Eloise Thomas’s bio to come…

Traci C. West is a scholar-activist who is a Professor of Christian Social Ethics and African American Studies at Drew University Theological School (NJ). Her teaching, research, and activism have focused on gender, racial, and sexuality justice, particularly related to gender violence. In addition to her many published articles, book chapters, and books, most recently, she is the author of Solidarity and Defiant Spirituality: Africana Lessons on Religion, Racism, and Ending Gender Violence. She is an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church where she has previously been involved with organizing that centers the voices of Queer, Transgender, and People of Color in the struggle for LGBTQIA equality in the church.

Danielle joined CONNECT in 2021 as a community educator. In her capacity at CONNECT Faith, Danielle collaborates with New York City’s diverse faith communities to create and strengthen their response to gender and family violence. She has a passion or empowering diverse faith communities to live into their values of social justice and transforming the world. Prior to CONNECT, Danielle spent many years as an inter-faith-based community organizer in California, equipping congregations to enact police accountability, criminal justice reform, violence intervention and prevention, and civic engagement. In her downtime, Danielle enjoys designing Afrocentric jewelry, watching Nollywood movies and cooking random recipes from YouTube influencers. She holds a Masters of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley.

Simone Devi Jhingoor is an Indo-Caribbean social justice thought leader working to transform her community in NYC.  For 20 years, she has supported youth to become cultural and community organizers; has led transformational leadership development programs for women and gender expansive people of color to center their healing; and has produced dynamic cultural events to create a platform for BIPOC artists.  Simone co-founded Jahajee Sisters in 2007 to build the power of Indo-Caribbean survivors and address the root causes of gender-based violence in her community. She became the organization’s first Co-Executive Director in 2018. At Jahajee Sisters, Simone loves supporting Indo-Caribbean women and gender expansive people to tap into their inner wisdom, realize their dreams and embody their life’s joy & purpose. Prior to her role at Jahajee Sisters, she was the Director of External Communications at the Women’s Housing and Economic Development Corporation (WHEDco) where she raised a total of $1.4M in institutional funding for programs that supported the stability of 35,000 women and families in the Bronx.  Additionally, Simone is a writer and performance artist. She pens and performs spoken word poetry that voices her unique Indo-Caribbean and Boogie-Down-Bronx experiences and commitment to social justice.