Corey Woods (born January 12, 1970), better known by his stage name Raekwon (/reɪˈkwɒn/ ray-KWON), is an American rapper. He rose to prominence as a founding member of the hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan, which achieved mainstream success following the release of their debut album, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), in 1993. Raekwon would subsequently pursue a solo career, releasing his first solo album, entitled Only Built 4 Cuban Linx..., in 1995. The album received critical acclaim, and is regarded by many critics as one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time, as well as a staple of 1990s rap.
Wardell Anthony “Ward” Connerly (born June 15, 1939) is an American political and anti-affirmative action activist, businessman, and former member of the Regents of the University of California (1993–2005). He is also the founder and the chairman of the American Civil Rights Institute, a national non-profit organization in opposition to racial and gender preferences, and is the president of Californians for Equal Rights, a non-profit organization active in the state of California with a similar mission. He is considered to be the man behind California's Proposition 209 prohibiting race- and gender-based preferences in state hiring, contracting and state university admissions, a program known as affirmative action.
Frances Luella Cress Welsing (March 18, 1935 – January 2, 2016) was an American psychiatrist and well-known proponent of the pseudoscientific melanin theory. Her 1970 essay, The Cress Theory of Color-Confrontation and Racism (White Supremacy),[5] offered her interpretation of what she described as the origins of white supremacy culture. She was the author of The Isis Papers: The Keys to the Colors (1991).
Henry Louis Gates Jr. (born September 16, 1950), popularly known by his childhood nickname "Skip", is an American literary critic, professor, historian, and filmmaker who serves as the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and the director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University. He is a trustee of the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. He rediscovered the earliest known African-American novels and has published extensively on the recognition of African-American literature as part of the Western canon.
Charles Peete Rose Jr. (born January 5, 1942) is an American journalist and talk show host. From 1991 to 2017, he was the host and executive producer of the talk show Charlie Rose on PBS and Bloomberg LP. On the show, he interviewed writers, politicians, athletes, entertainers, businesspersons, leaders, scientists, intellectuals, and fellow journalists. The show was known for its distinguished stature and intellectual tone.