Named to Ebony Magazine’s “Power 100” of influential Black Americans and JetMagazine’s 40 under 40, Atima Omara is a multiple award-winning political andadvocacy strategist, leader, advocate, and author of The Instigators: How BlackWomen Are Essential to Democracy, and What We Can Learn from Them. She hasdedicated nearly two decades to engaging youth, women, and people of color in

the political processes, focusing on electoral politics and advocacy within theprogressive movement.As Founder & Chief Strategist of Omara Strategy Group, she partners withprogressive candidates and organizations nationwide, bringing a diversebackground working for a Governor, members of Congress, and variousDemocratic candidates at the federal, state, and local level, including forprogressive causes such as reproductive rights and justice, labor unions,disability rights, and criminal justice reform. Atima is a sought-aftercommentator on national politics, candidates, policy, race, gender, and culture.She has been quoted in national outlets, including The New York Times, BostonGlobe, and The Atlantic; written for the Washington Post, the American Prospect,The Nation, The Root, Teen Vogue, and other national outlets, and has appearedon CNN, PBS, Fox News, BBC, CBC, NPR, and MSNBC, including Joy Reid’s TheReidOut.Omara began writing The Instigators in late 2021, driven by a deep-seatedfrustration with the status quo in politics and a desire to prompt thought andaction on the most pressing issues of our time, to build a more inclusivedemocracy. This is her first book. Learn more about Atima and her advocacywork here.

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One of the nation's most prominent scholars, Dr. Eddie S. Glaude Jr., is aneducator, author, political commentator, and public intellectual who examines thecomplex dynamics of the American experience. His writings, includingDemocracy in Black: How Race Still Enslaves the American Soul, In a Shade of Blue:Pragmatism and the Politics of Black America, and his New York Times bestseller,Begin Again: James Baldwin's America and Its Urgent Lessons for our Own, take anexhaustive look at Black communities, the difficulties of race in the United States,and the challenges we face as a democracy. His latest book, We Are The LeadersWe Have Been Looking For is a radical and passionate call for everyday people to take responsibility for saving democracy. Glaude is the James S. McDonnellDistinguished University Professor in African American Studies at PrincetonUniversity. He is also on the Morehouse College Board of Trustees. He frequentlyappears in the media as an MSNBC contributor on programs like Morning Joe andDeadline Whitehouse with Nicolle Wallace. Glaude is a native of Moss Point,Mississippi.

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Mary Chatman is a visionary servant leader and proud purveyor of Black Love stories. She is the Owner, CEO, Editor-in-Chief, and Publisher of Black Bride Magazine and Black Bride, the iconic multicultural bridal and lifestyle brand celebrating couples of color since 1998.

After a successful corporate career at AT&T, Mary retired early to pursue an entrepreneurial journey rooted in purpose, love, and legacy. What began as contributing stories about love and marriage ultimately led to her acquiring Black Bride and expanding its mission of representation.

Under her leadership, Black Bride has grown into a powerful platform celebrating Black love, marriage, culture, family, and life before and after the aisle, while elevating the wedding professionals who help couples bring their visions to life.

Through publishing, storytelling, signature events—including the Black Bride Luxury Bridal Show and Black Bride Awards Gala—and major brand collaborations, Mary continues to build a legacy centered on faith, representation, and preserving Black Love stories for generations to come.

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Harriette Cole sits down with Marc Howland, Co-Founder and CEO of Breadless, the Detroit-born fast-casual brand reimagining the sandwich by replacing bread with nutrient-rich leafy greens. Howland shares his unconventional journey from Brown University and Harvard Business School to Goldman Sachs and The Carlyle Group—and ultimately working behind the counter at a sandwich shop to learn the restaurant business from the ground up. He discusses building Breadless alongside his co-founders, the company’s commitment to wellness and community, and its evolution from Detroit gym pop-ups into a growing brand with locations across Metro Detroit and major venues including Comerica Park. With national franchising on the horizon, Howland shares his vision for “Fuel Your Next” and building a Black-owned, mission-driven company that is changing the conversation around fast food, health, and accessibility.

