Ayanna Najuma – February 28, 6:00 pm

Ayanna Najuma is a woman filled with the passion needed to change the world.

She is a Renaissance woman, a true visionary, and has accepted the responsibility of manifesting ideas that allow people, from every walk of life to determine their own destiny by using their talents, skills and resources to make a difference in the world – to enhance the quality of life.

A native of Oklahoma, Ms. Najuma’s days as an advocate began at the age of seven.  She was one of the original sit-inners at Katz Drug Store in Oklahoma City.  This sit-in was held several years before the sit-ins in North Carolina.  She has continued to fight for equity and equality for many issues that impact one’s ability to empower themselves and add value to society.

Ayanna traveled the country with Julia Clifford, documentary filmmaker of Children of the Civil Rights, sharing her story as a participant in the civil rights movement in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

She has launched I Have A Voice Now! a movement designed to empower and encourage children to utilize their own voice for equity and equality in society, as well as educate them on the importance of activism and advocacy.

Ayanna was featured as the cover story, Kids Fought for Change in the Weekly Reader magazine published by Scholastics in February 2017. Over five million first, second, third and fourth graders read about her commitment to make change and she has received over 25,000 letters from students from around the country that are interested in making a difference in the world.  She will also be featured in the play, Ayanna Brave in Storyworks and Storyworks Jr. in February 2019, which is also published by Scholastics.

Ayanna believes that knowledge is power and when people have knowledge they are able to take action.  She is committed to having an impact on society and is hosting WHAT LIES BETWEEN US with Ayanna Najuma, a conversational platform on social justice.  This platform allows like-minded people to connect, learn from each other and take action in creating change in the world.

In addition to being an advocate for creating a quality of life that allows one to be empowered and create their own destiny, she has developed an impressive range of creative skills. It is for this reason that she launched the column, THE BEST IS RIGHT NOW! Honor It! Embrace It! Live It! ™, featured on Retirement LivingTV.com and in The Oklahoman.  Her work as host and producer of WPFW’s radio talk show Business World in Washington, DC, allowed her the opportunity to touch the minds of many.  Additionally, she used her management skills as a board member of WPFW.  She continues to write for numerous newspapers and magazines.

She is an art advisor, journalist and has used her creative skills to curate exhibitions. Ayanna is in her element when she has an opportunity to write and discuss creativity and art and its impact on critical thinking, culture and society.  She is passionate about educating and empowering others to see how art expresses messages of the past as it helps to create the future.

Ayanna is a noted speaker, motivating and empowering people to take a second look at their lives, to step outside themselves, and examine what is necessary and required to live a healthy and prosperous life.  Ayanna is making a major impact on the young and old, as well as women and men around the world as she provides insight into how to live life to the fullest.

Ms. Najuma is also a principal with Lincoln-McLeod, a public relations and marketing firm.  As Ms. Najuma travels the world representing clients, her desire to maintain balance and harmony is paramount in creating a society that can have a legacy to be proud of – a history that can be passed on from one generation to another.

With over 25 years of international experience in communications, Ms. Najuma has worked with clients that range from authors, artists and entertainers to trade associations, nonprofit organizations and Fortune 500 corporations plan and respond to changes in the market place through strategic planning, brand and image development, market research, media relations, and media related special events.  She has made great strides in making dreams come true.

Ms. Najuma is passionate about the healthcare of the underserved.  She is committed to eliminating healthcare disparities in all healthcare areas, specifically kidney disease and issues related to women’s health.   In 2005, she donated a kidney to a friend and now speaks nationally to educate and inform people of color on the importance of organ donation.

Ayanna was presented The Trailblazer Award by the Oklahoma Department of Human Services, Oklahoma Department of Corrections, Oklahoma Corporation Commission and the Oklahoma Historical Society for her work in the civil rights movement. She received the Juneteenth Book Festival Heart of Courage Award in Washington, DC.  The Martin Luther King, Jr.  Day Committee in Midwest City, Oklahoma honored Ayanna as one of the original sit-inners in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.  She was one of the recipients to receive the Woody Guthrie Center Changing World Prize presented to Mrs. Clara Luper and the original sit-inners.  The League of Women Voters’ of Oklahoma and Oklahoma City selected Ayanna as one of  “100 Oklahoma Women Trailblazers” in celebration of the 100^th Anniversary of women in Oklahoma getting the right to vote.

Ayanna was honored to be invited to be the opening speaker for the 2019 Women’s March Oklahoma.

She was the Mistress of Ceremony for MLK Day Celebration Ringing of the Bell Ceremony and spoke about the significance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his impact on the sit-in movement in Oklahoma City and its 60^th Anniversary. Governor Kevin Stitt rang the bell and officially kicked off the MLK Day Celebration.

