From a childhood of being endlessly mocked for his weight, Zach Herman has been on a mission. Zach says:

“I began my journey to fitness in the worst possible way. I was shamed into it. As an indoor kid growing up, I didn’t have many friends. I turned to video games and food for comfort, leaving me out of shape and socially maladjusted.

Eventually, I found a connection in theatre: all the imagined worlds to live in and parts to play resonated with me. This, of course, didn’t help an overweight kid in his early teens already facing ridicule every day for being the fat kid; now, because people think any guy in theater and dance is gay, I was the fat, gay kid too. I couldn’t change their biases, but I could change myself.

It wasn’t a healthy start. I’ve hit every fad and fitness myth. I’ve starved myself, I’ve done endless cardio, I’ve bought the workout DVDs, I’ve been led down a path that doesn’t work for me time and time again.

Then I got smart. I got educated and certified by the International Sports Sciences Association. I started training in 2016, and most recently took it a step further with Precision Nutrition in 2019.

As for my social issues, going through drama school, performing abroad, showcasing and auditioning in New York City every week, I’ve found a rhythm. The work is never done, and I continue to work on myself and set an example for my clients.”

Chris Lewis is a 1999 Watkins Award Honoree.  He was one of the top recruits in the nation.  Chris was Named the 1998 Gatorade National High School Football Player of the Year.  He was a consensus Prep All-America quarterback and also was chosen for the Parade All-America First-Team.  Chris attended Stanford University and is considered one of the top 10 Quarterbacks in the history of the school.  He briefly played in the NFL.  Now Chris is a Corporate Exec working just as hard as he did on the field. 

The Rev. Mark Thompson spent half of his life as a political activist in Washington, DC, before relocating to New York City in 2010.



His civil rights/political organizing includes: the 1984 and 1988 Jesse Jackson presidential campaigns; the movement forcing Georgetown University to divest from apartheid South Africa in 1985; weekly civil disobedience on Capitol Hill — for which Mark was jailed for 20 days — that helped win the first-ever congressional vote on DC statehood in 1993; the Million Man March in 1995, which Mark emceed; every anniversary of the March on Washington, each of which Mark emceed; the 2004 Al Sharpton presidential campaign; the 2017 Women's March; and is on the Senior Advisory Committee of the Institute for Politics, Policy and History at the University of the District of Columbia.

Radio and TV host, political analyst and commentator, UDC graduate, Mark was honored at the 104th Annual NAACP Convention in Orlando in July 2013 for “25 years of crusading journalism and outstanding leadership in furthering the work of civil and human rights.” Mark is a frequent analyst and commentator on cable news.

Mark anchored coverage of the dedication of the MLK Memorial. He broadcast Occupy Wall Street live, on location from New York's Zuccotti Park. His ministry, broadcasting and activism have taken him to the streets. He broadcast from Johannesburg and Soweto during the first-ever democratic elections in 1994 in South Africa, where he received the name, Matsimela Mapfumo, which means “firmly rooted soldier.” He has broadcast from every Democratic National Convention since 1992. For the past 10 years, Mark has been the only broadcaster to provide gavel-to-gavel coverage of the NAACP Annual Convention. He has also broadcast from the annual Women's March since 2017.



Mark talks politics, breaking news, social justice and human rights as the host of the award-winning "Make It Plain" daily podcast.

Bio

ALDA X aka ARNOLD ALDANA and ANDRE ALDANA

ALDA X was formed in the midst of the Covid Pandemic, after Arnold was hospitalized with covid. Once he was released, Arnold and his brother Andre decided to start writing music together again and finding inspiration for what was to become their self-titled EP ‘ALDA X’.

With Andre’s lush and moody production style and Arnold’s story telling of his love life, drugs and LGBTQ+ matters with acceptance and the struggles he faced with his religious upbringing, this EP brings you into their world.