Rise Up: Closing the Racial Wealth Divide

Bridgit Antoinette Evans is widely recognized as one of the foremost thought leaders in the culture change strategy field. A professional artist and strategist, she has dedicated her career to the relentless investigation of the potential of artists to drive cultural change in society. Fifteen years of work at the intersection of pop culture storytelling and social change has evolved into a vision for a new, hybrid culture change field in which creative and social justice leaders work together to create and popularize stories that shape the narratives, values, beliefs and behaviors that define American culture. In 2016, Bridgit was a Nathan Cummings Foundation Fellow, piloting Culture Changes Us, a coordinated learning system designed to accelerate the social justice sectors’ understanding and use of culture change strategy. For Unbound Philanthropy and Ford Foundation, she has led multi-year culture change research and strategy design projects aimed at unearthing breakthrough narrative and engagement strategies for the immigrant rights and gender justice movements.

In 2008, Bridgit founded Fuel | We Power Change, a culture change strategy studio in New York City, as the home for her collaborations with leading social change innovators. Through this work she designed long-term culture change strategies for social movements that used transportive story experiences, often in the pop culture realm, to shift the thoughts and feelings of mass audiences. Strategy design commissions include the NYCLU/ACLU Policing Project, Make It Work campaign, National Domestic Workers Alliance’s #BeTheHelp strategy featuring Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, Cicely Tyson, Amy Poehler and other artists; Breakthrough’s #ImHere for Immigrant Women strategy; GEMS’ Girls Are Not for Sale strategy featuring Beyonce, Demi Moore, Ashton Kutcher, Sinead O’Connor, Mary J Blige and more; and Save Darfur’s “Live for Darfur” campaign chaired by Don Cheadle and Djimon Hounsou. Drawing insights from these commissions, Bridgit has traveled by invitation to the UK, France, Austria, Croatia, Brazil, South Africa and throughout the U.S. to present talks, lectures and workshops for some of the world’s most innovative movement leaders and artists. She often points to her roots as a professional Off Broadway actor and devised theater producer as the source of her deep passion for culture change strategy. She received her MFA from Columbia University and BA from Stanford University.

Fifteen years of work at the intersection of pop culture storytelling and social change has evolved into a vision for a new, hybrid culture change field in which creative and social justice leaders work together to create and popularize stories that shape the narratives, values, beliefs and behaviors that define American culture.

Heather is a certified life coach, sound healer, hypnotherapy practitioner, and a Reiki Level I and II healer. She has a B.A. in African American Studies from Smith College, and an M.A. of Educational Leadership, Policy and Advocacy from New York University. As a former professor and executive leader, she weaves her academic and organizational background with her work as a healer and coach to create transformational learning experiences for her clients on their journey towards healing from trauma in their work and personal lives through individual and group coaching.

She is currently compiling healing and well-being strategies for thriving at work in her first book, TheGrind Culture Detox which is written for working professionals who are seeking to heal from grind culture and toxic productivity through alternative healing modalities. This book will be released by Hierophant Publishing in June 2022. Please visit her website and Instagram page to connect with her and learn more.

Fernando "Fernie" Barrientos is a recent graduate from Theodore Roosevelt High School in Boyle Heights and current student at East Los Angeles College. Commuting from Watts, Fernie often saw the struggles that his community underwent on a daily basis. These struggles ranged from families being unhoused, underfunded schools, and youth being criminalized. Fernie began to get involved with the YMCA in 9th grade through its Youth and Government program which allowed him to see how he can begin to change his community. Fernie's work with the Y led him to get involved with the Brother, Sons, Selves Coalition, which the YMCA is a part of. Through Fernie's engagement with the BSS Coalition, he has been able to understand what it means to be in community and the power community has to change material conditions. An example of this is the 2018 BSS survey that sought to capture how safety and justice is experienced by youth of color across multiple contexts. The themes that emerged from the survey formed BSS' campaign pillars and areas of focus based on youth voice and community input. As a BSS youth leader, Fernie is now working to use this data to host community forums and work on launching a Youth Bill of Rights for LA County.

Maria began her activism over twenty-five years ago as a high school student living along the U.S./Mexico border during a time when state legislation was proposed that criminalized immigrant families and youth. This hostile environment resulted in Maria and her fellow Latinx schoolmates being removed from their schools. Despite the discrimination she faced, she completed her studies and later earned degrees from UC Berkeley and Harvard University. The experience taught her the importance of lifting up her voice through collective action to ensure disadvantaged students have access to a quality education.

