Carolyn A. Butts
Founder and Director, African Voices Communications, Inc. and Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival & Lecture Series
Carolyn has devoted 32 years to creating an arts institution that addresses equity in the film and writing industries. She is a filmmaker, artist, and founder of the Reel Sisters film festival and African Voices Magazine.
Reel Sisters, founded in Brooklyn 1997, is the first Academy-qualifying festival for short narrative films devoted to women of color and women filmmakers. African Voices magazine is one of the leading print literary magazines dedicated to showcasing fine art and literature. Both platforms address the social justice issue of ensuring BIPOC artists have equity and access to creating and showcasing their work to audiences in Brooklyn and beyond.
Chino Hardin
Co-Executive Director, Center for NuLeadership on Human Justice and Healing
Chino is the founder and co-ED of the Center for NuLeadership, which is deeply rooted in Bed Stuy and has worked for over 20 years to fight mass incarceration and criminalization. Chino has been an organizer since he was 20 years old and fighting mass incarceration and the building of new youth jails, and has since worked with the Center to end mass incarceration by directly resourcing their people and communities. Chino is also leading the development of a rural retreat outside of the city to curate a space that allows people to be who they are and reconnect with nature.
Ninaj Raoul
Director/Co-Founder, Haitian Women for Haitian Refugees
Ninaj is the founder and director of Haitian Women for Haitian Refugees, which provides support to thousands of families who are seeking asylum in the U.S. after being persecuted in Haiti.
They provide culturally competent programs that include immigration-related screenings and referrals, community education, supportive services, and healing-centered community organizing. Through education, community organizing, leadership development, and collective action, HWHR members empower themselves as they struggle for social, economic, and racial justice.
Christine Yvette Lewis
Organizer, Cultural Outreach Coordinator, and Secretary of Domestic Workers United
Christine is the founder of the Domestic Workers United. She is a worker-leader and multi-disciplined performance artist who pulls from her calypsonian roots and skill as a steel-drum player, spoken word artist, author and poet to get the message out and build power for domestic workers.
She has worked for over 23 years advocating for fair labor standards and building a dynamic women’s movement bent on both ending exploitation and changing the conversation around “women’s work.” She was part of the movement to pass the historic Domestic Worker Bill of Rights in 2011, which organized a coalition of domestic workers and allies to win rights and protections for domestic workers in New York. Throughout her time organizing for DWU, she has also been a nanny caring for many children and families in Brooklyn.
Derrick Hamilton
Co-Founder, Family and Friends of the Wrongfully Convicted
Derrick is the Co-Founder of Family and Friends of the Wrongfully Convicted, which he founded behind prison walls when he was serving a life sentence for a crime he did not commit. He organized with other incarcerated people as well as families and friends to bring attention to wrongful convictions.
The organization works on individual cases as well as at a systems level to change laws and policies that lead to wrongful convictions. Using his expertise and experience, Derrick now teaches law students how to spot and stop bias in the legal system, mentors young people, and supports community members returning from incarceration.