About Zora Neale Hurston
Zora Neale Hurston wrote four novels (Jonah’s Gourd Vine; Their Eyes Were Watching God; Moses, Man of the Mountains; and Seraph on the Suwanee) and was still working on her fifth novel, The Life of Herod the Great, when she died; three books of folklore (Mules and Men and the posthumously published Go Gator and Muddy the Water and Every Tongue Got to Confess); a work of anthropological research (Tell My Horse); an autobiography (Dust Tracks on a Road); an international bestselling ethnographic work (Barracoon); and over fifty short stories, essays, and plays. She was born in Notasulga, Alabama, grew up in Eatonville, Florida, and lived her last years in Fort Pierce, Florida.
About Ibram X. Kendi
Ibram X. Kendi is a National Book Award–winning and #1 New York Times bestselling author. His books include Antiracist Baby; Goodnight Racism; How to Be an Antiracist; and How to Raise an Antiracist. Kendi was the Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities at Boston University and the Director of the BU Center for Antiracist Research for five years, before leaving to become Director of the Howard University Institute for Advanced Study in 2025. In 2020, Time magazine named Kendi one of the 100 most influential people in the world. He was also awarded a 2021 MacArthur Fellowship.
About Sheryl Lee Ralph
Sheryl Lee Ralph is an acclaimed stage and screen actress whose career spans more than four decades. At age twenty, she made her feature film debut opposite Sidney Poitier in Warner Bros.’ A Piece of the Action, which Poitier also directed. She is widely celebrated for originating the role of Deena Jones in the landmark Broadway musical Dreamgirls, earning Tony and Drama Desk Award nominations for Best Actress. Her extensive body of work includes notable film and television roles in Mistress, To Sleep with Anger, The Distinguished Gentlemen, Sister Act 2, Moesha, and Ray Donovan. She currently stars in the Peabody Award–winning comedy series Abbott Elementary, and her portrayal of Barbara Howard earned her the 2022 Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. She recently received a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her distinguished career. Ralph is also a nationally recognized AIDS activist, and in 1990 she founded The DIVA Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to improving health outcomes through arts-based programming. She is the proud mother of two, Etienne and Ivy, and is married to Pennsylvania State Senator Vincent Hughes. She divides her time between Los Angeles and Philadelphia.