Ayanna is a member of the NAACP and formerly a national board member of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, the National Great Black in Wax Museum national advisory board, as well as a board member of the National Association of Women Business Owners in Washington, DC.  She is a member of Top Ladies of Distinction.  She presently is the executive director of the Dr. Ruth Joyce Colbert Barnes Foundation Inc.

Ayanna has been featured in Essence, Heart and Soul, Emerge and numerous local and regional magazines across the country.

She received a Bachelor of Arts degree from George Washington University in Washington, DC and a Masters degree in Urban Planning from Howard University also in Washington, DC.

Jane Jayroe – January 28 – 6pm

Jane Jayroe Gamble is a third generation Oklahoman and a former Miss America.

For 17 years she enjoyed a career as a broadcast journalist – succeeding as a prime time

news anchor in Oklahoma City and Dallas Fort Worth. She also served as spokesperson

for the Oklahoma Health Center and Cabinet Secretary of Tourism for Oklahoma.

Jane has written articles for national magazines and is the author of several

inspirational books, including Devote Forty Days, More Grace than Glamour (with Bob

Burke), and Oklahoma III (with David Fitzgerald). Her latest book, Practice:

Unleashing the Power of Faith, was released in December of 2018. Jane is the founder

and director of a successful luncheon series for Oklahoma women called “Esther

Women,” which is in its 15th season.

Jane is a tireless volunteer, serving her church, community, and state in many

ways. Currently, she serves on the boards of Oklahoma City University, Salt and Light

Leadership Training, MAPS3 Parks Subcommittee, OKC Philharmonic Board, and

Mercy Hospital’s Foundation. Five Oklahoma Governors have appointed Jane to a

variety of state leadership positions.

Jane is a graduate of Oklahoma City University with a Masters from Tulsa

University; she was awarded an honorary Ph.D. from OCU. Recently, she was selected

to be in the Oklahoma Women’s Hall of Fame. Jane has received many local and state

awards including the state’s highest honor, induction into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in

2007. She is married to Gerald Gamble and has one married son, two grandchildren and

a sassy dog named “Maggie.”

Marc Taylor – Nov. 27 – 6pm

 

Marc Taylor is a retired NBA Mascot, having worked for 16 seasons for the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Seattle Supersonics. In 2008-09, he developed and originated the “Rumble” character and worked for the Thunder in that role until hanging up his fur in 2015. Since his first mascot role as a Tiger in high school at age 17, being a mascot has taken Marc around the globe and to more than one emergency room. He has participated in, coordinated, choreographed, and starred in numerous halftime shows, timeout dunk shows, birthday parties, corporate events, video shorts, a few high-rise hijinks, and even one full length motion picture.

Marc — who remains a bit of an adrenaline junkie — and his family also own a few small businesses, including a local favorite, Elevation Trampoline Park. Since retiring, Marc has worked as the Program Director for TRUE Dads, a federally funded program through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. TRUE Dads is a free program in Oklahoma City that provides parenting, relationship and employment training to help dads be the kind of father they want to be.

Growing up in a military family, Marc lived in a number of places but spent most of his late childhood in Alamogordo, NM. He graduated from Alamogordo High School and attended Colorado State University. He and his family make their home in Edmond and attend Crossings Community Church.

Jabee – October 29, 2018 – 6:00 pm

Jabee is a Emmy Award winning  rapper from Oklahoma City whose music, according to Chuck D. from Public Enemy, “has the potential to change the world.”

His new album is Black Future , released in August 2016 with a 4,000-seat sold out show at The Criterion in Oklahoma City. The album reached #25 on iTunes. “Monument,” a track from the album feat. Chuck D., premiered on Billboard , and another track, “By Any Means,” premiered on Mass Appeal.

Jabee has toured with Run the Jewels (Killer Mike and El-P) and Murs, and has been featured on Sway in the Morning , MTV, XXL, Complex, The Source and Vibe. He has also performed at Kevin Durant’s celebrity basketball game and Russell Westbrook’s celebrity comedy show.

He released his first full-length album, Blood is the New Black , in 2008, co-produced by DJ Vadim, and the following year linked with DJs Mick Boogie and Terry Urban to record a mixtape called Must Be Nice . In 2011, Jabee partnered with DJBooth.net and IMKING clothing to produce the Lucky Me EP, featuring Carlitta Durand.

In 2013, his second full-length album, Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt , recorded under the guidance of hip-hop legend Murs debuted at #50 on iTunes. A track from the album, “ Stephanie (Super Ugly) ,” was produced by El-P.

Jabee received the Oklahoma Gazette’s Woody Award for Best Hip Hop in 2007 and 2009, the Oklahoma Street Music Award for Album of the Year ( Blood is the New Black ) in 2009, and in 2010 was recognized by URB magazine as an Artist to Watch.

