Debbie Almontaser
Debbie Almontaser: Bridging Cultures Group, Brooklyn, NY
Through Bridging Cultures Group (BCG), Dr. Almontaser advances equity and inclusion by designing training programs and initiatives that build understanding across communities and workplaces. BCG’s offerings include customized Train-the-Trainer programs, the Courageous Conversations series for educators, and culturally responsive food access programs. Her approach blends restorative practices, cultural competency, and hands-on learning to help people and communities see themselves a part of a diverse interdependent world across racial, ethnic, and religious lines.
Chris Lawrence
El Barrio Homes is an effort to create affordable housing for religious and social service workers in the neighborhoods where they work and minister in East Harlem, NY. Still in the early stages, the program hopes to provide single rooms and apartments for clergy and volunteer workers in order to build community and engagement in the neighborhood.
Jon Adam Ross
Jon Adam Ross, The Inheritance Theater Project, New York, NY
The Inheritance Theater Project works with communities to build relationships across divides through collaborative theater projects inspired by shared cultural touchstones and spiritual texts. Communities reachout to the Inheritance Theater Project as a way to create conversation and healing around incidents caused bydeep racial, religious, or other cultural divides. Founded by Jon Adam Ross in 2015, the company has created original theater in 15 cities across the US.
Kerry Brodie
Kerry Brodie, Emma’s Torch, Washington DC
Kerry Brodie founded Emma’s Torch with the mission of empowering refugees, asylees, and survivors of human trafficking through culinary education. Now opening a location in Washington DC, Emma's Torch provides refugees with in-depth culinary training as well as employability, equity, and empowerment training. Read more about Kerry Brodie here.
Stephanie Mayer
Stephanie Mayer, New York, NY, NARY
Stephanie Mayer is the Chief Everything Officer at NARY, a clothing line dedicated to ethical and sustainable practices and to the support of marginalized workers. NARY was founded by three sisters in May of 2020. Named after their Cambodian mother, Phannary, the company was inspired by their mother's amazing story of survival of the Khmer Rouge, the Cambodian genocide that killed almost two million people, that occurred in the late seventies in Cambodia. NARY started as a way to give back to the struggling country where their mother was born and to support the unique culture that helped shaped these three sisters and their Khmer-American identity. Utilizing the fashion education each sister attained through college and working in San Francisco and New York City, NARY aims to produce beautiful, ethical and sustainable products.
Naz Georgas
Naz Georgas, New York, New York: Cordoba House Sunday School.
Naz Ahmed Georgas pioneered the establishment of the Cordoba House Sunday School, an award winning weekend education program in NYC. The program was launched to meet the needs of growing American Muslim families seeking a Sunday school education that is both authentically Islamic and relevant to contemporary American life. The program’s mission is to build a uniquely inclusive and nurturing learning environment that promotes the notion that our children can be both proudly Muslim and proudly American. Founded in 2017 in collaboration with educators from Muslim and interfaith institutions, including the Brick Presbyterian Church in NYC, the Cordoba House Sunday School has already received awards for community empowerment and service to the education of children and youth. Read more about Naz Georges here.
Alisha L. Gordon
Alisha L. Gordon, Harlem, New York: The Current Project Rev. Alisha L. Gordon is a faith leader, preacher, and educator whose work intersects faith, culture, and politics. Gordon is the founder of The Current Project in Harlem, NYC, an advocacy-centered mission-driven organization focused on supporting the well-being of Black single mothers. TCP supports the transformation of women by connecting mothers to the resources needed to attain and maintain economic stability, helping them launch careers or projects that sustain their families and help them build security. Read more about Alisha Gordon here.