonprofit has plenty of sole

Jordan Adeyemi ’28 has been working for the last four years to channel his love of soccer into community service by co-founding and operating a nonprofit that donates new and gently used sports shoes to underserved youth.

Adeyemi and his 14-year-old brother Jason launched The Shoeless Ones in 2020 to deliver shoes to young people in the Atlanta area, where they grew up. The brothers made special donations of shoes to youth in the United Kingdom and in Nigeria in 2021, and Adeyemi hopes to have a more global reach in the future.

https://newplayexchange.org/users/28248/aaron-mays

Playwright and director Aaron Mays is an award-winning theatre artist based in Chicago. His latest play BLACK SANTA was one of four finalists to receive its world premiere at the 2024 Obsidian Theatre Festival. The play’s Southeast premiere took place at Miami’s Adrienne Arsht Performing Arts Center and City Theatre in December 2024.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ophelia_DeVore

Ophelia DeVore (August 12, 1921 – February 28, 2014) was an American businesswoman, publisher, and model.^[1] She was the first model of African-American descent in the United States. In 1946, she helped establish the Grace Del Marco Agency, one of the first modeling agencies in America.^[2]