Marcus Washington is an Emmy Awards winning journalist, currently working as the morning anchor at NBC Bay Area (KNTV) in the San Francisco Bay Area.

In addition to anchoring the morning newscasts, Marcus is co-host of NBC Bay Area’s Emmy nominated series, Race in America: The Conversation. The show explores racial equity and social injustice, attempting to bridge a divide between backgrounds and generations. Before joining NBC Bay Area, Marcus served as anchor and reporter at WJZ in Baltimore, Maryland. While working in “Charm City,” he covered a broad range of stories, but his life and approach to reporting were most deeply impacted by Freddie Gray’s death and its aftermath. In the midst of Gray's funeral, explosive unrest in the city, the political fallout, and community rebuilding, Marcus was there reporting live from the front lines and continued the months following. David Zurawik with the Baltimore Sun writes, "Marcus Washington again did solid and authoritative reporting for WJZ from Penn and North avenues, the epicenter of protests following the funeral of Gray last year." His careful and caring coverage of the unrest earned him an Emmy nomination.

Dreams of becoming “one of the people who tells the news” came early for Marcus. He still remembers sitting in his living room at the age of 5 and telling his mom, “I want to do that,” referring to the work of veteran Memphis journalist Joe Birch. Marcus' career in media began while he was a student at the University of Memphis, after inquiring about reading news for Memphis’ WUMR-FM (now WYXR) morning show. On his third day of orientation, Marcus received an invitation from the station manager to fill-in to host Thursday's 4p-7p slot. After just 5 minutes on-air, the station manager was so impressed with Marcus’ voice and personality that he walked into the DJ booth and told Marcus, "from now on, this is your slot." Beginning in that moment, Marcus became one of the hosts of Memphis' only jazz station.He went on to work as an associate producer in Memphis, Tennessee; and as a reporter in Nashville, Tennessee; Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Charlottesville, Virginia.

Marcus has been acknowledged by outlets like the Baltimore Sun and the Washington Post for his reporting. He is also flattered (and amused!) to be named one of “Nashville's 25 Most Beautiful People” (per Lifestyles Magazine in 2011) and number fourteen among “The 50 Hottest Anchors in the World” (according to Buzzfeed.com in 2017).Marcus is also member of The National Association of Black Journalists, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated, and the Church of Christ.

Dr. Marc Lamont Hill is one of the leading intellectual voices in the country.

He is currently the host of BET News, The Grio, Al Jazeera UpFront, and the Coffee & Books podcast. An award-winning journalist, Dr. Hill has received numerous prestigious awards from the National Association of Black Journalists, GLAAD, and the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences.

Dr. Hill is a Presidential Professor at the City University of New York Graduate Center, where he teach courses in Anthropology, Urban Education, and Middle Eastern Studies. Prior to that, he held positions at Morehouse College, Temple University, and Columbia University.

Since his days as a youth in Philadelphia, Dr. Hill has been a social justice activist and organizer. He has worked on campaigns to end the death penalty, abolish prisons, and release numerous political prisoners. Dr. Hill has also worked in solidarity with human rights movements around the world. He is the founder and director of The People’s Education Center in Philadelphia, as well as the owner of Uncle Bobbie’s Coffee & Books.

‍Ebony Magazine has named him one of America’s 100 most influential Black leaders.

Dr. Hill is the author or co-author of eight books, including the award-winning Beats, Rhymes, and Classroom Life; Nobody: Casualties of America’s War on The Vulnerable from Ferguson to Flint and Beyond; We Still Here: Pandemic, Policing, Protest, and Possibility; Except For Palestine: The Limits of Progressive Politics; and Schooling Against The Prison.

Dr. Hill holds a Ph.D. (with distinction) from the University of Pennsylvania. His current research and writing explore the relationships between race, culture, politics, and education in the United States and the Middle East.

With humility uncommon to those of like talent, Prentice Powell approaches every stage from  London to South Africa, sharing his gift while allowing his art to speak for itself.

As the former host/ curator of the prestigious open mic Mouth Off Wednesdays in Oakland California for six years, Prentice is an educator, family man, writer and a highly accomplished spoken word artist.

He has been recognized as a National Slam Finalist & Grand Slam Champion and is also a NAACP Image Award Nominee.

Powell has shared the stage with Stevie Wonder,Stevie Wonder, The Roots, Sevyn Streeter, Anthony Hamilton, Faith Evans, and along with his fellow Fiveology members, opened for Jill Scott during her 2013 Summer Tour. Prentice has recently began writing commercials for the luxury car brand Lexus and McDonalds.

