Michelle Kenney, the mother of Antwon Rose II, the 17-year-old shot and killed by East Pittsburgh Police on June 19, 2018. Michelle established the Antwon Rose II Foundation in honor of her son, Antwon, to continue the work that Antwon was doing during his life on earth and also to advocate for police reform. Since establishing the Antwon Rose II Foundation, Michelle has collaborated with several well-known organizations including but not limited to the NFL, Roc Nation, the Pittsburgh Steelers and 1Hood Media. Michelle has made it her mission to ensure Antwon’s name and legacy is never forgotten by continuing to pour into the ideas and creations of young people not only in Antwon’s community but surrounding communities as well. Michelle believes the biggest accomplishment since her son’s passing has been the Rose Registry and the submission of five Bills of legislation to change how policing is done in Pennsylvania. Michelle’s entanglement with law enforcement has made her advocacy even more complicated. For over a decade, Michelle worked as an Administrative Assistant to a local police chief and Mayor where she got a first-hand look at everything good and bad regarding the police system. Michelle clearly understands the oath/blue line in policing and knows that it can work for and against individuals. Prior to her tenure with the police department, she worked as a secretary for a private law firm giving her insight into how the legal system operates as well. Her education includes Temple University as well as  West Virginia University.Her personal life includes being a mother of Antwon’s sister, Kyra Jamison, and two beautiful granddaughters.

A woman of many talents, Crystal Noel Jalil wears many hats. As a poet, an actress, a hostess, a model, an activist, a fashionista, a designer, and as a visual artist, she gives voice to the daily challenges of being a woman in this day and age. She was once a notable regular at East Liberty’s Shadow Lounge. Since its closure, she has hosted and performed at Pittsburgh’s Connectically Speaking, Poetry Nights at The Corner, The Poet As Muse at A Peace of Mind, several events at The August Wilson Center for African American Culture, and many more. She has even performed a one-woman show to standing applause at the Mezzanine on Broadway in New York City. Currently she is the host of Amplified Open Mic, an artist in residence at The Ohringer, and a founding member of The Coloured Section Black Artists’ Collective.

Bekezela Mguni is an artist, poet, radical librarian, activist, and an abundant bodied femme. She believes that the collective sharing of knowledge, beauty and inspiration is a part of life’s purpose and brings that intentional spirit to her work. She has over 10 years of community organizing experience in which she has worked with LGBTQIA communities, youth, and people of color.  Bekezela is a self-taught and community educated artist. Most recently, she served as the Youth Services Librarian at the Sto-Rox Library and is a member of BOOM Concepts Studios. Bekezela is currently working on the Activist Print Project, a partnership between the Andy Warhol Museum, Boom Concepts and printmaking studio Artist Image Resource (AIR) and her pieces will be placed on the Rosa Villa in late July 2017. She is incredibly honored to begin a new journey with Dreams of Hope as the Program Director leading the sQool Program. Dreams of Hope affirms and uplifts the voices of LGBTQ youth through the arts and by building a safer community for young queer, Trans and gender non-conforming people in Pittsburgh. This opportunity to continue to learn and create with young people is a blessing and she cannot wait to get started! You can find Bekezela in Southwest PA causing a ruckus about white supremacy, patriarchy and racial injustice, waxing poetic about how radical Black Femmes are saving the world, how golf should be abolished, and calling on her ancestors for assistance in living her very best life!

JeNay Pennix-Ellington is from Louisville, Ky and currently a Junior Political Science major at Fisk University. In recent years, Pennix-Ellington has spent time protesting and impacting lives of their people in positive ways through volunteerism and community work. Protesting and activism work allows them to use their voice to express emotions in regards to the injustices and inequalities the Black community faces frequently, while also making it known the demands or needs for the social mobility of their community. Aspiring to be an asset to the black diaspora, Pennix-Ellington seeks to pursue a career in law as an Attorney.

Chris Ivey is an award-winning director who has a strong history of creating works for personal, corporate, and non-profit organizations – works that make an audience laugh, bring them to tears, and challenge them to think more broadly about issues that can have a meaningful impact on communities and stimulate creative change. More about Chris Ivey’s work can be found at hyperboyfilms.com.