Dr. Imani Perry is a critically acclaimed author, legal historian, and the Hughes-Rogers Professor of African American Studies at Princeton University. In her work, she focuses on the rich interplay between history, race, law, and culture. Her most recent book, “Breathe: A Letter to My Sons,” was a finalist for the NAACP Image Award for Excellence in Nonfiction. She is also the author of five other books, including “South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation,” out in January 2022. Perry’s writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, New York, and Harper’s, among other publications.

Nona Hendryx is a vocalist, songwriter, music technologist, author, and producer of experimental theater and short films. Across platforms and genres, her work speaks to social issues, love, and politics. As a member of the R&B trio Labelle, she sang on the chart-topping 1974 international hit “Lady Marmalade,” and she has collaborated with artists including Prince, Laurie Anderson, George Clinton, Nick Cave, and Virgil Ortiz. She curated and performed in “Nona Hendryx and Disciples of Sun Ra in the Temple of Dendur” at The Metropolitan Museum of Art and composes music for experimental and commercial theater and film. As Ambassador of Artistry in Music at Berklee College of Music and Boston Conservatory, she is also co-creating AR/VR experiences with multiplayer games inspired by Afrofuturism.

Kyle Marshall is a choreographer, performer, teacher, and artistic director of the dance company Kyle Marshall Choreography (KMC). Since its inception in 2014, KMC has performed at venues including BAM Next Wave Festival, Jacob’s Pillow Inside/Out, and Little Island. Marshall has received choreographic and dance film commissions from the Baryshnikov Arts Center, Harlem Stage, and The Shed, and he has been awarded by “Dance Magazine” and The Bessies. He is currently a Caroline Hearst Choreographer-In-Residence at Princeton University and is in residence at the Center for Ballet and the Arts at New York University. He graduated from Rutgers University with a BFA in Dance and resides in Jersey City.

Since trombonist and composer Craig Harris exploded onto the jazz scene in 1976, he has performed with Sun Ra, Cecil Taylor, and Sam Rivers, among many other great talents. In his own projects—spanning work in multimedia and performance art as a composer, performer, curator, and artistic director—he integrates the sweeping expanse of African-American musical expression, often honoring the lives and work of influential figures including W.E.B. Du Bois, Muhammad Ali, and James Weldon Johnson. Harris has also led his own musical groups, including Tailgaters Tales, Nation of Imagination, and Cold Sweat.

Originally the breakout choir for Mama Foundation for the Arts’ School of Gospel, Jazz, and R&B Arts, this award-winning choir has flourished under the direction of Ahmaya Knoelle Higginson, serving as both a social impact initiative for young alumni and a commercial choir. They have performed at Lincoln Center, Saturday Night Live, and the Grammy Awards—among many others—and accompanied artists including Sting, Arianna Grande, and Madonna. All proceeds benefit the Mama Foundation’s music training programs, which are provided to the Harlem community tuition-free.