The Black Landscape

Shanice Monique Whittaker, MBA-HRM, is a christian, black woman who's purpose is to uplift and bring positive change to her community through her many gifts. Shanice is a praise dancer, Creative Director, empowerment coach, licensed cardio kickboxing instructor, seasoned HR leader, and entrepreneur.  

Her multi-faceted abilities allows her to present herself in various professional spaces. She inspires others to OVERachieve their dreams as the founder and sole owner of Soul Movement LLC; an alternative holistic wellness platform. Soul Movement provides services to engage the BIPOC community in physical, mental, and spiritual activity that will foster inspiration, creativity, and holistic wellness for developing creatives and entrepreneurs. 

Jameelah Lane was born and raised in Oakland, CA. She is an educator, entrepreneur, professional artist, and community leader. 

Nakia Dillard is the founder of Magnetic Woman Coach and Goddess Crowns By Nakia. She helps Black women put themselves first, be more bold and courageous, and leap into their next chapter. Through her services at Magnetic Woman Coach, she provides private coaching, workshops, and facilitating an annual group coaching program. Whether rocking their crowns or experiencing Nakia‘s coaching, women feel like the goddesses that they are. They know that they are cared for and more importantly, that they have the power within themselves to honor themselves their beauty, self love and purpose. 

Nakia Dillard has over 15 years of experience impacting the lives of others through her service in public health, youth development, as well as social and food justice work. She holds a Bachelors of Science in Community-Based Health Education. She is a Black woman walking in and committed to her calling.

Sarah Crowell is a retired professional dancer who has taught dance, theater and violence prevention for over 30 years. She is the Artistic Director Emeritus at Destiny Arts Center in Oakland, where she served in different capacities from 1990-2020, including Executive Director. She founded and co-directed the award-winning Destiny Arts Youth Performance Company, which was the subject of two documentary films. Sarah facilitates arts integration, anti-racism and team building professional development sessions with artists and educators, both locally and nationally. She has received many awards, including the Bay Area Dance Week award, the Alameda County Arts Leadership award, and the National Guild for Community Arts Education Milestone award. She is a four-time finalist for a Tony Award for Excellence in Theater Education.    

Sarah performed and toured with Impulse Jazz Dance Company in Boston and the Dance Brigade in San Francisco. She also co-directed the dance/theater company i am Productions!

Poet, actor, creative and Classic Man, Michael Wayne Turner III has been described in “The Examiner” as “remarkable, dynamic and real....Turner is maximally obsessed with character...his impact resonates and questions churn long after patrons leave the theater.” The SF Chronicle describes Michael as one “with a magnetic deep-dyed earnestness and almost otherworldly innocence".

Rev. Vickia Brinkley is a Community Organizer and Clergy person, with a demonstrated history of providing service and problem-solving talents in the Higher Education, private sector and retail industries. Singer-songwriter and Social Justice ministry public speaker, she leads as the Pastor of True Faith Community Baptist Church in Antioch, CA.

Derick Morgan is the Policy Associate for the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights. He provides leadership on campaigns to expand principles of truth and reinvestment at the state level. Before joining EBC's staff, Derick contributed to campaigns to end mass incarceration volunteering with the Ella Baker Center. He also helped create a sober social space for adults in Berkeley.  

Derick came to the US with his family and grew up in South Florida. His studies included economics and visual arts.

Tayleur is a poet, New Yorker and Howard University alumna.  Curating beautiful moments and threads throughout segments of her life, Tayleur began her career on the corporate marketing and merchandising teams at AARP, Gap and Banana Republic.

Tayleur dedicated herself to becoming better at curating art-filled experiences for Black people through her organization, Gold Beams. Gold Beams curates events, experiences, programming and productions for Black creatives and her Black community at large. Her work with Oakland School for the Arts, events at the Oakland Museum of California and within Black Women-owned galleries are examples of this. Her goal is to be in inspiring spaces with inspiring people and to support Black creatives making careers from their art.

An Oakland native, Adesha made her solo debut singing for hundreds of people at The War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco at the tender age of six. By age ten she had starred and co-starred in musicals, she sang a jingle for a commercial, and had performed solo at a few of San Francisco’s live music venues. Years of training from singing in church; vocal coaching from her mother Deltrina Johnson, a trained gospel singer; and numerous live performances would follow the training she received in her primary years. 

To date Adesha has performed at a long list of venues from San Francisco to LA. She has been the opening act for Ledisi, Goapele, Gospel diva Kim Burrell, Kase, Anthony David, Carl Thomas, Jazmine Sullivan and more. Adesha has released a full length album entitled Giving Love a Try, a re-mix E.P. of the Giving Love A Try album, 2 additional E.P.s entitled Feeling You and Things 2 Consider, and a single entitled Just Groove, all of which are available on ITunes, Amazon Music, and Spotify.

Kevin Jenkins has served on the Peralta Community College District Board of Trustees since December of 2020. Kevin is a proud alumni of the Peralta Community College District. He earned his Master’s of Public Administration from CSU East Bay and a Bachelor’s Degree in Urban Studies and Planning from SF State University. Kevin has worked in local government for many years, working to influence systems to improve the lives of people from disenfranchised communities. Kevin currently works with local community based organizations to address societal inequities. His community involvement includes serving in leadership on the Alameda County Public Health Commission and Peralta Citizens Bond Oversight Committee.

D’Shaun Campbell founded Succeed Consultant Firm to cultivate strong relationships with entrepreneurs and business owners. Campbell assists in vision execution from goal formulation to insuring process completion to success. Passion and undeniable skill presented D’Shaun with complimentary positions at multiple faith-based organizations including Dream Team Affairs, 1C13 Productions, Faith in the Bay, and currently Chief Operations Officer at Vision Center Church in Oakland, CA. 

Join us as we talk about faith, entrepreneurship, and doing the work!

Professional dancer, choreographer, teacher, and small business owner (Raycreations Greeting Cards), Erik Lee's artistic work aligns with but is not limited to the culture of the Bay Area: socio-political activism, spirituality, and artistic explorations of the African diaspora. 

Join us as we talk about humble beginnings, the weight and joy of being a role model for children, and the undemanding ease of how he started his greeting card business.

Tajianna Okechukwu (she/her) is an emerging actress and filmmaker. Join us as we talk about the duality of being behind and in front of the camera, bringing a Nigerian-American perspective to Hollywood, and that recent Jordan commercial!

Ave-Ameenah Long is a travel photographer and nonprofit administrator. 

Listen in as we talk about global Blackness, travel photography, youth empowerment, and the movement for Black Trans Lives.

Regina Evans is a native of Oakland, is a Poet, Playwright, Actor, Entrepreneur, Modern Day Abolitionist and a Survivor Leader in the fight against sex trafficking. She is the Founder of Regina's Door, a vintage boutique located in downtown Oakland. Regina's Door is an artistic safe haven and healing sanctuary for at-risk youth, homeless youth, young Oakland Creatives and survivors of human trafficking.