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Our Hosts
Our Hosts
Valerie Joi, David & Sonia
Valerie Joi, David & Sonia
Valerie Joi Fiddmont is a gifted musician, scholar and activist who is passionate about creating a world of love, equity and justice for all people. She currently serves as the Host of our Imagining Justice weekly experience and is also a Co-Minister of Music at Heart and Soul Center of Light. In all of her endeavors, Valerie Joi seeks to share and experience the healing power of music for spiritual and social transformation. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Transformative Studies at the California Institute of Integral Studies, where she is focusing on the use of music to deepen cultural humility. You can find out more about her and her music on her website www.valeriejoi.com.
David L. Walker, Jr. is currently a National Account Manager at Callisto Media and is an active leader at HSCL where he is a Board of Trustees member, Co-Lead for Imagining Justice Outreach Initiatives, choir member, treasury team member, and greeting team. He is President Emeritus of The Jackie Robinson Foundation Alumni Association and he serves as the VP of PR for Toastmasters Club 2767. David is an Up on Top After School and Summer Enrichment program volunteer/ donor, a member of the Brotherhood of Elders, and is an active member in Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. He earned his MBA in 2012 from Washington University in St. Louis. David’s aim in all things is to impact, add value, and have fun.
For nearly 20 years, Sonia Raye Russell has brought creativity, order, efficiency and care to every event and project. In 2002, she launched World Meetings by Sonia to create, produce and execute world-class events. Her compassion, precision, commitment to excellence and servant leadership ensure a successful outcome. Sonia an active and integral leader at HSCL and is currently working on her degree in Consciousness Studies and plans to graduate in 2021. The Urban Mindfulness Summit was born out of her deep intention to “create containers for great things to happen”.
Our Presenters
Our Presenters
Nane Alejandrez
In 1977 Daniel Nane Alejandrez started The California Coalition of Barrios Unidos which began as a community based peace movement in the violent streets of urban California. Over the past forty years Barrios Unidos has developed a model that seeks to reclaim and restore the lives of struggling youth while promoting unity amongst families and neighbors through community building efforts. Barrios Unidos is an innovative, multi-cultural, multi-disciplinary nonprofit organization dedicated to working collaboratively to build community capacity for youth violence prevention in California and across the nation. In addition, Barrios Unidos works with Inmates within the Adult and Juvenile California State and Federal Correctional Institutions. The focus is Peace through a Transcommunal approach and strengthening foundations of culture andspirituality.
Rev. Angelo Allen
Rev. Angelo Allen is affectionately known as “Revelo”. He currently serves as the director of Heart and Soul’s Video Ministry and is a faculty member at the Holmes Institute School of Consciousness Studies where he teaches Church Organization and Management. Revelo brings a steadfast belief that prayer, spiritual practice and continued spiritual education constitute an essential three-legged stool that supports an upward spiral of personal growth and spiritual liberation.
gina Breedlove
Medicine woman gina Breedlove is a Sound Healer, Vocalist, Composer, and Actress from Brooklyn, NY. gina began her career at age 15 singing background for the incomparable Phylis Hyman. She went on to tour internationally with Harry Belafonte as featured vocalist, and created the role of "Sarabi"; in the Broadway production of "The Lion King" gina now tours the world with her music that she calls Folksoul, holding Sound Healing circles in every city she visits. Most recently, gina worked with Spike Lee on two of his projects; as an actor, and as Sound healer, working with mothers who have lost children to gun violence. When gina performs her music, it is more like a ritual of healing and deep love fellowship.
Lauren Booker Allen
Lauren Booker Allen is Vice President of Impact Advisory at Jordan Park, a wealth management firm empowering a distinct community to impact the world. In this role, she leads the firm's socially responsible investing and philanthropy practice. Prior to Jordan Park, Lauren was Senior Manager of Impact Investing at Omidyar Network, where she managed investments, strategic partnerships, and thought leadership initiatives to drive the firm’s impact investing and philanthropy industry development efforts. Lauren is the Vice Chair of the Jackie Robinson Foundation (JRF) Pacific Northwest Regional Scholar Advisory Committee and an alumni mentor of Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT). She holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA from Yale University.
Shakti Butler
Shakti Butler, PhD, is Founder and President of World Trust Educational Services. Shakti is an inspirational facilitator, trainer and lecturer who is sought after by schools, universities, public and private organizations, and faith-based institutions. Shakti’s work incorporates whole body learning through stories, art, movement and dialogue. Her current film/dialogue project, Healing Justice: Cultivating a World of Belonging, is intended to popularize a national conversation about justice, responsibility and healing.
Rickie Byars
For three decades as both a solo artist and as founder & director of world-renowned Agape International Choir, Rickie Byars’ deeply soulful and heart-felt songs of spiritual renewal and empowerment have struck a powerful chord with audiences around the globe. The vibrations of “realness” in her music resonate with residents of L.A.’s SkidRow to Archbishop Desmond Tutu and His Holiness the Dalai Lama, all of whom she has had the honor of performing for. Rickie Byars is one of the most acclaimed and beloved singer-songwriters in the genre of New Thought music.