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Ashton Lattimore is an award-winning author, journalist, and former lawyer. Herdebut novel, ALL WE WERE PROMISED, was a Book of the Month Club pick,a Washington Post and NPR Best Book of 2024, and one of PEOPLE Magazine'sBest New Books for April 2024. The book also received the First Novelist Awardfrom the Black Caucus of the American Library Association.By day, Ashton is the executive editor of The Preamble, and chair of the board ofdirectors of nonprofit news outlet Prism. Her nonfiction writing has appearedin The Washington Post, Slate, CNN, Essence, and elsewhere. Ashton is an alumnaof Harvard College, Columbia Journalism School, and Harvard Law School, whereshe was an editor of the Harvard Law Review. She is also a proud member ofAlpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.

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Sanford Biggers’ work is an interplay of narrative, perspective, and history that speaks to current happenings while examining the contexts that bore them. His diverse practice positions him as a collaborator with the past through explorations of often-overlooked aesthetic, cultural, historical, and political narratives through his use of antique quilts and textiles, classical sculptures from around the world, sonic interventions, performances, and video. Biggers describes his process as “conceptual patchworking,” a method of transposing, combining, and juxtaposing ideas, forms, and genres that challenge traditional historiography, provenance, and official narratives to create artworks for a future ethnography.

Biggers’ work has been exhibited internationally and nationally in prestigious institutions, including Tate Britain, Tate Modern, Centre Pompidou-Metz, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Studio Museum in Harlem, Whitney Museum of American Art, Hammer Museum, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, California African American Museum, Orange County Museum of Art, and Bronx Museum of Art. His work is held in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Studio Museum in Harlem, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and Brooklyn Museum, among others.

He is the recipient of numerous awards and honors throughout his career, including the 2026 Gordon Parks Foundation Fellowship, Bronx Museum of Art’s Art + Social Justice Award, Smithsonian Artist Research Fellowship, Morehouse College’s Bennie Trailblazer Award, the Guggenheim Fellowship, the 26th Heinz Award for the Arts, the American Academy of Arts and Letters Award, the 2017 Rome Prize in Visual Arts by the American Academy in Rome, and the deFINE Art Award from Savannah College of Art & Design.

He was inducted into the New York Foundation for the Arts Hall of Fame and as a National Academician by the National Academy of Design. In addition, he was the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 2021–2022 Visiting Professor and Scholar in the MIT Department of Architecture and served as an Associate Professor of Sculpture and New Genres of Visual Arts at Columbia University from 2009 through 2018.

Biggers is the creative director and keyboardist of the conceptual performance collective Moonmedicin and a recent GRAMMY recipient for his contribution to Meshell Ndegeocello’s The Omnichord Real Book, which received the 2024 Best Alternative Jazz Album award.

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Alana Raquel Bowers is an actor, performer, producer, and creative artist from Baltimore, Maryland. A graduate of the Baltimore School for the Arts, she earned her BFA in Drama from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, where she also studied Sociology and Africana Studies.

Her work spans Broadway, Off-Broadway, television, and film. She made her Broadway debut in Chicken & Biscuits and has appeared in acclaimed productions including Bernarda's Daughters, What to Send Up When It Goes Down, cullud wattah, and The Miser.

On screen, Alana has been featured in Dr. Death (Peacock), FBI: Most Wanted (CBS), Fantasy Life, What Doesn't Float, After Class, and other film and television projects. In addition to acting, she has worked as a producer, including serving as an associate producer for The Black Wolfe Tone at Irish Repertory Theatre.

Known for her passion for storytelling and creating work that sparks meaningful conversations, Alana continues to build a multifaceted career as an artist dedicated to authentic, impactful performances across stage and screen.

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Audrey Lavinia Smaltz was born and raised in Harlem and began her career asa model and salesperson at Bloomingdale’s before moving to Lane BryantClothing and Ebony Fashion Fair as a commentator and fashion editor. In 1977,Smaltz established Ground Crew, a backstage management group staffing fashionshows for Vera Wang, Giorgio Armani, Betsey Johnson, Oscar de la Renta, BillBlass, Alice Roi, Michael Kors, Luca Luca, Nanette Lepore, Tommy Hilfiger,Kenneth Cole, and Ralph Rucci. Smaltz has also worked with corporations likeNike, Vogue, Saks Fifth Avenue, Macy’s, and J. Crew. She lives in Delaware.

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Dr. Donna Oriowo (pronounced Oreo-Whoa!) is a first-generation, first-born Nigerian American therapist, internationally recognized keynote speaker, award-winning DEI advocate, and two-time published author whose work sits at the intersection of Black mental health, self-esteem, sexuality, and racial justice.