In 2014, Jabee collaborated with Oklahoma City-based marketing agency Funnel Design Group to create, “What If?” a television commercial promoting Science Museum Oklahoma. The video won an Emmy for commercial writing and performance.

Jabee had the opportunity to tour Europe in 2015 with Swedish hip hop group Looptroop Rockers.

Lt. Jermaine Johnson – Sept. 25 – 6pm

Jermaine Johnson is a 19 year veteran with the Oklahoma City Police Department. He is currently assigned to the Major Violators Unit as the Special Projects lieutenant. Jermaine’s prior assignments were supervising Pal Athletic League officers, detectives in the Burglary and Sex Offender Registration Unit; undercover officers in the Springlake IMPACT Unit, Information Desk, and Patrol. Prior to being promoted, Jermaine was assigned to the Gang Enforcement, Family Awareness and Community Teamwork Unit, DARE, and patrol. While in patrol, he was a field training officer. He teaches cultural diversity to police recruits and is certified as a bias based police training officer.

Jermaine has a Bachelor & Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice Management from the University of Central Oklahoma, where he now works as an adjunct professor teaching Juvenile Delinquency and Victimology. Jermaine has been presenting police and race topics for over 13 years to different universities. He has also been mentoring inner-city youth for over 20 years.

Toby Rowland – June 21 – 6pm

Toby Rowland became the “Voice of the Sooners” in 2011, having succeeded the late Bob Berry in serving as the play-by-play voice for the University of Oklahoma football, men’s basketball and baseball games.

Toby also has a TV presence and prior to becoming the Voice of the Sooners, Toby was a 2-time Emmy award-winning sportscaster for KWTV.  Toby can also be heard on Sports Talk 1400 and hosts two television broadcasts for OU sports (football and basketball).

Toby and his wife, Jenni, have three children. , Trevor, Payton and Chloe.

 

 

Thomas Hill III – Tues. Oct. 24 – @ Kimray

Thomas Hill serves as Chief Executive Officer of Kimray, a leading manufacturer of
valves and controls for oil and gas production. Kimray began in 1948 and employs several hundred people at its production facility in Oklahoma City and store locations
throughout the United States.

As the grandson of Kimray’s founder, Garman Kimmell, Thomas manages the family-owned company with a sense of stewardship and heritage. Thomas grew up around the company and has worked in virtually every department—giving him an intimate knowledge of the people and processes from start to finish.

Thomas and his wife, Rebecca, have been married since 1986 and have 6 children.
Thomas earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at Oklahoma State
University. He is co-founder of several running events including the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon, the Redman Triathlon and the Mother Road 100.

Kimray – October 24

Here is a map of the location of our meeting at Kimray (8 NW 42nd Street, OKC 73118):

 

And here is a map of the Kimray campus:

Kyle Harper – Friday August 25

Kyle Harper is a historian of the classical world and the Senior Vice President and Provost at his alma mater, the University of Oklahoma. He graduated summa cum laude with a degree in Letters from OU and then received his Ph.D. in History from Harvard University in 2007.

His first book was published by Cambridge University Press as Slavery in the Late Roman World, AD 275-425. The book was awarded the James Henry Breasted Prize by the American Historical Association and the Outstanding Publication Award from the Classical Association of the Middle West and South. His second book, From Shame to Sin: The Christian Transformation of Sexual Morality was published by Harvard University Press in 2013 and received the Award for Excellence in Historical Studies from the American Academy of Religion. Dr. Harper’s third book, The Fate of Rome: Climate, Disease, and the End of an Empire, will appear from Princeton University Press in the Fall of 2017. The book argues that climate change and pandemic disease were integral to the fall of the Roman Empire.

In 2015 Dr. Harper was named OU’s Senior Vice President and Provost, serving as the Chief Academic Officer of the Norman Campus. In this role, he provides leadership in pursuit of OU’s core goals of student success, faculty impact, and community engagement.

A committed teacher, Dr. Harper offers a range of courses on ancient history and early Christianity.

He blogs at kyleharper.net.

Here is a map of the location of our meeting at Kimray:

 

And here is a map of the Kimray campus:

Royce Young – July 25

Royce Young has worked as an NBA writer for ESPN for the past three years. He is also the owner and editor of “The Daily Thunder” – a blog he started when the Thunder first arrived in OKC in 2008 and you can also frequently hear him on Sports Radio in OKC on WWLS.  Before literally traveling the globe covering the NBA, the extent of Royce’s experience as a sports writer was covering OU for the Oklahoma Daily as a student at OU. Royce and his wife, Keri, have a son and live in the OKC metro.