#WPC26
MEET THE KEYNOTES
JESSICA CARE MOORE
THURSDAY
Playwright
Renowned Poet
Producer
Performance Artist
Black WOMEN Rock!
The Moore Art House
Moore Black Press
jessica Care moore is one of the leading voices of her generation. An award-winning poet, recording artist, book publisher, activist, cultural arts curator, and filmmaker, she is executive producer and founder of black women rock! – daughters of betty, a 20-year-old rock & roll institution, concert, and empowerment weekend.
She is the founder of the literacy driven 501c3, the moore art house. Her nonprofit organization in Detroit is dedicated to elevating literacy through the arts in neighborhoods and schools.
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OIYAN POON
FRIDAY
Race &
Education
Scholar & Author
College Admissions Futures Co-Lab
Dr. OiYan Poon is an educator, author, speaker, and race and education scholar. She is a co-director of the College Admissions Futures Co-Laborative (CAF Co-Lab) and an Adjunct Associate Professor of Education Policy, Organization & Leadership at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Through the CAF Co-Lab, she is serving as a consultant to Illinois Governor JB Pritzker’s office on higher education policy.
Dr. Poon’s research has focused on the racial politics of Asian Americans, education access, affirmative action, and admissions systems and practices. She is the author of Asian American Is Not a Color: Conversations on Race, Affirmative Action, and Family, which explores how Asian Americans are shaping the future of race relations through debates over education policies like affirmative action, using personal narrative and interviews of Asian Americans across the country.
Originally from Massachusetts, OiYan now resides in Chicago, where her daughter is an elementary student at their neighborhood Chicago Public School.
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OMEKONGO DIBINGA
FRIDAY LUNCHEON
Award-Winning
Leadership, Diversity, Inclusion & Antiracism Strategist
Author
Speaker
UPstander
Dr. Omékongo Dibinga is the UPstander. His life’s mission is to inspire all across the globe to take a stand when they witness an injustice, no matter how small or large. He is a motivational speaker, trilingual poet, TV talk show host, rapper, and professor of cross-cultural communication at American University.
His Urban Music Award winning work has best been described by Nikki Giovanni as “outstanding, exciting, and new while being very old.” His book, From the Limbs of My Poetree was described by Essence Magazine as “a remarkable and insightful collection of exquisite poetry that touches sacred places within your spirit.”
He was one of 5 international recipients out of 750,000 to win the first ever “CNN iReport Spirit Award.” He has received over 1,000,000 views on CNN.com.
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DANTE KING
SATURDAY
Award-Winning Author, Educator, Leader, Speaker & Innovator
Dante King Consulting &
King of Kings Consulting
Dante King is a historian, scholar, public motivational speaker, thought-leader, facilitator, and coach. He has worked and consulted for more than 15-years as a human resource management professional specializing in executive leadership development, coaching, and the implementation of anti-racism organizational development frameworks, strategies, and practices.
Dante is the author and executive producer of the new book and docuseries Diagnosing Whiteness & Anti-Blackness: White Psychopathology, Collective Psychosis, and Trauma in America, which recently ranked number 1 in Amazon’s New Book Releases. Dante King and Blackademics, a nonprofit organization he founded to provide educational experiences and opportunities to educators, lawyers, healthcare professionals, and the larger population, co-produced the Diagnosing Whiteness & Anti-Blackness ten-part episodic video series to support the book.
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