The Race Card Project: Eavesdropping on America’s Conversation on Race

An award-winning journalist and one of the most recognized voices in radio, Michele Norris engages audiences in candid discussions about race, culture and communication in America. Norris sparks important dialogue on current events, social issues and the power to make change as she breaks down commonly held beliefs and attitudes on race, diversity and bias. She makes complex and taboo issues remarkably accessible. Her audiences walk away empowered to stimulate discussion around challenging topics within their communities.

From the radio airwaves of National Public Radio (NPR) and primetime television to leading news publications such as The Washington Post, Norris is one of the most trusted voices in American journalism. On stage, she inspires open and honest dialogue, with memorable stories and fascinating perspectives drawn from her personal journey, investigative research and interviews with world leaders, Nobel Laureates and influential newsmakers. For a decade, as host of NPR’s longest-running program, All Things Considered, she captivated audiences nationwide while earning some of journalism’s highest honors. Throughout Norris’ accomplished career, her efforts to promote conversation about race have resulted in her critically acclaimed book, “The Grace of Silence: A Memoir.” She received accolades for a Peabody Award-winning initiative, The Race Card Project, which fosters conversation among individuals about their differences. Norris was previously the director of The Bridge, the Aspen Institute's program on race, cultural identity and inclusion, which addresses some of America's most complex issues by encouraging people to explore and engage with differing perspectives. Norris is also host of Your Mama’s Kitchen, a new podcast produced by Higher Ground, Barack and Michelle Obama’s media company, which explores the complexities of family life through conversations about guests’ childhood home meals. 

My Pride: Mastering Life's Daily Performance 
A major key to achieving and maintaining success in whatever you pursue is ensuring that your passions and your purpose are aligned. Through song and the vast wisdom he's gained pursuing and starring in six smash-hit Broadway shows, including his record-breaking run as King Mufasa in Disney's "The Lion King," Alton Fitzgerald White shares his enlightenment and the vital ingredients for sustaining consistent peak performance and success.

Alton Fitzgerald White captivated audiences with a staggering 4,308 performances as the majestic King Mufasa in Disney's iconic production, The Lion King on Broadway. Beyond his reign as King Mufasa, White has graced the Broadway stage in a multitude of leading roles, including Mister in "The Color Purple," Coalhouse Walker Jr. in "Ragtime: The Musical," Ken in "Smokey Joe's Cafe," John in "Miss Saigon" and The Hawker in "The Who's Tommy." T

Beyond his artistic pursuits, Alton has also showcased his literary prowess through his thought-provoking writings. Notably, his detailed and deeply personal account of racial profiling, titled Ragtime My Time, was featured as a cover story in The Nation magazine. His book, "My Pride: Mastering Life’s Challenge Daily Performance," an awe-inspiring biography published by Disney Editions, has earned nominations for numerous prestigious national book awards.

Lea Nepomuceno is an award-winning criminal justice reform advocate and former school board member currently studying at George Washington University in Washington D.C. Winning in a school board election with more than 3,000 votes in the second-largest school district in California, Nepomuceno spent her one-year term collaborating with district staff, adult board members, the superintendent and community stakeholders to write and co-sponsor resolutions aimed at implementing campus policing reforms, combating human sex-trafficking, preventing gun violence, addressing screen addiction and promoting climate action.

Before her term, Nepomuceno co-founded the organization Youth for Juvenile Justice Reform – interviewing more than 200 formerly incarcerated individuals in efforts to educate youth on the criminal justice system. Identifying hygiene inequity as a recurring theme throughout her interviews, Nepomuceno launched Beauty Beyond Bars in October 2023, a 501(c)3 organization empowering incarcerated people with beauty and hygiene. Nepomuceno was named a Teen Vogue 21 Under 21 recipient for her justice reform work.

Cameron Samuels organized nationally recognized efforts against book banning and LGBTQ+ internet censorship in Texas. Within months of once facing the Katy Independent School District school board alone, Samuels packed school board meetings, distributed hundreds of banned books and filed legal action with the ACLU, successfully unblocking queer internet resources in the district and retaining books on shelves. Samuels now organizes a coalition of Students Engaged in Advancing Texas (SEAT) to demonstrate youth visibility for a SEAT at the table in educational policymaking.

At the age of 14, Isabella Hanson was inspired to launch the international “I Matter” poetry and art competition on social justice. Sponsored by Gucci, the “I Matter” project has grown to draw participation from thousands of youth from 49 states and more than 60 countries.  As her project enters its fifth, Hanson continues to manages this global initiative while she is a student at Cornell University. She has served as an advisor for Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation and is currently a staff writer for the Cornell Sun. Hanson has been featured on Nickelodeon’s Kid of the Year program, as well as in Black Enterprise, Forbes Magazine and Medium.com. She is the winner of the inaugural Prudential Emerging Visionaries award, the Princeton Prize in Race Relations and the Princess Diana Award. She was also selected for Teen Vogue’s “21 Under 21” list of revolutionary changemakers.