Bayard Rustin Day 2026

Organize The Future: Rooted. Rising. Ready.

Organize The Future: Rooted. Rising. Ready., honors the life, legacy, and enduring relevance of Bayard Rustin through an evening of reflection, dialogue, and artistic expression rooted in justice and human dignity. Building on the spirit and success of our inaugural celebration, this year’s program brings together historians, advocates, and creatives whose work embodies Rustin’s vision of courageous, nonviolent leadership and community care as activism. Special guests will include Evan Malbrough, Walter Naegle—returning from our 2024 program—and two dynamic intergenerational panel discussions. Together, we invite the community to remember Rustin not only as a historic figure, but as a living call to action—one that challenges us to lead with integrity, imagination, and love.

Free with Registration:

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Event Schedule

🕑 2:00 – 3:00 PM: Registration, Self-Guided Museum Touring & Networking

Guests arrive, explore the museum exhibits, and connect in community.

This hour allows participants to ground themselves in the broader arc of civil and human rights history before we gather to reflect on how we organize the future.

🕒 3:00 – 3:10 PM: Welcome

Kama Pierce, Chief Program Officer, National Center for Civil and Human Rights
Jacob Flowers (he/him), Regional Director, US South at American Friends Service Committee (AFSC)
Dewayne R. Queen (He/Him/His), Director, Community Engagement LGBTQ Mayor’s Office of One Atlanta

Kama Pierce joined the National Center for Civil and Human Rights (The Center) as Chief Program Officer (CPO) in 2023, with more than twenty-five years of experience working in civil rights, educational programming, and non-profit and education leadership. As CPO, she oversees The Center’s exhibitions, K–12 education, public programming, and community initiatives.
Kama began her career in museums and cultural institutions as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Levine Museum of the New South in Charlotte, NC, where she worked closely with the education, exhibits, and museum store staff. She also served as the Director of Development for the museum. Before joining The Center, she was the Senior Vice President of Strategy, Marketing & Communications for the Woodruff Arts Center in Atlanta, GA.
Kama also had an extensive career in both law and education. A professor at Charlotte School of Law, Kama taught criminal law, appellate advocacy, and legal writing, and directed a travel comparative law program in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
Kama began her legal career with the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. She served as Staff Attorney and as a Judicial Law Clerk for the Honorable Judge Theodore McKee. She worked on numerous federal cases, including civil rights and constitutional law. Later, she practiced criminal law as an Assistant Public Defender in Pennsylvania.
Kama served in school administration as Associate Dean of Practice Ready Education and Assistant Dean of Academics at Charlotte School of Law, Associate Director of Admission at Episcopal Academy in Pennsylvania, and Director of Marketing & Communications at St. Mark’s Episcopal Day School in Florida.
Kama, who now lives in Atlanta with her husband and is a mother to three grown children, is a member of Leadership Atlanta’s Class of 2023 and a graduate of Georgetown University and Northwestern University School of Law.

Jacob Flowers is a native of Memphis where he served for 10 years as the executive director of the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center, a southern multi-issue organization dedicated to building power and furthering peace with justice through organizing and grassroots leadership development. He served as the Tennessee state director for Enroll America, a national organization working to engage the community in affordable health insurance through the Affordable Care Act. He is now based in Atlanta, Georgia, and works with AFSC as the Regional Director for the U.S. South. Jacob and his partner have three children and enjoy spending time together, having fun, and building for social change as a family.

