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.

Ronnie Farmer, Marion, Indiana The I Have a Dream Preschool Academy Rev. Ronnie Farmer is the managing director of the I Have a Dream Preschool in Marion, Indiana which champions racial reconciliation among children. The I Have a Dream Academy is a language immersion early childhood education program, whose mission is to cultivate a love for self, a love for God, and a love for one’s neighbor within the hearts of children. The academy employs native Spanish speakers and encourages racial justice, understanding, and global citizenry through age-appropriate programs. Read more about Ronnie Farmer here.

Leah Lonsbury, Atlanta, Georgia; Just Bakery of Atlanta. Rev. Leah Lonsbury is the Executive Director and Founder of Just Bakery of Atlanta, a nonprofit organization that trains, certifies, and employs resettled refugees to make and sell pastries, bread, and other baked goods. Just Bakery provides job training and a living wage to new Americans to create a more diverse, inclusive, and compassionate community.  Founded in 2017, Just Bakery creates opportunities for refugee partners to build economic security as they recreate home in the Atlanta area. Read more about Leah here.

Coté Soerens, Seattle, Washington: Cultivate South Park Coté Soerens is the owner/midwife of Resistencia Coffee shop in the South Park neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. She is the co-founder of Cultivate South Park, a non-profit that lends infrastructure to neighborhood community development projects such as the Urban Fresh Food Collective, Reconnect South Park, and the South Park Arts and Culture Collective. Born in Chile, she came to the US at 25 and has since started a number of initiatives in both the private and non-profit sectors. Read more about Coté Soerens here.

Alysia Harris, Corsicana, Texas: Meeting House Revival Alysia Nicole Harris, Ph.D. is a Pushcart-nominated performance poet whose work is at the intersection of church and community building. The mission of the Meeting House Revival is to preserve Black history by restoring historical Black churches. Her first project, the East Side Chapel Revival Project in Corsicana, Texas, aims to restore and revive a historically significant Black church built in 1905 and create space for local artists to offer their work. Read more here.

My’Kal Lofton, Charlottesville, Virginia. Green Wall Street My’Kal Lofton is the founder of Green Wall Street, a collective working to strengthen social support connections across marginalized communities and to further understanding of ecological relationships. GWS began during the racial events in Charlottesville in August of 2017 and creates space and support for economic and social innovation both in Charlottesville and in partner cities. Read more about My’Kal Lofton here.

Simone Jenkins, Nashville, Tennessee. Lipstick Cult Simone Jenkins is an entrepreneur who started Lipstick Cult, a Black-owned lipstick brand that highlights global culture. Jenkins, who identifies as a person with a disability, is breaking through barriers as a business owner of color and plans to create programs for women with disabilities. Her Pink Door Project targeted breast cancer awareness, mammogram screenings, and survivor support. Read more about Simone Jenkins here.

Alisha Madden, Indianapolis, Indiana: Spolks. Alisha Madden is the project manager for Spolks Bike Shop in the Riverside neighborhood of Indianapolis, Indiana. Spolks was created by neighbors after a plea for an organization to address crime prevention in the area. Local youth are trained as bike mechanics, paid a fair wage, and are offered a safe, supportive space in a neighborhood where rates of crime and incarceration are high. Bikes are offered for sale or given to those needing transportation in exchange for work hours at the shop.