Black
Janyce Jackson Jones
Reverend Janyce Jackson Jones, a prominent and respected leader in the community retired after 21 years of dedicated service to her church and to social justice in the city of Newark.Janyce L. Jackson Jones served as Co-Pastor of Unity Fellowship Church located in Newark, NJ. UFC Newark, is a member of the non-denominational Unity Fellowship Church Movement, a Social Justice Ministry that seeks to minister to all people, regardless of race, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, or ethnicity.
Prior to Co-Pastoring at UFC Newark, Reverend Jackson served...
Patreese Johnson
Patreese Johnson is a femme-identified poet. She is the youngest of four brothers and one sister, and she grew up as the youngest on the block in her tight-knit community in Newark, New Jersey. She is fiercely empathetic with a big heart. While incarcerated after fighting off a street harasser in New York City (a story told in the documentary Out in the Night), she received her GED and ran a support group for women who were survivors of domestic violence. Since her release, she has enrolled at Essex County Community College, studying for Associates degree in Liberal Arts. She has been touring...Kysheif DeGraffenreid
Kysheif DeGraffenreid was born and raised in Newark, NJ attending some of the finest schools from St. Benedicts to Montclair State University earning a Bachelors in Sociology. His academic career has led him to provide mental health counseling to many of his peers in the neighborhood. After working for many years in community and public health, Kysheif launched KD REID Interiors to pursue his passion. KD Reid Interiors, which was established in 2020, addresses interior design entirely from the standpoint of the client. This tactic and Reid's distinctive, individual designs are only two of the...Douglas Says
There’s an impressive résumé attached to the name Douglas Says, which includes working with a list of celebrity photographers such as; Mike Ruiz, Fadil Berisha, Alex Chatelain, Ghillian Lewin, Marc Baptiste, Dah Len, Keith Majors, Anthony Barboza, Joe Grant, Ernest Collins, Martha Camarillo and Jerry Jack. It is often said by stylist, that Douglas Says… is one of the most important, yet under exposed designers around. Douglas is one of the undergrounds, best kept secrets! He’s a classically trained designer, with knowledge of fashions historical pass, yet firmly looking forward into tomorrow...Alicia Heath-Toby
C. Alicia Heath-Toby resides in Newark, NJ with her wife, Saundra ‘Honei’. She is the current board president of the Newark LGBTQ Community Center Board of Directors. In 1984 she received her Bachelor of Arts from the College of the Holy Cross. After leaving college, she was given the opportunity to work with a team of black doctors and community activists on addressing the HIV and AIDS crisis for Black Americans; this organization became known as the Black Leadership Commission on AIDS. In 1997, she joined Liberation In Truth Unity Fellowship Church (LITUFC) in Newark, NJ; a local church of...Margaret Woods
Margaret L. Woods is currently the President/Chief Executive Officer of Independence: A Family of Services, Inc., a multi-service agency serving high risk, socially disadvantaged youth and families residing primarily in the Greater Newark area. She is the former Associate Director of the New Jersey Governor’s Committee on Children’s Services Planning. In addition, she has served as the Executive Director of both Tri-City People’s Corporation in Newark, New Jersey and the Partnership for Neighborhood Safety, Inc. in New York City. She is a former staff member of the National Council on...Jerri Mitchell-Lee
Reverend Jerri Mitchell-Lee is a native of Brooklyn, New York. As the daughter of a Career Army Officer she has lived all across the United States and has been a long time resident of New Jersey. Reverend Lee has a passion for serving and continues to do so as a health educator, mental health counselor, and workshop trainer within and outside of Unity Fellowship Church Movement. She received her education at Sterling College, University of Kansas, Rutgers, University of Medicine and Dentistry, Newark, N.J., Howard School of Theology (Sat. Program) and Newark School of Theology. Reverend Lee...Darnell L. Moore
Because Darnell has written of his earlier life experiences elsewhere, this interview focuses primarily on his time in Newark. For powerful autobiographical reflections on growing up in Camden, NJ, see his two-part essay "Reflections of a Black Queer Suicide Survivor": Part I | Part II
Darnell L. Moore is a Senior Correspondent at MicNews, Co-Managing/Editor at The Feminist Wire and writer-in-residence at the Center on African American Religion, Sexual Politics and Social Justice at Columbia University. Along with NFL player Wade Davis II, he co-founded YOU Belong, a social...
Gary Paul Wright
Gary Paul Wright is the Founder and Executive Director of the African American Office of Gay Concerns. He is very active within the LGBTQ community in Newark, New Jersey, where he served two 3-year terms as a Charter Member of the City of Newark’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning (LGBTQ) Mayoral Advisory Commission (through July, 2014). He was appointed to the Essex County Executive’s LGBTQ Advisory Board in 2011, and is currently serving a second three-year term as well. Gary Paul also served as a Charter Board Member of the newly established Newark LGBTQ Community...Marc Sir Dane
Marc Sir Dane - MSD is one of the most exciting and sensational live performers on the music (“Real Music”) trip today! He has been the opening act for such musical artists as Stephanie Mills, The Times and more. The real essence of his musical genius is his powerful vocals – strong, sexy, and soulful. He is like no other male artist on the scene today.Sir Dane was born and raised in Savannah, Georgia. He was nurtured by creative individuals with talents in music, dance, theatre, fashion design, lighting design, and set concepts. As a young musical director for the local...