Dewayne R. Queen serves as the City of Atlanta’s Director of the Division of LGBTQ Affairs in the Mayor’s Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, a role announced by Mayor Andre Dickens in 2025. In this position, he acts as the City’s primary liaison to Atlanta’s LGBTQ community, coordinating partnerships, advising the Mayor’s LGBTQ Advisory Board, and advancing initiatives focused on equity, health, housing, and economic mobility. Queen brings more than a decade of leadership experience spanning corporate and nonprofit sectors, with a strong record of building inclusive programs and strengthening community partnerships. Prior to joining the City of Atlanta, he spent ten years at Delta Air Lines, where he championed diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and served as President of the company’s LGBTQ Business Resource Group, EQUAL. In that role, he collaborated with senior leadership to address workplace disparities and reestablish partnerships with national advocacy organizations. Queen’s community engagement also includes volunteer work with Atlanta-area high schools and leadership roles with Atlanta Black Pride and Atlanta Pride. Through his work, he seeks to amplify intersectional voices and ensure that all LGBTQ Atlantans feel seen, valued, and supported.Dewayne R. Queen serves as the City of Atlanta’s Director of the Division of LGBTQ Affairs in the Mayor’s Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, a role announced by Mayor Andre Dickens in 2025. In this position, he acts as the City’s primary liaison to Atlanta’s LGBTQ community, coordinating partnerships, advising the Mayor’s LGBTQ Advisory Board, and advancing initiatives focused on equity, health, housing, and economic mobility. Queen brings more than a decade of leadership experience spanning corporate and nonprofit sectors, with a strong record of building inclusive programs and strengthening community partnerships. Prior to joining the City of Atlanta, he spent ten years at Delta Air Lines, where he championed diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and served as President of the company’s LGBTQ Business Resource Group, EQUAL. In that role, he collaborated with senior leadership to address workplace disparities and reestablish partnerships with national advocacy organizations. Queen’s community engagement also includes volunteer work with Atlanta-area high schools and leadership roles with Atlanta Black Pride and Atlanta Pride. Through his work, he seeks to amplify intersectional voices and ensure that all LGBTQ Atlantans feel seen, valued, and supported.

🕒 3:11 – 3:15 PM:Opening Framing - Organize the Future By Tim’m West, and Poetry by Leo

Tim’m T. West (he/they) is an award-winning educator, poet, hip-hop artist, and advocate whose three-decade career bridges classrooms, concert stages, and community movements. A graduate of Duke, The New School, and Stanford, he has transformed personal narrative into public service at the intersections of race, gender, sexuality, and social justice. Living openly with HIV since 1999, Tim’m has led national efforts to dismantle stigma through art, education, and mentorship—holding leadership roles with AID Atlanta, Houston’s St. Hope Foundation, and Chicago’s Center on Halsted. A former faculty member at The New School and Cal Poly Humboldt, he also launched Teach For America’s groundbreaking LGBTQ+ Initiative, shaping inclusion across 50+ regions. Now Executive Director of the LGBTQ+ Institute at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, he advances youth advocacy, research, and intersectional leadership through programs like the Georgia Youth Advocacy Fellowship, National Youth Advocacy Corps, and IGNYTE Symposium. Widely recognized as a pioneer of queer hip hop and named one of 31 Icons of LGBT History Month, Tim’m recently received the Stanford Pride Trailblazer Award for his enduring commitment to equity and liberation.

Leo D. Martinez (she/they) is a Black Dominican American and trans femme artist from Harlem, NY, now residing in Atlanta, GA. She has published her non-fiction in Electric Literature; and her fiction in Plantin Magazine, ¡Pájaros, lesbianas y queers, a volar! Anthology, and Aster(ix) Journal. She also works for the Multi-Agency Alliance for Children (MAAC) as a Grant Coordinator. You can find her contemplating by the riverbank, walking her dog, or on Instagram @leyesoy.

