EZ Street started his radio career as a student at Kansas State University serving as program director and a radio personality of the on-campus radio station KSDB. He has since been a DJ at 100.3 JAMZ in Dallas, Q-102 in Philadelphia, WJPC in Chicago, KBLX in San Francisco, and WKYS FM in Washington DC where he has done the afternoon drive time for more than 10 years. EZ co-founded Circle of Friends, a mentor program for young African American males, and he founded the Sankofa Essay contest, which was designed to teach youth the importance of learning more about their past. EZ also produced the 1st Annual Mother Daughter Double Dutch event. Presently, in conjunction with his non-profit organization, “Creative Solutions for Youth,” EZ is organizing the Stop the Violence Task Force Network.

Allyson Criner Brown is a former middle school teacher who is now the associate director of Teaching for Change. She also serves as the program manager of the Tellin' Stories parent empowerment project, working closely with DC families and community organizers working for equitable schools and education policies.

Savanna S. Flakes is a national Education Consultant and an Inclusion Specialist for Alexandria City Public Schools. She coaches and models effective instructional pedagogy for teachers and administrators, and provides professional development on successful co-teaching, effective inclusive practices, differentiation, Universal Design for Learning, classroom management, and teaching students with severe disabilities in inclusive classrooms. 

A project from the projects in Brooklyn New York, Timothy Jones is an educator, writer, minister and Hip-Hop pundit.  Timothy is a husband, father of two children and a proud alumnus of Howard University.

Chris Obermeyer is a high school biology teacher in Washington, DC and an advocate for LBGTQ youth.

Viky Sosa is currently an English Language Learner Instructional Specialist with Alexandria City Public Schools.   Her family, like many other families from El Salvador, moved to the U.S. due to the civil war in her native country.   Prior to joining ACPS, Viky worked as an English as a Second Language teacher within the District of Columbia Public Schools.  She worked at both Bell Multicultural High School and Cardozo Senior High School.    She has worked with English Language learners of all levels including students with interrupted formal education.  She is a proud graduate of Bell Multicultural High School (AKA Columbia Heights Education Campus).

Educator and poet, Clint Smith, teaches English at Parkdale High School in Prince George’s County, MD.  Outside of the classroom, he serves as the school’s slam poetry coach and is the founder of Collective Voice for Justice, which empowers and trains students to become community organizers.  In 2013, Mr. Smith was named the Christine D. Sarbanes Teacher of the Year by the Maryland Humanities Council.  He has been featured in the Washington Post and is profiled in the book, “American Teacher: Heroes in the Classroom” (Welcome Books, 2013) as one of the top 50 educators in the nation.

Graduate of Friendly High School and current student at Prince George's Community College Rodney Johnson is a current DC Youth Slam team member who writes about his experiences growing up in a tough neighborhood. His poems reflect the struggles of African American men in today's United States as well as struggles with addiction and stereotyping he's viewed and experienced.

Ahriana Merryweather is an 11 year old, hip hop, ballet, modern, and African dancer. She is the founder of Shooting Stars, a dance team she started when she was 9 based at Watha T Daniels library. In her spare time she watches Disney, plays her violin, and DANCES!

The Dance Place Step Team has represented the best in youth talent since its inception in 2000, with members ages 8 and up. The vision of the Step Team is to maintain a core group of outstanding students who strive academically as well as theatrically to be their best.