Recently landing his first role in the Hollywood feature film "She Ball" with Nick Cannon & Chris Brown.  He has become a reoccurring performance artist at the Annual Essence Fest Held In New Orleans.

Prentice is the only poet to have appeared on all six seasons of Lexus Verses & Flow with eleven episodes to his credit and became the only artist to perform on the Arsenio Hall Show, a record three times. Recently writing and appearing in a commercial campaign for the 2020 Emmys.

Prentice Powell's spoken and written talent is notable, considering that both adequately communicate the depth of his consciousness in rhyme.

As a distinguished member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., he embodies the mentality of scholarship, fellowship, good character, and the desire to uplift humanity, all in the midst of continuing to define himself.

Amber Marie Carroll, 16 years, is a vocalist from Oakland Ca. Amber received her education at Oakland School for The Arts grades 6-9 with an emphasis in Vocal Music. Currently, Amber, 11th grade, attends Bishop O’Dowd High School, Oakland Ca, and is the lead vocalist for the Advanced Jazz Ensemble. Although Amber’s primary instrument is her voice, she is trained in piano and guitar. Post high school, Amber hopes to attend a college to further her studies in Music and Business Administration. 

Mickala Cheadle Josey born and raised in Oakland began her formal musical training at age 10 but began singing in the Baptist Church. Mickala is a classically trained Soprano and sings a variety of musical styles including Jazz, Opera, Musicial Theater and of course Gospel. Mickala is a well known performer throughout the Bay Area singing locally and internationally with her band Future Perfect alongside her father Michael Cheadle. She has also had opportunities to work with many performing artists singing backgrounds and has traveled the country performing. She was recently a featured soloist at Davies symphony hall with the San Francisco orchestra bringing the audience to their feet. Her biggest vocal influence is none other than the Voice, Whitney Houston and she received stellar reviews for her Musical tribute to Whitney in 2023. Mickala is married to the Rev. Andrew Josey and is the proud mother to 3 year old Madisyn. Mickala is serving currently the Minister of Music at Beth Eden Baptist Church in Oakland.

Introducing Cosmic Roots - Formed at the crossroads of genres, fusing Jazz, Funk and Hip Hop elements into a mesmerizing sonic journey. With smooth vocals, virtuosic instrumentals, and a magnetic stage presence, Cosmic Roots combines their diverse musical backgrounds into a harmonious symphony that transcends boundaries. From sold-out shows to intimate spaces, Cosmic Root’s electrifying performances leave audiences entranced and craving more. Their debut single, “Summer Time (From LA to The Bay),” weaves intricate melodies with feel-good lyrics, capturing the essence of musicianship and human emotion.

Instagram: @cosmicrootsmusic 

EPK: http://cosmicrootsmusic.com/epk 

Email: cosmicrootsmusic@gmail.com for contact with the performers. 

Kuumba LLC is a newly formed small business that was founded by Tiye Garrett in 2022 in the Bay Area that focuses on West African dance & rhythms. Kuumba is the sixth principle of Kwanzaa that means “creativity” in Swahili (African language). It has been defined as meaning: “To always do as much as you can, in the way we can, to leave our community more beautiful than when we inherited it.” Our mission is to spread joy through African Dancing & drumming by providing spaces to allow creativity to thrive through various art forms. 

Born In Santa Clara California, and a proud Nigerian, DJQUAM started his DJ career in college during his years at San Jose State. Graduating with a degree in Business Marketing and a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity and former on air personality for 106KMEL, DJQuam has become a Titan in the Bay Area DJ scene. You can catch him DJing in San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose and throughout California.
In 2015, she won best emotional vocals on VSTAR Kids and signed a one year contract with Thúy Nga Paris By Night Productions. In 2016, she traveled to Naples, Italy to perform at Piazza del Plebiscito plaza for a PBS special. In 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020, she won the Gold Star for the Northern California NAACP ACT-SO competition for Contemporary and Classical Vocals and also won in the Classical Instrumental category with the piano in 2020. In 2018, she won first place in the South Bay Teen Idol competition. In 2019, she was crowned as Miss Teen Vietnam USA. She has been featured in the center fold of Silicon Valley’s Concierge magazine, on the cover and in an article of Sống Thần magazine, and more recently on the cover and in an article of Bút Tre Magazine. She released two Vietnamese albums in 2014, “Tôi Mơ” and “Em Đến Chùa”, and released her third album, “Hoa Tím Người Xưa”, in 2021, now accumulating over 4 million streams in total over many platforms. In 2022, she had the honor of performing in a choir at Carnegie Hall in New York representing her school and performed in the choir on stage with Andrea Bocelli at the SAP Center in San Jose and Chase Center in San Francisco.
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