2021 Speakers
Nyle Fort |
Nyle has traveled to over twelve countries to learn, teach, and strategize around issues of democracy and inequality. In 2012, he served as an International fellow at the St. Andrew’s Centre in Southern India where he taught and created curriculum connecting the experiences of Indians and African Americans. In 2014, Nyle worked in Amsterdam and Belgium as the inaugural Beloved Communities fellow where he helped build a multinational effort to challenge global racialized violence. And, most recently, Nyle travelled to Rome to participate in the Vatican’s World Meeting of Popular Movements: a joint initiative of Pope Francis and the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace to end poverty and promote international human rights.
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Nyle has spoken at various academic, cultural, and religious institutions including Harvard University, Yale University, New York University, Swarthmore College, Vassar College, the University of Amsterdam, the Malcolm X and Betty Shabazz Center, the British Library, and the Riverside Church. His writing is featured in several academic journals including Harvard Journal of African American Public Policy and Socialism and Democracy as well as various media outlets including The Guardian, The Nation, and Ebony Magazine.
Nyle is currently a joint Ph.D. candidate in Religion and Interdisciplinary Humanities with a concentration in African American studies at Princeton University. He has won numerous fellowships including the Ford Foundation, the Forum for Theological Exploration, and the Provost Office at the University of Pennsylvania.
While completing his doctoral dissertation, Nyle consults around issues of policing, student activism, faith-based organizing, and diversity and inclusion. His latest project is helping to build a national institute for social justice with a world-renowned social justice scholar and writer.
Nyle is currently a joint Ph.D. candidate in Religion and Interdisciplinary Humanities with a concentration in African American studies at Princeton University. He has won numerous fellowships including the Ford Foundation, the Forum for Theological Exploration, and the Provost Office at the University of Pennsylvania.
While completing his doctoral dissertation, Nyle consults around issues of policing, student activism, faith-based organizing, and diversity and inclusion. His latest project is helping to build a national institute for social justice with a world-renowned social justice scholar and writer.
Sakara Wages
Sakara Wages is a native Chicagoan, a lecturer, and the programs and operations assistant at the Progress Center for Black Women (Madison, WI). Wages also owns Subversive Social Work, where she works as a Mentor and Antiracist Educational Consultant, all while completing the doctoral program at UW-Madison’s Sandra Rosenbaum School of Social Work. Wages also works alongside key Black community stakeholders in Platteville to co-create BlkPlattCom. In her free time, she chases Black joy, Black autonomy, and Black liberation.
2021 Entertainment
Founded in 1994 by C. Brian Williams, Step Afrika! is the first professional company dedicated to the tradition of stepping. Under Mr. Williams’ leadership, stepping has evolved into one of America’s cultural exports, touring more than 50 countries across the globe. Step Afrika! now ranks as one of the top ten African American dance companies in the United States. Step Afrika! blends percussive dance styles practiced by historically African American fraternities and sororities; traditional West and Southern African dances; and an array of contemporary dance and art forms into a cohesive, compelling artistic experience. Performances are much more than dance shows; they integrate songs, storytelling, humor and audience participation. The blend of technique, agility, and pure energy makes each performance unique and leaves the audience with their hearts pounding. |
Step Afrika! promotes stepping as an educational tool for young people, focusing on teamwork, academic achievement and cross-cultural understanding. The Company reaches tens of thousands of Americans each year through a 50-city tour of colleges and theatres and performs globally as Washington, DC’s one and only Cultural Ambassador. Step Afrika! hasearned Mayor’s Arts Awards for Outstanding Contribution to Arts Education (2005); Innovation in the Arts (2008); and Excellence in an Artistic Discipline (2012); and performed at the White House for President Barack Obama and the First Lady.
Step Afrika! is featured prominently at the Smithsonian’s new National Museum of African American History & Culture with the world’s first stepping interactive. In 2017, Step Afrika! madeits Off-Broadway debut with the critically acclaimed production, The Migration: Reflections on Jacob Lawrence.
Step Afrika! is featured prominently at the Smithsonian’s new National Museum of African American History & Culture with the world’s first stepping interactive. In 2017, Step Afrika! madeits Off-Broadway debut with the critically acclaimed production, The Migration: Reflections on Jacob Lawrence.