🕒 3:15 PM – 3:38 PM: Rooted in Light - Faith, Love, and the Architect of Justice

Bayard Rustin Society Atlanta Angelic Troublemaker, Sean Allen, is a charismatic Life and Relationship Coach, speaker, author, and podcast host whose work is rooted in leadership, authenticity, and transformation. His journey began in high school as Student Council President, where he first discovered the power of using his voice to inspire others—an early experience that ignited a lifelong commitment to helping people grow personally and relationally.
Known for his contagious energy and magnetic presence, Sean connects deeply with individuals and audiences across diverse communities, both nationally and internationally. His coaching philosophy blends wisdom, practical knowledge, and keen discernment, creating transformational spaces where clients feel seen, challenged, and empowered to elevate their lives and relationships.
A dynamic communicator, Sean extends his impact through The Sean Inspires Podcast, where he engages leaders and innovators from sectors including healthcare, luxury retail and beauty, technology, and government. Through thoughtful dialogue and storytelling, he explores personal growth, leadership, and purpose with a broad and expanding audience.
Sean studied Business Administration and Marketing at the University of New Orleans and later earned his Life and Relationship Coaching certification through Udemy. His professional journey reflects a commitment to excellence and integrity, highlighted by being named Employee of the Year by Neiman Marcus Group in 2015 and earning first place in the Martin Luther King Jr. citywide essay contest in New Orleans.
Today, Sean continues to blaze a trail for aspiring coaches and changemakers, encouraging them to use their voices as instruments of inspiration. Through nationwide Sean Inspires community initiatives and philanthropic efforts, he remains devoted to uplifting humanity and helping others step boldly into their purpose.

Walter Naegle was Bayard Rustin's life partner from 1977-87. During that decade, Rustin divided his time between domestic civil rights issues and international affairs, particularly refugee relief and promotion of human rights and democracy. In 2013, when President Barack Obama awarded Rustin a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom, Naegle accepted it on his behalf, becoming one of the first LGBT partners to do so. He is a co-author of "Troublemaker for Justice – The Story of Bayard Rustin, the man behind The March on Washington” a young person's biography published by City Lights. He is a graduate of Fordham University.

Before Bayard Rustin was a master strategist of the Civil Rights Movement, he was deeply formed by his Quaker faith — a tradition grounded in the belief that every person carries an inner light, that love must replace fear, and that justice must be pursued without cruelty.

In this intimate conversation, Walter Naegle reflects with Sean Allen on the spiritual foundation that shaped Rustin’s moral discipline, strategic patience, and unwavering commitment to human dignity. More than biography, this dialogue invites us to consider what it means to be rooted in light ourselves — and how conscience, courage, and love anchor the work of organizing the future.

🕒 3:38 – 4:10 PM: Rising Beyond the Blueprint - Young Civic Leaders Panel

Jack Lee Jordan (they/them) is a non-binary social worker, training facilitator, and organizer. Originally from Miami Gardens, FL, they reside in Atlanta, GA.
Jack started their activism journey as a sophomore in high school, the first transgender student out in their high school and one of the first transgender students out in their school district. This resulted in their becoming a youth advocate, working to shift their high school and school district policies through speaking engagements, educating administrators, teachers, staff, and other critical staff throughout Broward and Dade County Schools, and centering disability and LGBTQ+ youth of color.
Jack's leadership as a youth organizer was pivotal in the development of comprehensive training programs on crucial topics such as healthy relationships/consent, safer sex practices, and systemic oppression. At TransCon, a conference for the transgender community, Jack played a key role in initiating youth-specific programming. These sessions were designed to center conversations around young people and create a shared youth space. Their expertise was widely recognized, with esteemed organizations like the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, ClassLink, Unite Us, and CommonHealth Action seeking their consultation. They earned a Bachelor's in Social Work with a minor in Nonprofit Management from the University of Central Florida in 2023. Currently, they are the Youth Engagement Organizer at Georgia Equality, where they facilitate education on LGBTQ+ youth acceptance and participate in coalition-building on issues affecting the well-being and healthy development of LGBTQ+ youth in college and K-12 school districts throughout Georgia.

