Newark, New Jersey Mayor Cory Booker is known to make headlines for his philanthropic work, grassroots policies and guy-next-door style. He’s loved by his community and frequently praised for going above and beyond for his constituents. (He once went on a 10-day hunger strike to shed light on the dangers of open-air drug dealing.)
Educator and activist Dr. Steve Perry is well-known for his passionate approach to improving the quality of education for our youth — a cause he has openly committed his life’s work to. The nationally sought after speaker has appeared on hundreds of radio and television broadcasts to speak out about education inequality and cultural disparities among our schools. He also founded his own magnet school and is the author of the highly praised book Push Has Come to Shove.
Political activist, author and public speaker Kevin Powell is well known for his unique voice and prolific prose. He has penned 11 books, his most recent being a collection of essays called Barack Obama, Ronald Reagan, and The Ghost of Dr. King: Blogs and Essays, and written for numerous mainstream publications, including ESSENCE, Rolling Stone, Newsweek, and The Washington Post.
Handsome academic Marc Lamont Hill means business. He has lent his skills as an outspoken political commentator for FOX News Channel, CNN and MSNBC. The social justice activist and community organizer is a founding board member of a non-profit organization geared toward educating underprivileged youth about their legal rights.
Hill isn’t just opinionated about the state of the world, he’s well educated on it too. He holds a doctoral degree from the University of Pennsylvania and his research centers around the overlap of education, culture and politics. Presently, Hill is a faculty member at Columbia University and the author of Beats, Rhymes and Classroom Life: Hip-Hop Pedagogy and the Politics of Identity.
Brown’s a hero hands down! He served our country in the U.S. Army for 30 years and is currently a colonel in the United States Army Reserve. (He’s the nation’s highest-ranking elected official to have served a tour of duty in Iraq.) Brown says the two issues closest to his heart are protecting victims of domestic violence and encouraging capable families to adopt.
Bronx, New York borough president Ruben Diaz, Jr. has a long history of service. Before taking his latest post in 2009, he served in the New York State Assembly for 12 years, representing the 85th Assembly District. During his time with the State Legislature he worked diligently to support job creation and champion working families.
This year, Diaz, Jr. helped ensure that the city council passed new laws requiring developers that receive heavy taxpayer funding to pay employees better wages. Given today’s economic climate, it’s great to see politicians working tirelessly to put more money into the pockets of hard-working Americans who deserve it most. Oh, and did we mention the lifelong Bronx resident is quite handsome? It’s safe to say he has zero porblems getting his constituents’ attention.
New York State assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries represents Brooklyn and is a huge advocate for affordable housing for working families. He was sworn into office in 2007 and served two terms at his post. He’s well known for his Brooklyn-pride, and thanks to voters last week, he’s now headed to Congress this January. He won a seat representing the borough’s 8th congressional district.
Does Johnson look familiar? The brother has game – literally! Prior to launching his political career, and becoming the capital city’s mayor, Johnson played professional basketball with the NBA. He played point guard for the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Phoenix Suns during his 12-year career.
Tavis Smiley needs no introduction. The popular TV host, political commentator and author is no stranger to the news. The longtime host of late-night television talk show Tavis Smiley on PBS and The Tavis Smiley Show on public radio recently teamed up with Dr. Cornel West for their radio news commentary show Smiley & West.
In 2006, Ford, Jr. did not run for re-election because of plans to run for a seat on the Senate. He lost his bid for Senate by a narrow margin, and soon after became the chairman of the now defunct Democratic Leadership Council. He also frequently appeared as a political correspondent for FOX News Channel and NBC. Today, Ford, Jr. is a Professor of Public Policy at the New York University Graduate School of Public Service.
Conservative democrat Harold Ford, Jr. is the son of former Congressman Harold Ford, Sr. and when dear old dad, who was the first African-American to represent Tennessee in the U.S. Congress, left his seat with the United States House of Representatives in 1997, his son ran and won the election. Ford, Jr. served as the representative for Tennessee’s 9th Congressional District for 10 years.
You’ve most likely seen Touré’s political commentary and other works in The New Yorker or Vibe. He’s the author of numerous books, and he’s no stranger to controversy. Most recently, he made headlines after a heated interview with Piers Morgan over his coverage of the Trayvon Martin case and for accusing Governor Mitt Romney of participating in the “niggerization” of President Obama. Touré sure knows how to keep things hot on screen.