Kusum Crimmel
Kusum Crimmel’s work is to inspire, to love and to facilitate change. She creates space for truth, conciliation and healing as a pathway to reclaim our humanity and the humanity of others. She spent the last 17 years working with teenagers; 11 years at Oakland Tech High School where she built up a vibrant and highly-acclaimed peer-based Restorative Justice program. She is a LCSW, has 10 years of rape crisis counseling experience, more than 8 years training with Generative Somatics and is co-creator of Facing In,a restorative justice based consulting business. Kusum also just launched her own personal business, Dissecting Whiteness, and her first published book will be out by the end of this year..
Chris Chatmon
Christopher P. Chatmon serves as the Senior Advisor of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion for the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) and was named as a "Leader to Learn From" by Education Week magazine. Chatmon was selected as a Campaign for Black Male Achievement “National Social Innovation Accelerator” because he is committed to improving life outcomes for all youth and especially African American males. Chatmon is passionate about uplifting the African American community and has dedicated his career and life work to creating pathways of success within Oakland and beyond. His inspirational leadership motivates educators and community members to engage, encourage, and empower young people regardless of gender or non-gender identity, race, class, or nationality.
Richelle Donigan
Richelle Donigan provides a unique environment where one can feel safe exploring their relationship to their bodies through this powerful healing form of movement and stillness. The practice of Yoga creates a deeper connection with our internal selves and the flexibility we need for true strength & balance in our bodies. Richelle is masterful at teaching the foundation of the physical practice of Yoga so that all may participate and find home on their mats. Richelle welcomes you to a practice of rooted in awareness and expanded in love.
Regina Jackson
Regina Jackson has made it her mission to invest heavily in the future of children, our nation’s greatest resource. She has taken on the challenge of molding, and mentoring young people in her hometown of Oakland, CA in order to transform their lives. She believes that EOYDC’s biggest challenge is combating hopelessness. Regina sets the strategic direction for the Center. She is the primary liaison to both boards of directors and trustees. Ms Jackson is responsible for fiscal management, business development, talent acquisition and cultivating partnerships. She serves on statewide and community boards and task forces.
Felicia Jeffley
Felicia Jeffley has spent her career in corporate and spiritual centers basically teaching and embodying the same thing: Mindfulness as a way to success. She is currently the Business Partner to the VP of Cloud Developer Relations at Google. And is also a “Search Inside Yourself” mindfulness trainer and global Coaching Guru for the company. Her corporate experience in various industries, and her leadership role in spiritual communities brings a unique blend of practical and principle-centered processes to her work.
Rev. Andriette Earl
Rev. Andriette is the loving, dynamic, and capable Spiritual Leader of Heart and Soul Center of Light, which has flourished through a continuous inflow and outpouring of love since November 2009. She enjoyed 30 years of successful corporate experience in sales, management, instructional design and training and delivery. She is a SOM Magazine columnist, author of Embracing Wholeness: Living in Spiritual Congruence, and creator of the transformative board game, “Speak Your Word: The Freedom Game”. A spiritually committed teacher, facilitator and “freedom coach”, Rev. Andriette is an “edu-taining” and empowering teacher of the principles of Science of Mind and Spirit. She has an unshakeable belief in the power of Divine Love and Law. She sees the best in us and inspires us to be much more than we ever thought we could be.
Kysha Mitchell
Kysha Mitchell is a certified success coach, speaker, and a fierce advocate for women owning and living in their truth. People love to work with her because they get strategy that shows them where their power lies, tools they use for a lifetime and the kind of clarity that feels good in their heart-space. She created Elevate your NOW(http://www.elevateyournow.com/ ) as a platform for inspiration, expert guidance and community while on the journey to success.
Lauryn Nwankpa
Lauryn Nwankpa is social impact strategist, start- up advisor, and entrepreneur. As Head of Social Impact at Headspace, Inc. she implements strategic, sustainable and measurable initiatives that ensures Headspace is accessible, relevant and affordable to all. Lauryn holds a B.A. in Comparative Human Development from the University of Chicago, and a Master of Science in Social Entrepreneurship from The Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California.
Rosesharon Oates
Rosesharon Oates is a fierce visual artist, a Restorative Arts Consultant, a Holistic Health Educator, but most proudly a mama, auntie, and youth mentor. Her Life’s passion is to promote peace & healing through the arts and to increase Oakland youth’s awareness of their power of choice with their own bodies and lives.
Bryant Terry
Bryant Terry is a James Beard Award-winning chef, educator, and author renowned for his activism to create a healthy, just, and sustainable food system. He is currently in his fifth year as Chef-in-Residence at the Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) in San Francisco where he creates programming that celebrates the intersection of food, farming, health, activism, art, culture, and the African Diaspora. His work has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The San Francisco Chronicle, and All Things Considered among many other publications. In December 2017 San Francisco Magazine included Bryant among 11 Smartest People in the Bay Area Food Scene. A year earlier, Fast Company included Bryant among 9 People Who Are Changing the Future of Food.
Makani Themba
Makani Themba is Chief Strategist at Higher Ground Change Strategies based in Jackson, Mississippi. A social justice innovator and pioneer in the field of change communications and narrative strategy, she has spent more than 20 years supporting organizations, coalitions and philanthropic institutions in developing high impact change initiatives. Her published books include Making Policy, Making Change, and Fair Game: A Strategy Guide for Racial Justice Communications in the Obama Era (under The Praxis Project)
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