Maria has organized for educational justice through various campaigns and initiatives. Since 2002, as a leader of InnerCity Struggle, she has spearheaded an expansion of the influence of students and community residents in decision-making about Los Angeles' public schools, mobilizing thousands of Latinx parents and students in the Eastside of Los Angeles.

Maria's work with InnerCity Struggle has resulted in a wide range of improvements within Eastside schools as well as schools throughout the Los Angeles Unified School District. In the last few years, Maria's leadership has helped win several breakthrough victories; new schools for the Eastside, a district-wide policy focused on preparing all students for college, increased funds for high-need schools, smaller learning environments in Eastside high schools and an expansion of school-based health services. After years of demanding that all students be prepared for college, the tide is changing. Graduation rates in the Eastside are rising and more students are informed about what is needed to succeed.

Over the last decade, InnerCity Struggle has educated and mobilized thousands of Eastside voters ensuring greater civic participation and community action.

Maria's leadership also resulted in the construction of the organization's new permanent home now serving as a Youth and Community Center for the Eastside.

Christine Essel joined SCG as President and CEO on February 1, 2013. As president, she sets the strategic direction and priorities for the organization, overseeing programming, communications, member services and public policy. Prior to joining SCG, Essel held leadership roles in the government, corporate, philanthropic and nonprofit sectors, where she has shaped legislation and public and corporate policy. She brings a wealth of experience to SCG including a deep knowledge of the region and a passion for forging creative solutions to complex community challenges, along with extensive relationships and expertise in corporate philanthropy, finance, real estate development, government and community relations. For over three decades, she worked at Paramount Pictures, serving as Senior Vice President, Government and Community Affairs, a department she built from the ground up. In that role, she was responsible for the studio’s philanthropic efforts and for shaping Paramount’s civic presence while managing all political and legislative activity, corporate social responsibility and fundraising activities. During her tenure she was also responsible for overseeing in excess of $500 million in real estate development projects on the studio lot.

Most recently, she served as CEO for the Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Los Angeles (CRA/LA), with an annual budget exceeding $600 million, a staff of 260 employees and 32 project areas throughout the City of Los Angeles. In response to a statewide call by the legislature, Essel's leadership helped lay a critical foundation for the dissolution of the agency, leading to a successful redistribution of resources for schools and local governments, while ensuring the completion of many crucial affordable housing projects and other developments vitally important to the economic growth of the region.

She has been named to numerous Boards and Commissions over the years, serving as chair of the California Film Commission, the Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency, the Hollywood Community Advisory Council, Alternative Living for the Aging and Central City Association. She also served as Vice‐Chair of the California Workforce Investment Board and FilmLA and was a member of the powerful Los Angeles World Airports Commission, Grand Avenue Project Joint Powers Authority and Los Angeles Development Fund. Essel has been honored by esteemed organizations such as City of Hope, National Women’s Political Committee, Alternative Living for the Aging, Weingart Center Partners, Central City Association and the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. In 2016, she received the Leader of the Year Award from the Southern California Leadership Network. She has been named to the Non‐Profit Times “Power and Influence Top 50” for the past two years (2016 and 2017).

Tracy Gray is a leader in the movement towards equity and justice in the financial sector. Her primary focus is on solutions that move capital to women and Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC). She is the Founder and Managing Partner of The 22 Fund, an impact, early-growth firm that creates the clean, quality jobs of the future in low- and moderate-income communities by increasing the export capacity of tech-based manufacturing companies, intentionally targeting women- and BIPOC-owned businesses.

Ms. Gray serves on the board of Applife Digital Solutions, Inc, and as Treasurer/Secretary of the Investment Committee for the Cal State Dominguez Hills Foundation endowment. She is an advisory council member for PGIM Real Estate and Melinda Gates’ Pivotal Ventures Women of Color. She is an Executive-in-Residence at the LA Cleantech Incubator and the first Social Impact Fellow at the UC Berkeley Haas Business School’s Center for Equity, Gender and Leadership.

Following her 2015 TEDx Talk, “Why It’s Time for Women to Be Sexist with Investment Capital,” Ms. Gray founded the nonprofit We Are Enough (WAE) that educates ALL women on how and why to invest in women-owned businesses. WAE recently released a study on the feasibility of a women-focused incubator in Los Angeles and was chosen by Variety magazine as a global 50 most impactful nonprofits.

Ms. Gray was named one of the 50 Women of Influence in business in Los Angeles and is featured in 200 Women: Who Will Change the Way You See the World. She co-wrote the article “How Foundations Fail Diverse Fund Managers and How to Fix It” recently published in the Stanford Social Innovation Review and co-created the Due Diligence 2.0 Commitment.