Liliana Bakhtiari is an Atlanta-born community organizer and public servant currently serving their first term on the Atlanta City Council representing District 5. The child of Iranian immigrants, Bakhtiari grew up working in their father’s pharmacy in the historic Sweet Auburn neighborhood, where they developed an early appreciation for community service and small-business resilience. Their advocacy began during their time at Georgia State University, where they organized around issues such as affordable education and immigrant rights. Before entering public office, Bakhtiari worked on human rights and social justice initiatives in more than 26 countries and held leadership roles with organizations including Planned Parenthood Southeast, ProGeorgia, and Partners for Home. Since being elected in 2021, they have championed legislation expanding access to legal counsel for tenants facing eviction, protecting reproductive rights, and strengthening affordable housing requirements in Atlanta. Bakhtiari has received numerous recognitions for their leadership, including Georgia Voice’s “Person of the Year” and the National Homelessness Law Center’s Local Legislator Award. They are also the first queer Muslim elected official in Georgia and the first nonbinary member of the Atlanta City Council.

Bentley Hudgins (they/them) is a Japanese-American community organizer and the Georgia State Director for the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), where they lead efforts to mobilize voters and challenge anti-LGBTQ+ legislation across the state. A longtime advocate for voting access and worker protections, Hudgins previously served as a political strategist with the New Georgia Project, helping manage voter protection initiatives during the pivotal 2020 and 2021 election cycles in Georgia. Their organizing roots include grassroots actions such as coordinating a vigil in Macon for victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting and helping lead “Stop Asian Hate” rallies in Atlanta. In 2022, Hudgins ran as the Democratic candidate for Georgia House District 90, seeking to become the state’s first openly nonbinary lawmaker. They are a graduate of Mercer University, where they were active in student government and housing justice advocacy. Hudgins is also a drag performer under the stage name Shi, using performance as a creative platform for political organizing and community building.

Dr. Everton Blair Jr. is a lifelong resident of Georgia’s 13th Congressional District, born and raised in Gwinnett County to Jamaican immigrants who built their lives on faith, hard work, and community. A product of local public schools and a former high school math teacher, Everton made history as the youngest and first Black member elected to the Gwinnett County School Board, later serving as Chair, where he raised teacher pay, expanded student services, and led the northeastern region's COVID-19 pandemic response.
Before serving locally, he worked on President Obama’s White House Initiative on Educational Excellence and earned degrees from Harvard and Stanford. Now, he is running for Congress to bring the same conviction, intellect, and compassion that have defined his life: to listen first, lead boldly, and deliver for the people who raised him.

Evan Malbrough is a native of Smyrna, Georgia. He is a 2020 graduate of Georgia State University with a degree in Public Policy, a minor in Cello Performance, and an inductee to Georgia State University’s 2022 40 under 40 class. At GSU, Evan was a founding member of his Vote Everywhere, where he led civic engagement programming on campus. While pursuing his undergraduate studies, Evan served as a Summer Research Fellow at the United States Department of Defense, serving at the Pentagon. At the Pentagon, Evan worked in legislative affairs and worked to supported the DOD Office of General Counsel. Upon graduating, Evan became a 2020 Puffin Fellow with the Andrew Goodman Foundation. Evan founded the Georgia Youth Poll Worker Project, recruiting 1,000 poll workers for the 2020 general election and 2021 runoff. The ACLU of Georgia officially acquired the Georgia Youth Poll Worker Project in December 2021, naming him a Voter Access Project Fellow between December 2021 and September 2023. As a fellow, Evan worked to protect on-campus early voting centers in Atlanta and supported ACLU GA's legislative initiatives. Evan is a writer who has published in publications such as Forbes, Teen Vogue, and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. After leaving the ACLU of Georgia, Evan served as the Managing Organizer of Georgia for Our Turn, where he worked with APS students to create a student mental health community board district-wide. During the 2024 election season, Evan worked as a VoteFlare Associate at the Shorenstein Center for Media and Politics at the Harvard Kennedy School and as the Religious Outreach advisor for Congresswoman Lucy McBath's Campaign. Evan served as the Senior Economic Policy Advisor at the Netherlands Consulate in Atlanta. Finally, Evan works as the Program Manager for Impact with the Andrew Goodman Foundation and the Atlanta Liaison for StartAruba.

