FacingRacismLR

Ari Hurwitz…a graduate of Beloit College with a masters degree from Marian University, has
worked in education for most of his adult life bringing intentional focus on human rights, equality, and
justice to his students. Last year, as 6th grade teacher at Inspire Academy, he developed a semesterlong
expedition entitled, “The Other: Bringing Empathy to History and the Now.” Through this he
was re-invigorated to the pursuit of bringing stories of rights and justice from all communities and
to all communities.
Angela Jackson-Brown…an award winning writer, poet and playwright who teaches
Creative Writing and English at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. She is a graduate of the Spalding
low-residency MFA program in Creative Writing program. She is the author of the novel Drinking
From A Bitter Cup and has published in numerous literary journals. Recently Angela’s play, Anna’s
Wings, was selected to be a part of the IndyFringe 2016 and this fall, her play Flossie Bailey Takes a
Stand will be part of the Indiana Bicentennial Celebration at the Indiana Repertory Theatre. Currently,
Angela is collaborating with musicians on a musical she wrote called Underneath the Chinaberry
Tree and her next play, It Is Well, will go on the road this fall.
J.R.IJamison…the Co-Founder of The Facing Project, where he also serves as the Chief
Storytelling Officer. In addition to The Facing Project, J.R. is the Executive Director of the Indiana
Campus Compact, a coalition of 40 colleges and universities that have dedicated their institutions to
campus and community partnerships for the public good. He has been featured in The Huffington
Post, Harlem World Magazine, and on NPR. He calls Muncie home.
SteveIKnote…a sixty-one year-old Hoosier with precious little interaction with other races
until attending college. At IU-Bloomington and later at Ball State, Steve began to cultivate a more
“worldly outlook.” After a thirty-three-year career with General Motors, Steve now is an associate
instructor with Ivy Tech. Steve is an advocate for life-long learning and reports learning a great deal
from Dr. Charles Payne.
River Lin…a life-long learner who loves to travel. Her career in ESL offers opportunities to teach
abroad; she spent 10 years in Japan and her next venture is to the Middle East (UAE). A native of Muncie,
Indiana, River Lin currently teaches ESL in the Intensive English Institute at Ball State University.
Resa Matlock…born and raised in the USA, has more family in Costa Rica. At a young age,
Resa became aware of the strange and complicated ways in which humans view each other. Stories can
help build bridges between people and their different points of view.
Beth Messner…an associate professor of Communication Studies at Ball State University.
She teaches courses related to persuasion and rhetoric. She also studies the discourse of people whose
voices are traditionally silenced.
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