Ms. Gray was formerly senior advisor for international business to the LA Mayor, an investment professional at a venture capital fund and a systems engineer on the Space Shuttle program. Ms. Gray holds a B.S. in Mathematical Science with an aeronautics emphasis from UC Santa Barbara and dual MBAs from Columbia University and UC Berkeley.

Imara, whose work has won Emmy and Peabody Awards, is the creator of TransLash Media, a cross-platform journalism, personal storytelling and narrative project, which produces content to shift the current culture of hostility towards transgender people in the US. As part of work at TransLash, Imara hosts the WEBBY-nominated, TransLash Podcast with Imara Jones. In 2020 Imara was featured on the cover of Time Magazine as part of its New American Revolution special edition. In 2019 she chaired the first-ever UN High Level Meeting on Gender Diversity with over 600 participants. Imara’s work as a host, on-air news analyst, and writer focuses on the full-range of social justice and equity issues. Imara was also the first Journalist-in-Residence at WNYC’s The Greene Space where she hosted the monthly program Lives At Stake.. Imara has been featured regularly in The Guardian, The Nation, MSNBC, CNBC, NPR, Mic, Colorlines, and is a frequent guest host of the In The Thick podcast. Imara has held economic policy posts in the Clinton White House and communications positions at Viacom. Imara holds degrees from the London School of Economics and Columbia. Imara is a 2019 Soros Equality Fellow and on the board of the Anti-violence Project, GLSEN, and the LGBTQ+ Museum. She goes by the pronouns she/her.

John Kim is the Executive Director of Advancement Project California. He has a long track record as a coalition-builder and facilitator of multi-stakeholder collaborations and has established a wide range of partnerships with community-based organizations, elected officials, governmental agencies, academic researchers, and foundations across the state. John most recently oversaw the strategic direction and development of RACE COUNTS, a first of its kind initiative that examines racial disparity, performance, and population impact in each of California’s 58 counties.

Zahirah Mann leads SLATE-Z, a place-based initiative and collective impact effort whose mission is to revitalize South Los Angeles by moving residents to economic opportunity. In this role, she leads a backbone team that coordinates the goals, principles, and activities of the South LA Promise Zone, which has over 70 local partners and is part of a 22-member Promise Zone Network that addresses systemic poverty in select urban, rural, and tribal communities across the nation.

Prior to joining SLATE-Z, Zahirah split her career between philanthropy and law. Most recently, Zahirah was a Senior Program Officer at The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation where she oversaw a diverse portfolio of grants that supported vulnerable children and families. Within that work, she helped launch and lead Foster Together Network, a collective impact effort aimed at addressing child welfare throughout LA County, engaging county departments, elected officials, foundations, nonprofits, faith communities, caregivers, and youth. Zahirah also held program staff positions at the Annenberg Foundation and United Way of Greater Los Angeles. Before entering philanthropy, Zahirah worked as a public interest attorney, representing for-profit and nonprofit entities, coalitions, and governmental agencies on issues that impacted families, youth, and businesses.

In her broader civic life, Zahirah serves as a commissioner on the State Bar of California’s Legal Services Trust Fund Commission and as an alternate commissioner on the California Coastal Commission. She chairs the executive committee of the Black Equity Collective and serves on the board of the Center for Nonprofit Management.

Zahirah earned an A.B. in Political Science from Vassar College and a J.D. with a specialization in environmental law from Tulane University Law School. When not leading efforts in the nonprofit, philanthropic, legal, or broader civic community, Zahirah can be found exploring California or traveling throughout the world.

On November 3, 2020, Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell was elected to serve the Second District of Los Angeles County. Throughout her career in public service, Supervisor Mitchell has always worked with the understanding – that creating a California where all residents can thrive – means investing in the communities, families, and children of LA County. Having authored and passed over 90 laws in the California Legislature, Supervisor Mitchell brings an extensive public policy record to the Board of Supervisors. Many of her bills have been at the forefront of expanding healthcare access, addressing systemic racism, and championing criminal justice reform.

Solana Rice was raised by a Black, midwestern family that made tremendous emotional and physical sacrifices to get by. Dedicated autoworkers, food & retail workers, entrepreneurs; her family gifted Solana with a tremendous work ethic and a passion for making the world a better place for people of color. Solana is a dedicated advocate aiming to shape the most vibrant, inclusive, and sustainable economy this country has yet to see.

