Demar Matthews is a Los Angeles based architectural designer and founder/Principal of OffTop Design. Born in Moreno Valley, CA.  Demar received his Bachelor's from HBCU Lincoln University and completed his Masters of Architecture at Woodbury University, where he was awarded the Graduate Thesis Prize for his project 'Black Architecture: Unearth-ing the Black Aesthetic'. His introduction to the field was through his article 'A Black Architecture Education Experience' in Archinect. Demar is the CGBS Social Justice in Design Fellow and is a visiting professor for the University of Miami’s School of Architecture.

offTOP Design

Valencia Gunder is a Miami native, Valencia "Vee" Gunder is the Criminal Justice Program Manager at the New Florida Majority, Founder of the Smile Trust Inc., formerly known as Make the Homeless Smile Miami and Atlanta, Co-Founder of The Black Collective and National Organizing lead of the RBG New Deal at M4BL.  Through the CGBS Creative Futures Fellowship she will be hosted by the University of Miami Law School's Human Rights Program.

BLACK COLLECTIVE

A nationally acclaimed painter, printmaker, draftsman, muralist and educator, Charles E. Humes, Jr. has been a professional fine Artist for over forty years.  Miami born, Humes comes from a rich family heritage of the Grand Turks, Exuma, and the Eleuthera Islands of the Bahamas.  Through the CGBS Creative Futures Fellowship, Charles was hosted by the Department of Art & Art History in the College of Arts & Sciences.

charleshumesjr.com

Nadege Green is the founder of Black Miami-Dade, a history and storytelling platform that resists the erasure of Miami's Black past.  She is also the Director of Community Research and Storytelling at the Community Justice Project, Inc.  An independent researcher, writer, editor and community activist, Nadege was born and raised in Miami-Dade county to Haitian immigrant parents.

NadegeGreen.com