The Adulting Queen's annual All Black Everything is making a comeback! The team has been planning since January to make this year's event even bigger and better than last year.
Buy your All Black Everything mug, follow All Black Everything 2021 on Instagram to stay up to date and tune in to our Melanated Mondays where team members are chatting with the creator about their experiences being Black. If you are interested in sponsoring All Black Everything 2021 you can find more information below.
Meet all of the amazing individuals that are contributing to the Black excellence of this event:
Amber Hurt
All Black Everything Creator
Amber Hurt is an educator, brunch lover and full of wanderlust. She created The Adulting Queen in January 2019 because no one teaches you how to be an adult and it's very ghetto here. Through navigating her own life she hopes to provide inspiration to others to live their best, healthy, authentic lives.
All Black Everything was born in the midst of the pandemic to celebrate her birthday and highlight the Black joy, excellence, tenacity, brilliance, melanin, awesomeness (we could go on forever, but you get the point) of Black people during a time where the world was continuing to tear us down. Amber has carefully put together the group of individuals contributing to the event based on their diverse backgrounds and commitment to sharing Black stories.
Sean Davenport
All Black Everything & The Adulting Queen Manager
Sean Davenport helps Amber with all things The Adulting Queen and All Black Everything behind the scenes. Sean manages and serves as a consultant for anything from social media to legal advice. Sean started his own company, Haire Cosmetics, to sell handmade hair and body care products with the mission to reverse the damage of the beauty industry. Amber and Sean have worked together for years on each other’s projects and Sean is so proud of what she has been able to accomplish so far and can’t wait for The Adulting Queen to take over the world!
Chris Venant
All Black Everything DJ
Chris Venant, is a Haitian American from Rockland County, NY. He graduated from SUNY Cortland with a degree in business economics. His line of work is in education & financial services. When he's not teaching people about investing & business, you can find him either DJ’ing events/parties or reading up on a good book.
Aliyah Wooten
All Black Everything Presenter
Aliyah Wooten is a graduate of William and Mary with a Bachelor’s degree in Finance and a Master’s degree in Business Analytics. She currently works for a premier financial institution in finance technology. Aliyah is interested in giving back to her community, mentoring, and increasing her financial knowledge. She hopes to use House of A Financial to empower young African American women and start conversations about finance that she wishes to have had earlier. In her free time, she loves binge watching A Different World and Living Single with a nice glass of red wine. House of A serves African American women in the age range of 18 to 30, as this is a formative period of time, defining habits and placing the integral building blocks of their financial legacy. We want to assist women at a pivotal transition into their budding careers, promoting positive habits to equalize the playing field for young African American women, rewriting their generational narrative.
Brianna Elum and Tyra Kaymore
All Black Everything Presenters
Brianna Elum (she/her/hers) was born and raised in Detroit, MI. She is passionate about creating and holding space for womxn as they focus on healing, liberation, and self-love. Brianna is also the published author of the Flouriish Efflorescence Journal. During her time in higher education, she has created and implemented programs that focus on intersectional feminism for Women Living in Learning Communities. She currently serves as a Residence Coordinator at Flordia State University. She has been working through traumas that have affected her physically, emotionally, professionally, physiologically, and spiritually. By sharing her journey, she has inspired others to start their healing process towards a sound mind, body, and soul!
Tyra Kaymore (she/her/hers) was born on a marine base in North Carolina and was raised in Detroit, MI. She is passionate about vulnerability and has been actively working to live her life openly. Tyra is also the published author of the Flouriish Efflorescence Journal. She has witnessed firsthand how lack of forgiveness and shame affects creating healthy relationships and hinders goals as well as self-image. Her journey has been ongoing; filled with reflection, having tough conversations, and facing trauma head-on. This has been a courageous journey, challenging her to push the barriers and uncover the truth. By sharing her journey, she encourages others to be honest about their feelings and find the courage to explore the deepest parts of their being. Make sure you check out the Flouriish website and follow them on Instagram!
Christian Williams
All Black Everything Panelist
Christian A. Williams is a recognized educator, thought leader and advocate for LGBT people and communities of color who is known to many for his charisma, natural vibrance, and helping people of all kinds unlock their potential. Since beginning his career at the age of 16, he has worked closely with both executives and front-level staff across numerous industries and functions, including nonprofit management; public relations and strategic communication; recruiting and human resources; hospitality and tourism management; and in higher education. Today, in his role as a Program Officer at the D.C.-based International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX), Christian is a part of the core team working to bring the brand-new Community Engagement Exchange program to life in partnership with the U.S. Department of State and other organizations, using all he has learned throughout the years to provide emerging civil society leaders, ages 20-27 and from over 100 countries, with the skills and expertise needed to return to their home countries and solve real issues in communities around the world.
