Stephanie Edwards, p/k/a Sparkle, is a platinum recording artist.

A humanitarian first, Sparkle sacrificed record sales and so much more, becoming an advocate for abused women and girls. After a 20 year fight advocating for her niece, Black girls and women who’ve encountered sexual abuse (particularly in the music business), Sparkle is now publicly recognized as THE catalyst for females courageously speaking out about abuse endured in the music business.

Universally accredited as the first to speak out publicly on the wrongdoings of R. Kelly, her former mentor, Sparkle was the key component in validating allegations against Kelly. Some of Sparkle’s heroic story was featured in the groundbreaking documentary, 'Surviving R. Kelly. With R. Kelly’s conviction, Sparkle has now officially been vindicated and is
acknowledged as a hero of epic proportions!

After the selfless two decade fight that would break most, Sparkle refused to take her foot off the gas and is "getting back to business" by
incorporating Public Speaker to her resume. Constantly speaking to and on behalf of females of all ages regarding abuse and her backstory of being battle tested in every area of her life, Sparkle has gained the respect of inner city girls and garnered the support of women
worldwide.

Another title on the horizon for Sparkle is Author. Sparkle’s story and cultural impact, documented in the journals she’s kept throughout her journey, will cement a message of strength, courage and overcoming when faced with immeasurable odds.

Aishah Shahidah Simmons brings the confluence of cultural work, activism, and a 2500-year-old practice to ground her courage in living this complicated life. A survivor-healer, Black feminist lesbian award-winning writer-filmmaker, Aishah brings her life lens to work reinforced by a 22-year practice of Vipassana Meditation and trauma-informed, mindfulness meditation teacher certifications. Silent retreats in the US and India, a daily meditation practice, three decades of therapy, and a cultivated community are foundational to Simmons moving through the trauma and suffering she experienced from childhood and adulthood sexual violence.

Aishah’s cultural productions --the 2006 groundbreaking, Ford Foundation-funded acclaimed feature film, NO! The Rape Documentary and the 2020 Lambda Literary-award winning anthology, love WITH accountability: Digging Up the Roots of Child Sexual Abuse break silences, offer healing paths for trauma, and provide visions for humanely disrupting the inhumane epidemic of sexual violence. Ahead of its time, NO!’s world premiere at the 2006 Pan African Film Festival occurred 19 months before Title IX was successfully applied to campus sexual assault cases and is one of the contemporary instigators of the modern campus sexual assault movements.

Since 1995, Aishah has led over 400 workshops and dialogues in the U.S. and globally, received numerous awards, and held Artist-in-Residence and/or guest faculty appointments at colleges/universities and organizations including Spelman, Temple, Williams, U of Chicago, U of Pennsylvania, Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, Spirit Rock, and Sounds True.