Royce Mann is a lifelong Atlantan, spoken word poet, experienced community organizer, and former candidate for the Atlanta Board of Education. His prior experience includes serving as Legislative Director for March for our Lives Georgia, as a Student Activist Coordinator for Amnesty International, as Youth Engagement Coordinator for Sen. Raphael Warnock’s re-election campaign, and as a Lead Campus Organizer and Georgia Deputy State Director for the RISE Education Fund. Royce remains active in numerous community and political organizations, including the Atlanta Democratic Socialists and the Young Democrats of Georgia. He holds a B.A. in Political Science from Emory University where he was a recipient of the Woodruff-MLK Jr. Scholarship. In his spare time, Royce enjoys traveling, watching movies, and cheering on the Braves and the Hawks.

The Civil Rights Movement gave us a blueprint — disciplined organizing, moral clarity, coalition-building, and an unwavering belief in human dignity. But every generation must decide how to build from that foundation without being confined by it.

This panel brings together Georgia’s next wave of civic leaders — organizers, elected officials, candidates, and advocates — who are carrying forward the spirit of past movements while adapting strategies for a digital, hyper-connected world. Leveraging technology, social media ecosystems, policy innovation, and intersectional frameworks, these leaders are not replicating history — they are innovating within it.

They rise not in rejection of the past, but in conversation with it — honoring the architecture of earlier struggles while recalibrating for the terrain ahead.

🕒 4:10 - 4:14: YOU(th) Belong Poet, Lexi Markham

Lexi Markham (they/them) is a Junior at the Paideia School in Atlanta, Georgia. In her free time, she loves to write poetry, read, and walk outside. She has served as an Atlanta Youth Poet Laureate Ambassador from 2024-26, performing at colleges, nonprofits, and fundraising events around the city. Since Freshman year, they have started and led two queer clubs at their school and are currently working on starting a mental health initiative as well as a service club that volunteers at detention centers. They first engaged YOU(th) Belong in March 2023 when they shared poetry at YOU(th) Belong … On The Stage at OUT Front Theater and has volunteered at Compassion-Con and other LGBTQ+ Institute events. They hope to inspire others to fight for LGBTQ+ rights, embrace love, and exist authentically.

🕒 4:14 – 4:56 PM: Ready For Reckoning: What Might Pauli Say?

Kelly Banks (she/her) is a proud Black trans woman, entrepreneur, and advocate committed to uplifting marginalized voices and building community. With years of experience in both the culinary arts and community engagement, Kelly brings creativity, resilience, and leadership to everything she does. She is the founder of 2CakeGirls Bakery, a growing business known for its luxury desserts, and her work has been featured in Ebony Magazine.
Beyond entrepreneurship, Kelly is deeply invested in advocacy. She uses her journey as a trans woman to fight stigma, promote visibility, and create safe, affirming spaces for LGBTQ+ youth and young adults. Her leadership extends into public speaking, mentorship, and grassroots outreach, where she focuses on empowering others to live boldly and authentically.

Nate M. Esparza (they/he) is a board member of the LGBTQ+ Institute at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, where they have spent the past two years working closely with Executive Director Tim’m West on communications, marketing, and digital storytelling for the Institute—including designing and building the webpage you are reading now.
Professionally, Nate serves as the Southern Regional Administrator for the Unitarian Universalist Association, supporting congregations and leaders across the Southern United States through communications, event coordination, and organizational systems.
Nate is also a graduate student in Religious Studies at Georgia State University, a Wellstar Health System Graduate Fellow, and a member of the Trans Seminarian Leadership Cohort, a national program supporting transgender, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming seminarians as they prepare for leadership in faith communities and public life.
They have presented and facilitated in spaces including Creating Change, the Trans Faith & Action Network (TFAAN), the Unitarian Universalist Association’s Trans Day of Remembrance, and the LGBTQ+ Institute at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, often speaking about curiosity as a practice of resistance, survival, and collective repair.
Across their work in communications, faith communities, and movement spaces, Nate is especially interested in how storytelling, care, and collective memory help communities understand themselves—and imagine a more just future.

