Category: Racial Justice

Celia Benvenutti

Celia Benvenutti is an Afro-Latina dance artist, native Detroiter, and Howard University alumna.

https://www.steinway.com/artists/adegoke-steve-colson

Steinway Artist, ADEGOKE STEVE COLSON is a Grammy® nominated pianist and composer – a native of East Orange, NJ – who has performed internationally as a leader of jazz ensembles ranging from trios to orchestras. His work has been recorded on labels that include Columbia/Sony, Evidence, and Black Saint. His Solo Piano recording Tones For, reflecting on the lives and work of Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth and Frederick Douglass, was his most recent release on his label, Silver Sphinx.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/266520730/njoki-mcelroy

Born Hilda Nadine Hampton, she was the daughter of J.D. Hampton and Mrs. Marion (Washington) Hampton.

“A Special Gift: Dallas Playwright Njoki McElroy Remembered For Her Commitment To Racial Awareness —

Marian McElroy says her mother had a special gift. “Her ability to tell stories and to verbalize,” she says. Over 50 years, Njoki McElroy, who died last year in October, wrote 15 plays, two books and a plethora of short stories. She directed and produced performances throughout the United States, Africa, Canada, and the Caribbean.

https://pulitzercenter.org/people/brandon-nichols

Dr. Brandon Nichols serves as the Vice President of Academic Affairs at Olive-Harvey College, one of the City Colleges of Chicago. He describes himself as being a mission-driven, students-first educator through civic engagement. The Illinois native resides from the southeast side of Chicago.

https://www.npr.org/2024/09/19/nx-s1-5114356/jazz-night-in-america-george-benson

Few musicians have seen the success that guitarist, vocalist and cultural icon George Benson has: platinum records, a record of the year Grammy, four Top 10 hits.

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

George Washington Benson (born March 22, 1943)^[3] is an American jazz fusion guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He began his professional career at the age of 19 as a jazz guitarist.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/contributors/onnie-rogers-phd

Onnie Rogers, Ph.D., is an associate professor of psychology and human development and director of the Development of Identities in Cultural Environments (DICE) lab at Northwestern University. The DICE Lab conducts research that centers on the perspectives and experiences of racially and ethnically diverse young people. As a developmental psychologist and identity scholar, she is interested in social and educational inequities and the mechanisms through which macro-level disparities are both perpetuated and disrupted at the micro-level of identities and relationships.

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

Daniel Richard “Boo” Buie (born December 7, 1999) is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Northwestern Wildcats of the Big Ten Conference.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felicia_D._Henderson

Felicia D. Henderson (born April 18, 1961) is an American television producer, screenwriter, comic books writer and a director of music videos and television episodes. She has worked on Moesha, Sister, Sister, Soul Food, and Fringe, also played in a movie with Whitney Houston.

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

William Fitzgerald Harper (born February 8, 1980), known professionally as William Jackson Harper, is an American actor and playwright. He gained acclaim for his role as Chidi Anagonye in the NBC comedy series The Good Place (2016–2020), for which he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.^[1][2

https://www.roundabouttheatre.org/get-tickets/upstage-guides-current/primary-trust-upstage-playgoers-guide/interview-with-william-jackson-harper

Teaching Artist Leah Reddy spoke with William Jackson Harper about his work in Primary Trust.

https://www.melissafostervoice.com/home

Melissa Foster is a Charles Deering McCormick Distinguished Professor of Instruction in the Department of Theatre at Northwestern University, and is the proud recipient of the 2021 Galbut Outstanding Faculty Award.