ABOUT ARIA | @ariasaid

Aria Sa’id is a transgender advocate and award-winning political strategist based in San Francisco. She is the former LGBT Policy Advisor to the San Francisco Human Rights Commission and Policy Fellow alum of the Women’s Foundation of California’s Women’s Policy Institute. She is a founder and the Executive Director of the world’s first transgender district, The Compton’s Transgender Cultural District. For more information, visit www.ariasaid.com.

ABOUT LUKAZA | @bluekaza

Lukaza Branfman-Verissimo is an artist, activist, educator, storyteller & curator who lives and works in Oakland, CA. Branfman-Verissimo’s work has been included in exhibitions and performances at STNDRD, San Francisco State University Gallery, Signal Center for Contemporary Art, September Gallery, Southern Exposure, SFMOMA, Kala Art Institute, The Berkeley Art Museum, UNTITLED and San Francisco Arts Commission, amongst others. She is the lead curator at Nook Gallery and a member of the CTRL+SHFT Collective.

Photograph by Andrea Lo, 2018

ABOUT STEPHANIE | @bruhastylez

Stephanie is a creative director, designer, stylist, and event curator whose work is rooted in bridge-building, healing, and community. She's the founder and editor-in-chief of Hella Pinay, a media platform which seeks to create a space for positive representation of the diversity and complexity of Filipina womxn. Born and raised in the Bay and currently based in Oakland, she spent nearly a decade in the NY fashion industry working with leading designers such as Anna Sui, and her work has been featured in Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, and on NBC Asian America. Stephanie also collaborates with Indigenous women artisans in the Philippines to incorporate ancestral techniques and textiles into contemporary ready-to-wear with her brand HALIYA, and is the merchandising manager for UNDSCVRD SF, a non-profit venture designed to jump-start economic activity and public awareness of SOMA Pilipinas in San Francisco.

ABOUT RUTH | @kotetakotet

Ruth Gebreyesus is a freelance writer and producer based in the Bay Area. Through stories across various mediums, from audio to exhibits, Ruth explores the creation and consumption of cultural products. You can find her work in The Fader, The Guardian, and SSENSE. 

ABOUT YETUNDE | @ye.tunde

Yetunde Olagbaju is a multidisciplinary artist and curator, currently residing in Oakland, CA. Through their work, they utilize performance and emotional excavation as a through-line for inquiries regarding trauma, collective memories, legacy and healing.

Photo by Rich Lomibao