Leo Seyij Allen is a movement builder and spiritual care practitioner working to advance reproductive justice across the Global South. In his role as Movement Building Director at Forward Together, he sets the strategic direction of programs, projects, and outreach centering LGBTQ+ communities of color. Leo Seyij also serves as chair of the board of directors at Transmission Ministry Collective, a non-profit organization for transgender Christians, and is an alumnus of Howard University and Columbia Theological Seminary. In his free time, he enjoys getting lost down YouTube rabbit holes.

Gabrielle Claiborne (she/her) is Co-founder and CEO of Transformation Journeys Worldwide, an inclusion training and consulting firm with a transgender focus. She travels internationally, helping cutting-edge organizations position themselves to attract and retain the best talent, foster collaborative working environments, thus maximizing innovation and directly impacting the bottom line by creating fully trans-inclusive cultures. Some of her clients include Home Depot, COX, Royal Bank of Canada, Bank of America, Comcast, Microsoft, Mercedes Benz, UPS, Delta Air Lines, HubSpot, WarnerMedia, AARP, StockholmLGBT, International Hotels Group, HubSpot, The Grammys and the Centers for Disease Control, among others.
As an out and active transwoman since 2010, Gabrielle served as Co-Chair of the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce’s Trans & Gender Expansive (TGX) Initiative, as Co-Chair of the Atlanta LGBTQ Mayoral Advisory Council’s, Trans Affairs Committee, and currently serves as chair of the Out Georgia Business Alliance’s TGX360 Workplace and Entrepreneurship Initiative, as board member of the National LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance, and chair of the International LGBTQ+ Travel Association’s (IGLTA), Trans Advisory Group. In 2023, Acquisition International Magazine recognized her as their Most Influential Workplace Inclusion Training CEO and in 2022, she received the Georgia Diversity Council’s LGBTQ Leadership Award and Emory University's Barkley Forum, Georgia Speaker of the Year Award and. In 2020, she published her memoir meets self-help book Embrace Your Truth: A Journey of Authenticity and in 2019, the Atlanta Business Chronicle acknowledged her as their Diversity & Inclusion “Outstanding Voice” Award recipient, and she delivered a TEDx talk for Centennial Park Women TEDx. In 2018, Gabrielle received the Georgia Small Business Administration’s LGBT Small Business Champion Award in recognition of her efforts in advancing LGBT business ownership and her work was featured in Forbes. In 2015, Gabrielle was chosen as Atlanta’s Best Trans Activist.
As a trans-owned certified LGBT Business Enterprise, Transformation Journeys Worldwide was honored to be chosen as the Out Georgia Business Alliance 2018 Small Business of the Year, and to receive the Atlanta Hawk’s prestigious 2019 True Comes in All Colors award for their cutting-edge inclusion workgoes here

Kabir Amari (they/them) is a public speaker and the founder and CEO of KMG Consulting Firm, a research and strategy firm specializing in providing intersectional analysis on diverse lived experiences for public and private institutions. They are proud graduates of The Johns Hopkins University, earning a master's degree in education, and of Florida A&M University, where they earned a bachelor of science degree in political science with a minor in international relations and a certificate in global security studies. Kabir Amari is a former classroom teacher and the former LGBTQIA+ Coordinator for one of the nation's largest and most diverse school districts, and uses proven pedagogical techniques to engage and inform their training participants. Kabir Amari facilitates trainings that help participants critically examine the ways in which implicit bias related to race, gender, sexuality, and disability impacts the work environment and team productivity. Kabir Amari’s advocacy and scholarship on the experiences of transgender and gender-expansive youth have been twice published by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

