Kiara St James, the Founder and Co- Executive Director of New York Transgender Advocacy Group, has been at the forefront of the TGNCNB advocacy movement for over 20 years. Kiara was one of the key players in highlighting and helping to change the trans-woman-denying policies that many New York City shelters had. St James also spearheaded the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA) in New York State which prohibits discrimination based on gender identity and passed in 2019. She was instrumental in the repeal of a discriminatory statute, Section 240.37 of the state penal law also known as the “walking while trans law”. This statute outlawed “loitering for the purpose of engaging in prostitution”. It was finally repealed on February 2, 2021. She was also a key player in the passing of the Lorena Borjas Transgender & Gender Non-Binary Wellness and Equity Fund which will focus on and function to end the economic crisis presently facing New York TGNCNB communities.

Angélica Dass is an award-winning photographer born in Brazil and based in Spain. Her practice combines photography with sociological research and public participation in global defense of human rights. She is the creator of the internationally acclaimed Humanæ project—a collection of portraits that reveal the diverse beauty of humanity. Her work has traveled to over 50 cities around the world, from PhotoEspaña, to the World Economic Forum (Davos), UN Habitat III, London Migration Museum, AMNH, Montreal Fine arts Museum, Dublin Science Gallery; to the pages of National Geographic, Time Magazine, Foreign Affairs and other relevant media. Her TED Talk exceeded two million views confirming the great potential of her work to go beyond photography, becoming a tool for social change, which promotes dialogue and challenges cultural prejudices.

Angélica’s work transcends the museums and finds in school classrooms a great universe of work. She amplifies the educational message of Humanae through institutional collaborations around the world, such as collaborations with city councils of different cities in the Basque Country, teacher training schools in Madrid, high schools in the Czech Republic, or with UNESCO and the Government of Chile, reaching an impact of more than 50 thousand students in a week.

Naledi Semela was born in New Orleans, LA. From his earliest days, he was exposed to the teachings and the fellowship of the People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond, authors of the nationally acclaimed Undoing Racism. He is a proud alumnus of Prep for Prep, Friends Seminary, Colgate University, and the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned a master’s in independent school leadership.

Today he serves as the Director of Equitable Practices and Social Impact at the Browning School, a K-12 boys school on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, and as the founder of Naledi Strategies, where he continues the work of advocating for equity, justice, and belonging for all. Naledi Strategies partners with schools, nonprofit organizations, and others to establish equitable practices and enhance social impact.

9/17/22 – Everyone Wants to Belong: Being an Advocate, Activist, and Accomplice – Charles Vogl, Author

10/15/22 – Representation & Inclusion in Our School Curriculums – Rodney Glasgow, Head of School

11/19/22 – Celebrating LGBTQIA+ Diversity in Our Schools – Schuyler Bailar, Educator, Author, Advocate

1/7/23 – Religious and Spiritual Diversity in Our Schools – Jason Craige Harris, Educator and Facilitator

2/11/23 – Promoting Free Speech and Equality Values – Olatunde Johnson, Legal Scholar

3/11/23 – Banned Books in School – Christine Emeran, Youth Free Expression Director, NCAC

4/22/23 – Young Leaders and Advocates Make a Difference – Ali Michael, Facilitator and Writer

5/13/23 – Celebrating Advocacy: Shining Light on Artists – King David, Artist

10/9/21 – Teen Pollyanna Kick-Off – Jason Craige Harris, facilitator

11/6/21 – Civic Engagement – DeNora Getachew, CEO dosomething.org

12/11/21 – DEIB Work at our Schools – Erica Corbin, Head of School

1/22/22 – Contributions of Others – Marianne Macrae, Robin Hood Foundation

2/12/22 – Be an Advocate, Ally, Activist – Semeka Smith-Williams, DEI Practitioner

3/5/22 – Having Difficult Conversations – Megan Hogan, Chief Diversity Officer Goldman Sachs

4/9/22 – Pledge Projects –  Scott Warren, Specialist at USAID

5/14/22 – Reflecting and Planning – Bill Konigsberg, author