Prior to starting Liberation in a Generation, Solana was Director of State & Local Policy at Prosperity Now where, under her leadership, she built strong advocacy partnerships with organizations in the field and advanced dozens of policies in nearly half the states in the nation. Prior to joining Prosperity Now, Solana served as a director for financial security initiatives at PolicyLink. Solana has a Master’s in City Planning from MIT, where she researched the integration of individual development accounts into community development services. She holds a B.A. in architecture from Washington University in St. Louis. Solana is also a Soros Equality Fellow.

Favianna Rodriguez is the co-founder and President of The Center for Cultural Power, a national organization investing in artists and storytellers as agents of positive social change. She is an award-winning artist, cultural strategist, and social movement leader who has partnered with national organizations and progressive advocacy groups to design effective cultural campaigns. In addition to being the visionary behind the Migration Is Beautiful art and narrative, Favianna embodies the perspective of a first-generation American Latinx artist with Afro-Peruvian roots. Her art and praxis address migration, economic inequality, gender justice, and climate change, boldly reshaping the myths, ideas, and cultural practices of the present, while confronting the wounds of the past. A strategy advisor to artists of all genres, Favianna is regarded as one of the leading thinkers and personalities uniting art, culture, and social impact, collaborating deeply with social movements around the world.

Favianna also helps lead cultural strategy design and investment by helping to organize the philanthropic sector, with a focus on foundations addressing gender justice, racial justice, climate change and cultural equity. Favianna’s projects include creating art for Ben & Jerry's Pecan Resist, partnering with Joey Solloway to create 5050by2020, collaborating with #TimesUp Entertainment, and facilitating immersive artist delegations to the US Mexico border. She is a recipient of the Robert Rauschenberg Artist as Activist Fellowship for her work around immigration and mass incarceration, and an Atlantic Fellowship for Racial Equity for her work around racial justice and climate change.

Sukhi Samra is the Executive Director of Mayors for a Guaranteed Income and Director of the Stockton Economic Empowerment Demonstration, the nation’s first mayor-led guaranteed income demonstration. She was previously a policy aide to Mayor Tubbs, playing a critical role in the launch of the Stockton Scholars, an ambitious college access initiative, and in publishing the inaugural Report on the Status of Women. Sukhi is originally from Fresno, CA and graduated from Stanford University as a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

Taina Angeli Vargas founded Initiate Justice in September 2016 with the intention of activating the political power of people directly impacted by mass incarceration. Prior to creating Initiate Justice, she worked in the organizing and policy advocacy field as the Statewide Advocacy Coordinator with Essie Justice Group, State Campaigner with the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, and as a Field Representative for the California State Assembly. She was impacted by mass incarceration while supporting a loved one who was incarcerated for 7 years.

A progressive scholar, organizer and media personality, Dorian Warren has worked to advance racial, economic and social justice for more than two decades. Like the organizations he leads, Warren is driven by the innate conviction that only social movements – led by the communities most affected by economic, gender and social injustice – can change their communities and public policies for the better.

At this historical and challenging moment, Dorian is uniquely positioned to lead the work of Community Change – organizing and mobilizing powerful, multi-racial alliances around social justice at a time when inequality, political apathy and exclusion are on the rise.

Growing up on Chicago’s South Side, Dorian learned firsthand the power of unions to unleash economic opportunities. His great-grandparents were sharecroppers, his grandparents were janitors and his mother was a teacher in Chicago’s public schools for more than 40 years.

Guided by his intuitive understanding of inequality, Dorian has devoted his life to building the power and capacity of low-income people. As an alum of progressive organizations and universities, Dorian is an unparalleled force in progressive politics in America.

<p>Stacia West is an Associate Professor at the University of Tennessee College of Social Work and the co-Founder and Director of the Center for Guaranteed Income Research at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. West holds a B.A. in Women's Studies and Philosophy and a Masters of Science in Social Work from the University of Tennessee. She holds a Ph.D. in Social Welfare from the University of Kansas. She is the co-PI of the Stockton Economic Empowerment Demonstration, the first modern city-led guaranteed income experiment in the US. Her research focuses on universal basic income, unconditional cash transfers, women’s poverty and wealth inequality, and the affordable housing crisis. Her research portfolio includes numerous grants, state and non-profit evaluation contracts, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Asset Funders Network. Her work has been published in leading social science journals including the Journal of Society for Social Work and Research, Social Science and Medicine, The Journal of Family and Economic Issues, and The Gerontologist, and is regularly featured in major national media outlets.</p>