Dr. Van Bailey (they/them) is an award-winning educator and trailblazer. Their speeches, content and workshops relate to LGBTQ+ visibility, mental health, youth advocacy, and intersectionality. They have experience overseeing offices that address implicit bias, LGBTQ+ equity, and diversity and inclusion. Dr. Bailey was listed in the Out 100 and Business Equality Magazine's 40 under 40. Additionally, they have been featured in Buzzfeed, theGrio, DapperQ, Out Magazine, ASOS, Hushpuppies, NBC, USA Today, NPR, iHeartRadio, and the Boston Globe. They are a trans youth advocate and are looking to carve out more spaces for queer and trans people to thrive in the world. They currently serve as a Program Coordinator for Trans Mentor Project and the Family Resources Manager at Campaign for Southern Equality. Dr. Bailey holds a BA from Denison University in English and Black Studies, a MA from the Ohio State University in Higher Education and Student Affairs, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from California State University - Northridge.

Li Ann Sánchez is a tireless advocate, distinguished activist, artist, and promoter of ancestral cultures and practices. Originally from a remote indigenous village in Mexico, she faced discrimination from a young age for being a transgender and indigenous woman. She emigrated to the United States as an undocumented immigrant in search of refuge, safety, and protection, where she faced injustices and imprisonment, motivating her to become a powerful voice against the immigration system.
After her release, Li Ann dedicated herself to supporting marginalized communities, participating in pro-immigrant, pro-queer, and pro-indigenous movements. She was the first transgender, undocumented, Latina, and indigenous legislative assistant in the state House of Representatives and served on local, national, and international boards. In 2018, she won her asylum case after a seven-year struggle and has since assisted immigration lawyers in asylum and visa cases for indigenous, LGBTQ+, and Latinx communities, contributing to the closure of two immigration detention centers.
She has been recognized with numerous awards, such as Grand Marshal of Atlanta Pride in 2016, Deep South LGBTQ+ Freedom Fighter in 2022, and the Cheryl Courtney-Evans Award in 2023. She has been featured in media outlets like the New York Times, CNN, Telemundo, and Univision, sharing her story of resistance and fight for justice. Founder and co-founder of organizations such as Latino LinQ, Respetrans USA, and Fundación Dsa Mii, Li Ann has facilitated more than 70 name and gender marker changes for trans and gender non-conforming nationals, after having managed and advocated before the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs since 2008. In 2023, she led a historic legislative lobbying day at the Georgia Capitol alongside the Trans Liberation committee. Known as the Star of the Phoenix and the Queen Nana of the Latinx Trans and Queer movement in the Deep South, Li Ann has inspired and forged leaders in business, politics, and inclusive community advocacy in religion. In her free time, she enjoys nature on beaches and in forests, and designing and crafting indigenous art with the trans flag as accessories and huipiles, which she proudly wears.
Her story is a testament to resilience and hope for marginalized communities worldwide.

The Civil Rights Movement reshaped the nation — yet even transformative movements, then and now, fall short of true inclusion. In the era we frame by Civil Rights, women were sidelined, queer leaders were often muted. Gender-expansive people were rarely centered, even when their labor was indispensable.

Pauli Murray — lawyer, theologian, poet, and visionary legal strategist — saw these tensions clearly. A collaborator with Rustin and a critic of sexism at the March on Washington, Murray challenged movements to live up to their own moral claims.

This conversation examines how sexism shaped the Civil Rights era and how trans and non-binary communities have been strategically under-valued even in LGB-centered movements. It asks not only what Pauli might critique — but what Pauli might call us toward.

What does it mean to be ready — ready to widen leadership, tell fuller histories, and move from symbolic inclusion to structural transformation?

🕒 4:56 – 5:06 PM: Collective Q&A

A collective Q&A bringing together voices from both the fireside chat and the panel discussions.

Moderators will guide questions that connect the themes of Rooted, Rising, and Ready—creating space for dialogue between memory and innovation, reflection and accountability. This conversation invites participants to reflect across the afternoon’s insights and consider what it means to organize the future together.

