Dr. Eve L. Ewing is a sociologist of education and a writer. She is the author of the poetry collection 1919 and the nonfiction work Ghosts in the Schoolyard: Racism and School Closings on Chicago's South Side. Her first book, the poetry collection Electric Arches, received awards from the American Library Association and the Poetry Society of America and was named one of the year's best books by NPR and the Chicago Tribune. She currently writes the Champions series for Marvel Comics and previously wrote the acclaimed Ironheart series, as well as other projects.

Elon James White is a writer, performer and CEO of This Week in Blackness, an award-winning multimedia digital platform that is dedicated to diversifying voices and news coverage within media.

Anastacia-Reneé is a multi-genre writer, educator, and interdisciplinary artist. She is the recipient of the 2018, James W. Ray Distinguished Artist Award for Washington artists (Artist Trust), and served as the Seattle Civic Poet from 2017-2019.

Danez Smith is a Black, Queer, Poz writer & performer from St. Paul, MN. Danez is the author of Homie, Don’t Call Us Dead, winner of the Forward Prize for Best Collection and a finalist for the National Book Award, and [insert] boy, winner of the Kate Tufts Discovery Award and the Lambda Literary Award for Gay Poetry. They are a member of the Dark Noise Collective and is the co-host of VS with Franny Choi, a podcast sponsored by the Poetry Foundation and Postloudness.

Nikole Hannah-Jones is an award-winning investigative reporter who covers racial justice and civil rights for The New York Times Magazine. In addition to numerous other awards, Hannah-Jones won a Pulitzer Prize for Commentary in 2020, and was awarded a MacArthur “Genius” grant in 2017.