An unabashedly Afro-Latino and gay man, Christian is passionate about having a positive impact on the communities his intersecting identities touch - whether by helping improve access to study abroad opportunities among students of color in his work with The Sizije Foundation, or by helping the Association of Latino Professionals of America (ALPFA) begin Pride initiatives locally and nationally as Director of Membership for the Philadelphia Chapter. His work has garnered recognition throughout the years, most recently when he was named as Delaware’s representative to The Advocate Magazine’s 2020 Champions of Pride List.
DeMarcus George
All Black Everything Presenter
As someone that continues to grow, DeMarcus is someone who is actively earnest, innovative, and tenacious in improving himself everyday. DeMarcus is a recent graduate from the University of Louisville with a Business degree in Computer Information Systems and a track in Web Development. He has a background in IT and Sales. Previously working at the University of Louisville's Miller Information Technology Center as an IT Consultant and also at Sprint were he served as an Retail Sales Consultant for 3+ years and acquired Top 50 national rankings. He's also previously worked in the tech space serving as a Business Development Representative for a Black-Owned startup company called Jopwell, where he helped impact career advancement for Black, Latinx, and Native American students and professionals. While currently taking a step back from work, he continues to use his time to stay busy. He is a beginner stock investor, Co-Founder of recent 4LifeInk Prints, and also operates his Marcos Mashups business where he specializes in home-styled meals!
Dr. Jamal J. Myrick
All Black Everything Presenter
Higher education hustler. Brother. Father. Self-Published Author. Dream chaser. Dr. Jamal J. Myrick hails from the great city of Jacksonville, FL by way of New Brunswick, NJ and currently resides in Riverside, CA. While attending Florida State University, Dr. J struggled to find balance between his social and academic life, eventually withdrawing for a semester to reconfigure his life after moving down a detrimental path. Dr. J returned to campus, secured a number of internships, focused on increasing his GPA, and graduated. After graduation, Dr. J moved to the Washington, DC area to work for Families USA (the organization that created the Affordable Care Act as a communications/press intern. Shortly thereafter, Dr. J started working at the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) under the Gates Millennium Scholars Program. During this period, his passion for higher education was ignited and Dr. J pursued a Master’s in Higher Education Administration while also meeting his future wife. In 2019, Dr. J earned his Educational Doctorate in Higher Education Leadership from Azusa Pacific University.
His work in higher education earned him numerous awards for diversity, equity, and inclusion. Recently, Dr. J self-published his book, Dear Black Dads: Wisdom for Your Journey to Fatherhood, a book focused on highlighting the stories of more than 20 Black dads looking to shift the narrative of Black fatherhood. The book was a #1 New Release in Fatherhood and is making an impact in the lives of Black fathers.Dr. J serves as the Director of African Student Programs at the University of California Riverside, where he provides leadership to the cultural hub of all students from the African diaspora. Not only does this combine his passion for his own community and leadership, the position allows Dr. J to sit at tables to advocate on behalf of his Black Scholars to exact meaningful change.
Ellis Bonds
All Black Everything Performer
Ellis Bonds is a native of the GREAT city of Atlantic City, NJ where he was born and raised. He received his Bachelors of Arts in Liberal Arts concentrating in Social Sciences with a minor in Africana Studies from Stockton University, and my Masters of Science in Higher Education Administration from Florida International University in Miami, Florida. From there he went to serve as a Hall Director at the University of New Hampshire, then an Area Coordinator at Rowan University. Currently he serves as the Associate Director of Intercultural Affairs at Elizabethtown College. He is an actor and spoken word artist. He is also very involved with his fraternity, Lambda Sigma Upsilon Latino Fraternity, Inc of which he was initiated in the spring of 2012.
The two quotes he lives by are:
“Education is the passport to our future for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.”
- Malcolm X
“Do not go where the path may lead, yet go where there is no path and leave a trail."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Kristopher Little
All Black Everything Presenter
Kristopher is an NYC ShapeUp fitness instructor and a holistic health advocate. Once a lover of fried chicken and catfish, a health scare in 2018 was the wake-up call he needed in order to venture towards a completely new lifestyle--learned through readings, personal experience, and health professionals. With this knowledge and drive, he is determined to promote wellness throughout the Black community as we fight back for our health and longevity through better eating habits and exercise.
