Akilah Hughes is a writer, comedian and podcast host, currently residing in Brooklyn, NY.

Ali Stroker received the 2019 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her role as ‘Ado Annie’ in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! In doing so, she became the first actor or actress in a wheelchair to win a Tony Award.

Alicia Roth Weigel is an activist and author working to improve the landscape for marginalized populations in the South and worldwide through her firm Intrepida Strategy. A human rights commissioner for the City of Austin and award-winning intersex advocate, her work is featured in Focus Features’s film Every Body—directed by Julie Cohen of the documentary RBG—and the memoir Inverse Cowgirl, published by HarperCollins. Alicia is passionate about promoting embodied autonomy through building culturally competent healthcare programs, legislating the advancement of gender equity and fostering a more socially and economically sustainable economy. While currently focused on consulting, she has also run political campaigns, launched NGOs, brokered public-private partnerships and raised funds to accelerate social change.

Amy Nelson is the founder and CEO of The Riveter, a modern union of women and allies. A graduate of Emory University and the NYU School of Law, Amy practiced corporate litigation with a focus on high-profile First Amendment matters for over a decade in New York City and Seattle. She also served on President Obama’s National Finance Committee where she co-chaired Gen44, the under 40 fundraising arm of the campaign. Additionally, Amy previously worked with President Carter’s The Carter Center.

Widely considered a feminist icon, Grammy winner Ani DiFranco is the mother of the DIY movement, being one of the first artists to create her own record label in 1990. While she has been known as the “Little Folksinger,” her music has embraced punk, funk, hip hop, jazz, soul, electronica and even more distant sounds. Her collaborators have included everyone from Utah Phillips to legendary R&B saxophonist Maceo Parker to Prince. She has shared stages with Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Pete Seeger, Kris Kristofferson, Greg Brown, Billy Bragg, Michael Franti, Chuck D., and many more. Her memoir No Walls and the Recurring Dream was released in May 2019, and DiFranco released a No Walls Mixtape alongside the book, offering a new take on songs related to the memoir. Her last album was 2021’s Revolutionary Love. Her debut picture book, The Knowing, will be released by Rise x Penguin Workshop on March 7, 2023.

Anita Cameron is a disability justice activist who has been involved in social change activism and community organizing for 43 years.

Anita has been arrested 140 times for nonviolent civil disobedience fighting for civil rights and justice for all disabled folks. She was invited to the White House on three occasions, has met three sitting U.S. Presidents, two Vice-Presidents, and helped to organize a national march. Anita received the 2023 Corey Rowley National Advocacy Award from the National Council on Independent Living for their work in systems change advocacy and activism.

Anita wrote a children’s book for the My Itty Bitty Bio series about their participation in the historic Capitol Crawl, in the fight for the ADA. Anita’s Project, We Were There, Too: Blacks in the Disability Movement, was one of 10 Black disability justice organizations and projects to receive funding from Borealis Philanthropy’s Black Disabled Liberation Project.

Anthony Rapp started his career at the age of six, and received his first professional job at the age of nine. His breakout came when he originated the role of “Mark Cohen” in Jonathan Larson‘s production of the Broadway musical “Rent”. He can be heard on the original cast recording.

Arielle Fodor (a.k.a. “Mrs. Frazzled”) is a former kindergarten teacher turned education advocate who breaks down complex education policy and political issues with humor, clarity, and honesty. Her work explores the intersection of public education and politics, highlighting the real-world impact on families, educators, and communities. She is the host of Teacher Quit Talk, a comedic commentary podcast spotlighting the nationwide teacher exodus and what it will take to bring educators back to the classroom. She also writes Frazzled About Education on Substack, offering in-depth analysis of education policy, news, and history. Her insights have been featured by Rolling Stone, The New York Times, BBC, CNN, AdWeek, PBS, and more.