Bio: Est. 2019 Minneapolis, Known, MPLS is an audition-based, Twin Cities community youth choir under the direction of Courtland Pickens. The choral ensemble was established, in the later part of 2019, as an extension of Voicez, Inc., a 501C, non-profit music organization striving to train and develop the next generation of singers and composers throughout the Twin Cities Area. We utilize performance-based music education to galvanize youth between the ages of 12-25 as agents of change by promoting self-esteem, leadership skills, cultural awareness, discipline and a commitment to excellence

Bio: As Young Money Records, Executive Vice President & General Manager, Civil oversees the label’s
operations, working with artists such as multi-Grammy winner Lil Wayne and the newest signees to his
roster; Euro, Mellow Rackz, Drizzy P and Allan Cubas.

Bio: The Lioness is a hip-hop artist from Minneapolis, MN. She has released two albums–Growing Pains in 2016 and Greater Vision in 2018.

Bio: As the founder of All Heart Inspirations, Ferene Paris Meyer creates heart-centered spaces through the art of storytelling. She’s unapologetically living out loud as a Black femme artist, spreading messages of love, empathy, healing, gratitude and liberation. Known for her passionate voice, Ferene has performed on various stages and venues. Highlights include opening up for Dr. Angela Davis and Angélique Kidjo, teaching in schools, artist residencies, guest appearances on Vermont Public, and being the Juneteenth speaker for her city. Ferene aspires to make a collective difference within her local Vermont community and beyond one story at a time. We all have stories worthy of telling. So what's yours?! Visit All Heart Inspirations’ website and Instagram to learn more about living out loud, storytelling offerings and heartfelt popups.

Bio: Mayyadda is a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer from Minneapolis who aspires to use her music to make people slow down, find themselves in another perspective, and feel their way towards individual and collective healing. With an eclectic mix of neo-soul vocals, folksy guitar, pop-style piano with trap beats sprinkled in for flavor, she likes to refer to her genre as, “BlackGirlMagic.” She has been active as a recording artist since 2015, releasing four projects since then: most recently, TRY&REMEMBER, a sonic journey thru the risks one takes on their way to healing, which she released in October 2021.

Bio:Paris Sashay is a comedian, actor, writer and producer from Washington, DC, currently residing in New York. Paris has worked with Micheal Che, Dick Gregory, Wanda Sykes, Lil Rel, and Roy Wood Jr. offering her piercing insight on issues of the day.She recently debuted her comedy album ‘My Honest Ignorance’ on all streaming platforms which ranked #1 on Itunes upon release! As well as her viral TIK TOK comedy video ‘Im Picky With My Gay’.

Bio: Miss Mari is a Minneapolis poet and multidisciplinary artist whose work spans a diverse array of topics such as womanhood, Blackness, heartbreak, and hope. Informed by her own triumphs and tragedies, her work is both empathetic and imaginative as it establishes a mindful intimacy with her audience. Reminding others to be Romantic about their lives and tender with their own hearts. Most recently, she was named one of Ten Twin Cities Female Artists To Look For in 2023 (Twin Cities Hip-Hop Corner) and selected as an Honorable Mention for the prestigious McKnight Foundation Artist Fellowship Award. Through these opportunities, Miss Mari displays a whimsical, emotional, and imaginative spirit that brings audiences across communities a space to be heard and loved. You can find her work in all its artistic mediums on her social networks (Instagram and TikTok) @howshewrites. To reach out for collaboration and/or commissioned work: howshewrites.com. An excerpt of her poem "Survivor's Rage" can also be found at George Floyd Square, as part of the George Floyd Memorial Archives.

Bio: Motivational Speaker, Life Coach, Relationship Coach, Poet Currently on the Master Mind Tour. Weekly coaching podcast on Spotify every Monday and Friday!

Bio: Vie Boheme is a Motown native, blossomed creatively in Pittsburgh and refined in Minneapolis. She is a multimodal artist; a dancer, singer, actress, poet, writer and producer of her own works. She brings athletic agility to her vocal performance by singing and dancing in unison, eliminating the boundary between the visual and audio experience.

Bio: Founder & Executive Director of TruArtSpeaks, Tish Jones is a poet, performer, educator and organizer from Saint Paul, Minnesota. Her work can be found in the Minnesota Humanities Center's anthology entitled, Blues Vision: African American Writing from Minnesota (Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2015), the 2011 and 2013 Saint Paul Almanac, and the Loft Literary Center's Nation of Immigrants audio CD.Her work explores the ways in which art can function as a tool for social transformation, liberation and education

Bio:Brandyn Lee Tulloch is an artist, activist, and self published author from Minnesota. His work focuses primarily on the fight for black liberation, while also highlighting his own life experiences of heartbreak and healing.

