Lisa Brock (PhD) has been a long-time activist in the Chicago area. She was born and raised in Glendale, Ohio and holds a BA in history from Howard University and a doctorate in history from Northwestern University. She served as chair of the Humanities, History, and Social Sciences department at Columbia College Chicago and as the founding Academic Director of the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership at Kalamazoo College, Michigan. She has been involved in solidarity work for Cuba for over four decades. She was close to Assata Shakur. 

Tracye Matthews is a curator, filmmaker, and historian who bridges academia, public history, museums, and documentary film. She currently serves as the Executive Director of the Center for the Study of Race, Politics, and Culture at the University of Chicago, having previously been a Mellon Postdoctoral Teaching Fellow.