About the Authors

Kiandra Jimenez

Kiandra Jimenez is a Womanist artist/poet fueled by love and devotion to the narratives of Black American women and women of the African diaspora. Her passion for narratives drives her to seek novel ways of critically creating and understanding how we narrate and communicate ourselves to others. While Dr. Jimenez has been an educator for over 27 years, she deeply values alternative ways of knowing that live outside of academia. Dr. Jimenez holds a BA in English, MFA in Creative Writing with a dual focus in fiction and poetry, and a PhD in Cultural Studies with an emphasis in Africana Studies. Dr. Jimenez is a full-time Assistant Professor of English at Norco College, where she also co-coordinates the Umoja Program. When she is not in the classroom, she is found in her garden or fiber arts studio, creating.

Amiri Mahnzili

Amiri Mahnzili is an experienced educator with a demonstrated history of working in the higher education industry. As an adjunct professor at University of California Riverside, Cal State University Los Angeles, and Cerritos College, Dr. Mahnzili is a skilled Critical Pedagogue whose research centers on Pedagogy, Critical Theory, Afro-futurism, and Pan-Afrikanism. Earning his Doctors of Philosophy Ph.D. in Cultural Studies with a focus in Africana Studies from Claremont Graduate University, Dr. Mahnzili is a purpose driven pedagogue who uses the classroom as a space to allow scholars to realize their divine purpose and boundless potential.

Alexis Paul Monroy

As an adjunct professor in the Ethnic Studies department at Citrus College, I am passionate about teaching and merging my love for the arts with cultural studies. My research is focused on the transformative power of the street as a space for liberation and resistance to authoritarian states of oppression. As a lowrider and academic, I am committed to fostering a deeper understanding of the beauty and power within street cultures. I hold a Master of Arts in Cultural Studies from Claremont Graduate University and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from San Diego State University.

Jasmine Phillips

I have been in the education field for over 20 years. In August 2017, I earned my full-time position at Compton College where I teach Psychology and Human Development. My absolute favorite courses to teach are African American Psychology and Psychology of Racism and Oppression, as I have always had a passion for centering my teaching around BIPOC populations. I am an avid traveler and possess a healthy sense of adventure, having been to about 20+ countries, which to some is a lot and to others is a drop in the bucket. I always dreamed of a career where I could make a living, be flexible, and travel, and lo and behold, here it is!

Fanon C. Wilkins

Fanon Che Wilkins is Professor of History at Pasadena City College and hails from Los Angeles, California. He was raised by activists parents who cut their political teeth organizing in South LA in the 1960s. A graduate of Morehouse College, Wilkins holds a Masters Degree and a Ph.D. in history from Syracuse University and New York University respectively. Wilkins’ scholarship explores the politics of African Liberation solidarity activity in the 1960s and is concerned with the global contours of Black Power. He co-edited From Toussaint to Tupac: The Black International Since the Age of Revolution with Michael O. West and Bill Martin (2009). His scholarship has appeared in numerous edited collections, the Journal of African American History and Radical History Review among others.