Bio: Michael Harriot is the Senior Writer at TheRoot.com where he covers the intersection of race, politics, and culture. His work has appeared in the Washington Post, The Atlantic, NBC, BET, and on his mother’s refrigerator. He is a frequent political commentator on MSNBC and CNN and earned the National Association of Black Journalists Award for digital commentary as well as TV news writing

Bio: Professional saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist, educator, arranger, mentor and music producer. Walter Chancellor has been a mainstay in the Twin Cities

contemporary Jazz and R&B music scene for the past 25 years. After constant touring during his formative years he decided to relocate to musically successful Minneapolis from Des Moines, Iowa and lesson the necessity of so much traveling to perform. Not long after his arrival in Minneapolis, Walter performed and recorded with Prince, earning him a Double Platinum Record for his participation on Prince’s “Emancipation” CD in 1996.

Bio:Joe McClain Jr(Artist JoeMac) is a retired 20 year Navy veteran, 11x author, Top 25 world ranked spoken word artist, multiple time slam champion and dynamic speaker. Originally from East Chicago, Indiana, and now residing in San Diego, CA, he has toured multiple cities, bringing his gift of words and insights of the Black experience through multiple avenues. www.joemacspeaks.com

Bio: Known globally as an women's empowerment speaker, Tera Carissa Hodges has ministered throughout the US, Canada, Europe and the Caribbean. A life coach since 2010, she has coached over 10,000 women in over 22 countries, with testimonies sent in from supporters, mentees, weekly. She has appeared in Essence Magazine, Yahoo Finance, Forbes and more. In addition, she is also the Founder of LR (life, labels, lifestyle brands redefined) International. LR is a global media group which builds or restructures brand awareness in the media for corporations, small to midsize businesses, events, ministries, influencers, and personalities via PR, sales, and marketing campaigns, product placements, media placement, and more. Through her empowerment endeavors, as seen on teracarissa.com, LR also helps the masses redesign their personal and spiritual lives using faith based principles through online teachings, coaching, e-books, conferences and more. Sister sites that highlight her commitment to encourage people to recover their joy, redefine their purpose and revamp their lives despite anything they’ve lived through are, www.ilovemytestimony.com and for career oriented women, www.successbullying.us

Bio:Brian brings more than 30 years of professional experience in the public and private sectors to his role as the Director of the Department of Performance Management & Innovation for the City of Minneapolis. His background includes work in nonprofit management, county government, for-profit business development, policy consultation, fundraising, business development, legislative advocacy, and reform efforts in juvenile justice, adult justice, human services, health, transportation, and education.He also currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Fortis Capital, a non-profit lending corporation engaged in economic development finance with an emphasis on providing access to debt capital for businesses owned by persons of color in marginalized communities. This May, Brian was one of three recipients of the Creative Bureaucracy Festival unsung heroes award in Berlin, Germany for his leadership on public safety work.

Bio: Christin Brown is the co-owner of LunaBella Makeup & Hair Salon in Santa Barbara, CA. She specializes in curly hair and is sought out as a Deva Certified Curl Specialist. For the past eleven years, Brown and her wife, Ashley Kelly, have owned and run the LunaBella Makeup & Hair Salon in Santa Barbara, California. In addition to her work at the salon, Brown travels around the country to spread her message of embracing curls. She also works with celebrity clients like Black-ish star Yara Shahidi.

Bio: Sheletta Brundidge is an American children's author, an Emmy Award winning comedian, and a local activist. Brundidge has focused on autism in her books, and is an advocate for autistic people and children. She is the author of Brandon Spots His Sign, which was inspired by her autistic son Brandon drawing inspiration from Let's Go Brandon signs around his neighborhood.

Bio: Sassy but Savvy Bridgette has ‘real’ conversations with industry professionals in sports, music, entertainment and with many other driven individuals.  Bridgette is tough enough to deliver breaking news that may leave folks unhappy; yet compassionate enough to gain the trust of people whose painful truths are difficult to tell. Bridgette has been able to carve out a lane of her own and making waves as Public Relations consultant which landed her at KMOJ FM Radio and hosting her own show Chopin It Up with Bridgette.

Bio: Atlanta x Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs Social Impact Delegate, 22-Year-Award Winning Poet,Thought Leader, Activist and Founder of Poetry vs. Hip-Hop Int’l touring stage show, Grammy Collaborated Poet, Grammy U Mentor, Dj’d for: Angela Davis Burlington VT’s Juneteenth Celebration, lululemon, Live Nation, Bravo TV, the official Dj for the Georgia Dept. of Health Prep & HIV Prevention Tour, City Winery, Sneakers & Barz Sneaker Ball, nightclubs all over the country and endless living rooms during the pandemic. Queen Sheba’s mixes are known for the trap-rock mash-up, 90s dance vibe and feel good atmosphere. www.thequeensheba.live