Lani Gahiji
All Black Everything Presenter
Lani is a spiritual coach, tarot reader and healer based in Houston, TX. Her passion and focus is to serve as a guide for Black womxn on their journey to liberation. She's built her brand on the principles of authenticity, trust and joy. She hosted the podcast "Lani G Speaks" as well as her bi-annual Instagram Live Series: Liberating Black Womxn. She's known to some as a dancer, a TikToker, a professional affirmer and so much more. She wears many hats and all of them with pride. One of the mottos she lives by is that we are all multi-faceted, so we should embrace that instead of trying to be or do one thing. In addition to coaching, Lani leads an online healing community specifically for Black womxn on their healing journey where she holds monthly sister circles and provides insight to beginning and continuing the journey to self through a spiritual awakening. Those looking for spiritual guidance can connect with Lani on Instagram, Patreon and YouTube.
Lauren D. Wilson
All Black Everything Panelist
Lauren D. Wilson is a mother, educator, and mentor who believes in the power of story sharing to create community. She is currently the Assistant Director of the Multicultural Center at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, where she earned her M.A. in Higher Education. Lauren is also a loyal alumna of THE University of Arkansas (Go Hogs!). Lauren’s experience in higher education have been shaped by her diverse experiences over the past decade, from teaching high school English for three years to working towards student success in the campus library. When she isn’t hanging out with her ten-year-old mini-me, Gabriela, you can find Lauren obsessing over black women-owned stationery shops and her plant collection.
Marissa Disla, Keith Rogers, Jewel Scott of Let's Heal Inc.
All Black Everything Presenters
Let's Heal Inc. is a non-profit organization created and designed to spread awareness and highlight the importance of mental health. The mission is to restore the African American/ African Descent community through conversations and self care practices. Their programs are designed to educate and create a safe space for your mental health. It was founded by Marissa Disla and Keith Rogers. Recently, Jewel Scott has joined the team as the Youth Director. If you would like to learn more about Let's Heal visit their website, www.letshealmh.org.
Dr. Monique Golden-Harrison
All Black Everything Presenter
Dr. Monique Golden-Harrison launched Black Womxn’s Perfectionism (BWP) in fall 2020 inspired by her research and experience working with youth and women of color at a non-profit and predominantly white institution. Her research on perfectionism began with colleagues in student affairs; where they examined the associations between student leader stress and a host of psychological outcomes, including perfectionism and mental health. Perfectionism stood out as an area of focus for Monique, because while students of diverse backgrounds reported similar perceived levels of perfectionism, the stimuli driving perfectionism were not equivalent; sexism and racism in particular impacted Black womxn's perfectionism in unique ways. The tagline: “Doing the work, works” demands that the self is at always the center of our personal joy and satisfaction, not whiteness. This requires doing the work to sustain the self, by any means necessary. Her lectures and events help Black womxn learn the critical factors and health consequences of perfectionism through critiquing scholarship rooted in whiteness, examining perfectionism through critical and Black feminist theory, and facilitating activities that elevate our voices, build community, and affirm our experiences. Monique recently defended her PhD thesis in Leadership and Education Policy at the University of Connecticut (UConn), where her research focus was Black women and perfectionism. She holds a master’s degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs from UConn, and a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Lehigh University. While BWP was born out of research, it is truly one of my passions. Follow her on Instagram or Twitter.
Dr. Victor "Vic" St.John
All Black Everything Presenter
Dr. Victor “Vic” St. John is a researcher who explores the root causes and efforts to curb mass criminalization. Presently, he is a research scientist in the D.C. area where he primarily partners with organizations and agencies to mitigate the harms of the adult and youth criminal legal system. Previously, he served as the director of research and analysis for NYC’s Board of Correction, where he led mixed method research projects that directly informed practices and policies related to restrictive housing units, conditions of confinement for the youth population, and the prevention of victimization within NYC jails. Prior to that, Victor supervised juvenile facilities in conjunction with NYC’s Close to Home Initiative, facilitated cognitive based interventions with incarcerated youth under the first social impact bond in the U.S., and evaluated and provided technical support for various government and NGO initiatives (e.g., NYC’s Mayoral Action Plan for Neighborhood Safety) while at the John Jay Research and Evaluation Center. Victor’s experience also includes teaching criminal justice courses at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and for the Rutgers University NJ Scholarship and Transformative in Prison initiative. He earned a BS in Criminology at SUNY Old Westbury, an MA in Criminal Justice at John Jay College, and is in his final months of the PhD program at John Jay College.