With a Ph.D. in Human Sexuality, licensure as a Clinical Social Worker (LICSW), and certification as a Sex Therapist (CST), Dr. Donna combines clinical expertise, academic rigor, and cultural insight to help individuals and organizations cultivate healing, confidence, and authentic connection. Whether speaking to corporate audiences, facilitating community healing spaces, or working one-on-one with clients, she is known for her engaging style that blends humor, honesty, and practical strategies people can immediately apply to their lives.

Dr. Donna is the founder and owner of AnnodRight, a private practice in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area that specializes in supporting Black women as they navigate the effects of colorism, texturism, and systemic oppression on their mental health, sexual well-being, and self-esteem. Her mission is to help Black women feel Free, Fabulous, and F*cked!—embracing wholeness, joy, and unapologetic self-worth.

She is the author of Drink Water & Mind Your Business: A Black Woman's Guide to Unlearning the BS and Healing Self-Esteem (Sourcebooks, 2025) and Cocoa Butter & Hair Grease: A Self-Love Journey Through Hair and Skin (2019), both of which explore the transformative power of self-love, healing, identity, and resilience.

Beyond her clinical practice and writing, Dr. Donna has served as Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Co-Chair and Communications Steering Committee Chair for the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT) and is an active member of the Women of Color Sexual Health Network (WOCSHN). Her leadership continues to influence conversations around equity, sexual health, and culturally responsive mental health care.

When she's not speaking, writing, or counseling, Dr. Donna enjoys collecting inspiring quotes, eating donuts, loving all things pasta, traveling to learn about different cultures, offering COVID-safe handshakes, warm hugs, and the occasional figurative "knock on the head" when encouragement requires a little tough love.

Follow Dr. Donna on social media @DrDonnaOriowo or learn more at DonnaOriowo.com.

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Who's that girl.......A singer/songwriter and native of Greensboro, NC, Shelby J. has been described as “a lil’ bit of Mavis Staples with James Brown ENERGY, and a lil’ Carole King on the side.”

With her decade as a part of Prince’s band, The New Power Generation (NPG), Shelby also performed in the rain with Prince for the Super Bowl LXI Halftime Show in Miami. She is widely known as the “bald beauty,” powerhouse vocalist with an unforgettable smile.

Shelby has appeared on The Tonight Show, Entertainment Tonight, CBS’ 60 Minutes, Access Hollywood, and Good Morning America on ABC, and has been featured in People, Rolling Stone, and Billboard magazines.

She is a featured vocalist and co-writer with Prince for the song “Same Page, Different Book” from the Welcome 2 America album. She has toured with Anthony Hamilton, D’Angelo, Santana, and Mary J. Blige.

She performed with D’Angelo at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles for Dave Chappelle and Friends on Netflix. Shelby was the headlining act in Houston for “Prince Day Houston” and was a headlining performer at Paisley Park for “Celebration 2023,” which honored the life and legacy of Prince in Minneapolis.

Shelby has performed the National Anthem for The Golden State Warriors, Charlotte Hornets, and The Chicago Bulls. She will perform the anthem again in March of 2024 for The CIAA Tournament in Baltimore, MD.

Her European activities included critically acclaimed residencies at Epicurus in Denmark and performing as a featured artist with internationally known saxophonist Candy Dulfer in the Netherlands, Switzerland, France, and Slovakia.

Shelby has been actively writing and recording with 11-time Grammy Award winner Phil Lassiter and will be releasing new music in the Summer of 2026. She regularly engages in community activism and believes in helping others. Her motto... “Be Kind, Spread LOVE!”

She has partnered with the Autism Society, United Way in Greensboro, NC, and the Culture Pushers as a featured vocalist on the highly acclaimed Artists United to End Poverty album.

As a breast cancer survivor, she promotes early detection and prevention by advocating for organizations like Earlier.org. She was also the halftime performer for Novant Health and Charlotte Hornets Breast Cancer Awareness Night held at the Spectrum Arena.

As the CEO of “Crochet By Shelby J.,” she creates handmade custom crochet blankets for clients across the globe and also gifted one to her mentor, Prince. It can still be seen today inside the small kitchen of Paisley Park.

Her latest creative venture is the launch of “ShelBeads Boutique” on Etsy. She uses her love of color and precious stones to craft unique bracelets for clients worldwide.

Shelby looks forward to spreading more “Light, Love & Positivity” throughout the world and releasing many more musical and artistic projects with her band and others for decades to come.

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