Anthony Mackie is a force on stage and screen. He was classically trained at the Juilliard School of Drama and is a talented actor who can capture a plethora of characters. Mackie is globally recognized for his role as Sam Wilson/The Falcon in Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe. He first appeared in the franchise in 2014 and has gone on to star in 6 Marvel movies including Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ant-Man, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. He will reprise his role as Sam Wilson in Disney+’s exclusive limited series, The Falcon and the Winter Solider.

This winter, Mackie starred opposite Kristen Stewart in Seberg, which made its world premiere at Venice Film Festival followed by a premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2019. Seberg opened in theaters on December 13th, 2019 and began streaming on Amazon Prime Video on May 15th, 2020. Mackie also starred in the second season of the Netflix series Altered Carbon, which premiered on February 28th, 2020. He starred alongside Samuel L. Jackson and Nicholas Hoult in APPLE TV+’s The Banker, which was released in theaters on March 6th and on Apple+ on March 20th, 2020.

Mackie was discovered after receiving rave reviews while playing Tupac Shakur in the off Broadway Up Against the Wind. Immediately following, Mackie made an auspicious film debut as Eminem’s nemesis, Papa Doc, in Curtis Hanson’s 8 Mile. He has gone on to star in such films as Brother to Brother, She Hate Me, Million Dollar Baby, The Hurt Locker, The Adjustment Bureau, Gangster Squad, The Hate U Give, and Miss Bala.

He has received two Independent Spirit Award nominations for his roles in Brother to Brother and The Hurt Locker.

Since making her film debut in John Singleton’s Oscar nominated film Boyz in the Hood, Nia Long continues to cultivate a versatile resume in both film and television.

Nia Long will next be seen in George Nolfi’s The Banker, opposite Samuel L. Jackson and Nicholas Hoult, and recently wrapped Fatal Affair for Netflix, where she served as both star and producer on the film. Nia is also about to start production on Dreams of the Moon where she will again star and serve as executive producer. Nia’s recent credits include the Sundance selection Lemon, and the Netflix series Dear White People.

A Brooklyn native, Long resides in Los Angeles with her two sons and partner Ime Udoka, assistant coach for the Philadelphia 76ers. In honor of her Caribbean heritage, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio recently declared August 27th “Nia Long Day” in the City of New York.

Dr. Noelle Trent is the Director of Interpretation, Collections & Education at the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee where she oversees its permanent and traveling exhibitions; collections’ donations and acquisitions; education programming and initiatives; collaborates with a variety of partners. In her role, she has presented internationally at the European Solidarity Center in Gdansk, Poland, and at high schools in Warsaw and Sopot, Poland. In 2018, she curated an exhibition and planned the commemorative service for the museum’s commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Dr. King’s assassination, MLK50.

Dr. Trent is an accomplished public historian and has worked with several noted organizations and projects including: the National Park Service, the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site, and the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture where she contributed to the exhibition Defending Freedom, Defining Freedom: The Era of Segregation 1876 - 1968. Dr. Trent is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Howard University where she also earned a doctorate in American history.

Michele Norris is one of the most trusted voices in journalism. She is a contributing columnist for The Washington Post opinion page and her voice will be familiar to followers of public radio, where from 2002 to 2012 she was a host of National Public Radio’s afternoon magazine show, All Things Considered. She later served as a special correspondent for NPR covering race and identity in America.

In 2010, Michele started The Race Card Project where she asked people around the world to share their experiences, questions, hopes and dreams, laments, and observations about identity—in just six words—as the starting point for conversations about race. In partnership with NPR, Michele produced a series of powerful radio segments based on Race Card Project narratives that were honored with a Peabody Award. In 2015 she left NPR to devote more time to building The Race Card Project's vast narrative archive. The project has archived more than 500,000 stories and has been used by hundreds of schools, businesses, churches, museums and even the justice department and the US military to foster dialogue and deep examination of how racial dynamics work in institutions. Michele is also the author of The Grace of Silence, a book that examines how hidden narratives around race can have a profound and lasting impact.

Before joining NPR, Michele worked for a decade as a television correspondent for ABC News in the Washington bureau. Prior to that, she was a staff writer for The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune and the LA Times. She has also done reporting projects for Time, National Geographic, PBS, and Lifetime Television.

Norris has won Emmy and DuPont and Livingston awards for her work. She has also received a National Dialogue Award for fostering difficult conversations across political and ideological differences. She serves on the Peabody Awards board of directors.

Norris is married to Broderick Johnson. They have three children and reside in Washington, DC.

Michele Norris grew up in journalism alongside Gwen. She was blessed by their friendship and will forever be influenced by her legacy.