🕒 5:06 – 5:10 PM: Closing Inspiration by Chuma Hicks-Reese

Before becoming a Georgia REALTOR©, Chuma Hicks-Reese has been a poet, spoken word performance artist, author, and publisher under the pseudonym Chuma Whahid Rasul.
A fixture on the New York City spoken word scene in the late 1990s, he started the now defunct Pauline Publishing, and in 1998, published his first book of poems, The Third Eye of a Butterfly. In 1998, he subsequently published alifepoeminprogress by Tantra. He, along with his poetry partner, Fisiwe, now known as Aafroqween, made an appearance with a crescendo crafted duet called Heaven on the 2005 poetry compilation album entitled Les Nubians Presents Echoes, Chapter One: Nubian Voyager after performing with Les Nubians while on tour. That compilation went on to become a published anthology in the year 2006 entitled Nubian Voyager: Poetry and Music from the Urban Edge.
After moving to Atlanta in 2005, he founded ChumaSpirit Books, and in 2006, published his second book of poetry entitled The Affectation – Overcoming Shame and Removing the Mask. In 2007, he later published lovewords: poetry from a place called love by Fisiwe, who, as previously mentioned, is now Aafroqween. Although he hung up his publishing hat, Chuma is still a lover of the arts and will occasionally recite poetry.
With a background in big law as a legal secretary, word processor, and some cross-career paralegal work, his attention to detail regarding writing and editing contracts served him well as a professional writer when it came to publishing. That skill set now translates into his successful career as a real estate agent specializing in residential, commercial and international sales.

Chuma Hicks-Reese, Co-Chair of the Bayard Rustin Society – Atlanta, will offer a departing poetic charge to close the gathering—inviting us to reflect on leadership rooted in faith and conscience, to rise beyond inherited blueprints, and to continue the work of building deeper inclusion and broader justice.

Following this charge, attendees will also receive an invitation to join the Bayard Rustin Society and continue supporting the legacy and vision of Bayard Rustin in Atlanta and beyond.

🕒 5:10 – 5:15 PM: Honor Ryan Roemerman, founding executive director of the LGBTQ+ Institute

Ryan Roemerman is a partner at Lexicon Strategies, leading communications, public affairs, and business development for clients. He helps brands and changemakers tell their stories, build impactful programming, and move the needle with key audiences and decision makers.
He began his career co-founding a nonprofit that helped pass safe school and civil rights laws by helping young people tell their stories and motivating public and political action. He then launched a national campaign with NBCUniversal in partnership with the U.S. Department of Education and the White House, focused on creating supportive learning environments, and developed a certification program to help schools build their capacity. The program started in Iowa, served as a model in Oregon, and was replicated in Washington, D.C., with support from the D.C. Office of Human Rights, Robert & Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center, and Child Trends, with funding from the National Institute of Justice.
Ryan went on to manage communications and public policy for Out Leadership, a global business advising firm, and then served as a long-time consultant to the National Center for Civil and Human Rights as the founding executive director of their LGBTQ Institute. He also served as senior strategist and director of innovation, helping refine The Center’s leadership and advocacy efforts, successfully launching programs and campaigns with partners like Delta Air Lines, Bank of America, The Coca-Cola Foundation, the George W. Bush Institute, Freedom House, and the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation. His most recent clients have included the Atlanta Braves and the American Medical Association Foundation, among others.
Throughout his career, Ryan has turned insight into action—building alliances, driving campaigns, and designing strategies that deliver measurable impact.
Based in Atlanta, Ryan has served on various nonprofit boards, including youthSpark, The Alliance Theater Advisory Board, and as Well-Being Effectiveness Impact Area Advisor for the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta. He has also served as co-chair of the Atlanta Mayor’s Inaugural LGBTQ Advisory Board and was a National Advisory Board Member for the Grant Wood Art Colony. He currently serves on the board of the James P. Hayes Foundation. Ryan is a graduate of the University of Iowa.