2021 Annual Conference:
Empowered and Connected

Ruby Bridges was born in Mississippi in 1954, the same year the United States Supreme Court handed down its landmark decision ordering the integration of public schools. Her parents decided to move to New Orleans because they heard of better opportunities in the city. In 1960, when Bridges was only six years old, she became one of the first Black children to integrate New Orleans' all white public school system. Greeted by an angry mob and escorted by federal marshals, Bridges bravely crossed the threshold of this school and into history, single-handedly initiating the desegregation of New Orleans' public schools.

White teachers, except for Mrs. Barbara Henry of Boston, refused to teach her. Bridges was her only student that school year, as parents withdrew their children and boycotted the school. Angry protesters yelled at Ruby and held up intimidating signs and symbols as she walked into the building. Still, she held her head high as she went to school every day, never missing a day that year. Her walk to the front door of William Frantz Elementary School was immortalized in Norman Rockwell's infamous painting, "The Problem We All Live With," in Robert Coles' "The Story of Ruby Bridges," and in the Disney movie "Ruby Bridges." In addition, she has published her own award-winning version of her story, Through My Eyes.

Greatly in demand as a speaker, Ruby Bridges Hall brings her message to children and adults nationwide and leaves her audiences spellbound. She has dedicated much of her adult life to fighting bigotry and intolerance. Throughout her life, Bridges has been committed to ensuring that all children have an opportunity to receive a good education. She continues to work with the Ruby Bridges Foundation. Through educational programs, the Foundation serves as a national vehicle that emphasizes and promotes the values of tolerance, respect, and appreciation of differences. In doing so, it is the Foundation's hope to move, first, our children and then our society as a whole toward the elimination of racism and prejudice.

Mari Copeny, at 13 years old, has never allowed her young age to prevent her from making a significant impact on the dialogue around environmental racism. In May 2016, at the age of 8 years old, Copeny wrote a letter to President Barack Obama challenging him to visit Flint, Michigan to see the water contamination crisis firsthand. The letter was published in the Los Angeles Times and confronted the entire country with the reality faced by victims of state negligence.

Her activism has led her to meet President Obama, President Bill Clinton, President Donald Trump, and a host of other politicians, including Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. Her youthful honesty prevents political leaders from being able to ignore the consequences of neglectful leadership. She gives voice to the unheard hardships of Americans trapped by a collapsing and toxic infrastructure. She has taken her voice all the way to the front door of the White House to hold President Trump accountable for breaking his promise to Flint. In 2017, Copeny continued her dedication to justice by becoming a Youth Ambassador to the Women's March on Washington Youth and the National Climate March. Copeny continues to use her platform to not only bring awareness to her community, but give back. She has raised more than $500,000 for her Flint Kids projects, which has donated backpacks and more than one million bottles of water.

Copeny has been featured in Teen Vogue, The Guardian, VICE, TIME, and more for her vocal opposition to the injustices of environmental racism. When Copeny grows up, she plans to run for president.

Dena Simmons, Ed.D., is the Assistant Director of Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, where she supports schools to use the power of emotions to create a more compassionate and just society. Prior to her work at the Center, Simmons served as an educator, teacher educator, diversity facilitator, and curriculum developer. She has been a leading voice on teacher education and has written and spoken across the country about social justice pedagogy, diversity, emotional intelligence, and bullying in K-12 school settings, including the White House, the inaugural Obama Foundation Summit, the United Nations, two TEDx talks, and a TED talk on Broadway. Simmons has been profiled in Education Week, the Huffington Post, NPR, the AOL/PBS project, MAKERS: Women Who Make America, and a Beacon Press Book, Do It Anyway: The New Generation of Activists.

Simmons is a recipient of a Harry S. Truman Scholarship, a J. William Fulbright Fellowship, an Education Pioneers Fellowship, a Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship, a Phillips Exeter Academy Dissertation Fellowship, a Hedgebrook Writing Residency, and an Arthur Vining Davis Aspen Fellowship among others. She earned her doctorate degree from Teachers College, Columbia University, where she recently served as faculty in the Summer Principals Academy. Simmons' research interests include teacher preparedness to address bullying in the K-12 school setting, culturally responsive pedagogy, and the intersection of equity and social and emotional learning (SEL) interventions—all in an effort to ensure and foster justice and safe spaces for all. She is the author of the forthcoming book, White Rules for Black People (St. Martin's Press, 2021).

Born and raised along the border in a small barrio in Laredo, Texas, Consuelo Castillo Kickbusch is all too familiar with the challenges of poverty, discrimination, and illiteracy. Although she grew up without material wealth, Kickbusch was taught by her immigrant parents that she was rich in culture, tradition, values, and faith. After graduating from college, Kickbusch entered the U.S. Army as an officer and served for two decades. During that time, she broke barriers and set records in the military where she became the highest-ranking Hispanic woman in the Combat Support Field of the U.S. Army. After retiring from the military, Kickbusch founded Educational Achievement Services, Inc. to fulfill her mission of preparing tomorrow's leaders. Her strong dedication to saving the youth of America has led Kickbusch to work with more than one million children and their parents across the United States.

Bernice A. King is a global thought leader, orator, peace advocate, and CEO of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change (The King Center), which was founded by her mother, Coretta Scott King, in 1968. She was appointed CEO of The King Center in January 2012 by the Board of Trustees. From this position, the same one once held by her mother, this transformative leader steadfastly continues her efforts to advance her parents' legacy of Kingian Nonviolence, which Dr. King rebranded Nonviolence365.

Through her work at The King Center, Bernice A. King educates youth and adults about the nonviolent principles modeled by her parents. In 2012, she created the Camp N.O.W. Leadership Academy, which has engaged youth from New Mexico, South Carolina, Michigan, Alabama, and as far away as the Island of Cyprus. As part of the Center's Nonviolence365 education and training initiative, Dr. King launched Students with King, which enables students to interact with King family members, as well as those who knew and worked with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mrs. Coretta Scott King. Under King's leadership, the Center has expanded its community outreach providing Nonviolence365 experiences for ex-offenders and youth and adults in the St. Paul, Minnesota, community that was home to Philando Castile. Further, in an effort to build relationships between community and law enforcement and to decrease incidents of police brutality, The King Center facilitates Nonviolence365 for law enforcement.

King is one of the most powerful, motivating and life-changing orators and speakers on the circuit today. She began her oratorical journey when she spoke in her mother's stead at the United Nations at age 17. Over the years, she has spoken on the steps of The Lincoln Memorial, The White House, for major corporations and universities, and in nations throughout the world, including South Africa, Germany, and New Zealand.

Emmy Award-winning actor, director, and producer Henry Winkler made TV history as the iconic "Fonzie" on Happy Days for 10 seasons. However, few know of his lifelong battle with dyslexia. In 2003, he began writing the "Hank Zipzer" children's books about a challenged learner whose innate brightness leads to rich adventures. His latest children's book series is called "Alien Superstar." Henry Winkler currently costars as acting teacher Gene Cousineau on the hit HBO dark comedy Barry, for which he has won an Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy.