Guest Speakers

Jahmal Williams currently serves as the Director of Advocacy for Racial Justice at San Jose State University. In this position, he is tasked with developing a strategic approach to the University's efforts to address systemic oppression and racial injustice at the institution. Jahmal also serves as one of the Co-Chairs of the Black Leadership Kitchen Cabinet of Silicon Valley. The BLKC has been working tirelessly on behalf of Black residents within the Valley for over 15 years, advocating and collaborating with local and county leadership to ensure that the Black community is being served equitably. Jahmal formerly worked as the Program Director of the Black Leadership and Opportunity Center (BLOC), and as one of the Assistant Directors at Peer Connections all within San Jose State University. He is a native of the metro Detroit area in Michigan and came to SJSU almost 7 years ago after spending over three years at North Carolina Central University in Durham, North Carolina working with their minority male retention initiative and as a licensed therapist in their counseling center. He attended the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor where he earned a bachelor’s degree in women's studies in 2005 and a master’s degree in clinical social work in 2007 from Michigan State University.

Even though working in higher education has been his calling, Jahmal knows his true passion is working towards true equity for Black lives in this country in all that he does. He hopes to inspire change through his actions, words, and empathy.

Jahmal is inspired by the love and support he gets from his family and friends. His wife, Regina is a constant source of motivation as she works to develop low-income and homeless housing for the South Bay Area. Jahmal and his wife have learned how to successfully take orders from their two daughters, Noelle, age 5 and Cori, age 1, who consistently keep them on their toes.

María José Montijo is a Boricua bruja, casting spells with a luminous voice and powerful lyrics, whose songs invoke full-spectrum healing and celebrate the magic of the ordinary. MaJo’s life changed in 2009, on a beach in Borikén, Puerto Rico, when a friend gifted her a folk harp. Since then, the Huichin, Oakland-based acupuncturist and musician makes music to decolonize the heart. Singing professionally since age five, and with twenty years of experience in traditional medicine, MaJo blends bomba, folk harp, and electronics, with lyrics that are feminist, alchemical, and affirming of deep ecology. Songs that are prayers to our ancestors and for our co-liberation. MaJo is a California licensed acupuncturist, herbalist, biodynamic cranio-sacral therapist, and sound healer.

"My name is Kenya Janae Burton, Kenya like the country, Janae because it rhymed, and Burton because of history. I am a proud Blaxxican (Black & Mexican) woman from Salinas, California who is not afraid to be big and loud. I am also an award-winning poet, an awardee of the New York Silver Key in Writing and NEA Big Read Award, and an activist. Through my work, I tackle difficult themes around racism, classism, sexism, and the other “isms” that plague America. I hope to promote understanding and equality for the next generation. On this page, you will find stories, arts, and messages not only from me but others like me and in my community. I hope to empower the youth and other minorities to share their voices and their struggles. I write, to show people that I am more than what they think. I am a person who appears like a question to some and an answer to others. I write for myself and for those who feel they are ordinary, people who think they are odd or feel weird in the skin they were born in. In this place, I hope you will learn how to escape the shells your hearts were never meant to stay in."