JD Davids is a trangender and queer chronically ill and disabled strategist, storyteller and organizer working with national networks of people living with HIV, Long COVID, ME/CFS and other infection-associated chronic conditions. He is a member of the Patient-Led Research Collaborative, is a patient peer reviewer for the British Medical Journal and has served as an advisor to NIH, CDC, and state and local health departments. He writes and hosts conversations for the Cranky Queer Guide to Chronic Illness: Strategies for Health and Wellness for Sick Times, and is a member of the What Would an HIV Doula Do collective. He was a longtime member of ACT UP Philadelphia and the founding executive director ofCHAMP, a national mobilization force on HIV prevention justice, as well as co-founder of Long COVID Justice. Currently, he is in the Biography and Memoir program at City University of New York (CUNY) Graduate Center, writing a memoir and conducting research on patient-led social movements, disability justice and sexual liberation.

Kiana Jackson serves as the Director of Data and Research at New Disabled South and co-leads The Black Disability Institute, where she works at the intersection of disability justice, data equity, increasing visibility of disabled researchers, and grassroots power-building. With a deep commitment to uplifting marginalized communities, Kiana brings over seven years of experience in community organizing, data analytics, and policy research. Her work is grounded in a vision of liberation that prioritizes the leadership, knowledge, and resilience of historically disenfranchised communities.

Kiana’s data and research insights directly supported statewide, local and national campaigns by identifying key areas for voter outreach and mobilization—shaping resource allocation strategies that contributed to historic voter engagement in rural communities. She has served as a Data Consultant and Strategist for a range of political campaigns and nonprofit organizations, offering data-informed solutions that drive equitable outcomes.

Kiana’s impact has been recognized nationally—she was featured in Essence magazine’s powerful article, “Answering The Call: 15 Black Women Leading The Fight For Voting Rights Protection,” highlighting her leadership and data justice work in the South.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Albany State University and a Master of Science in Data Analytics and Policy from Johns Hopkins University. Kiana currently resides in Tallahassee, Florida, where she continues to advocate for systems transformation through the lens of disability justice, racial equity, and community-centered research.

Holly Latham serves as the Community Engagement and Social Media Manager for #MEAction, which organizes advocacy and education for people with ME/CFS and Long COVID. In this role, she develops social media campaigns and manages #MEAction's more than 120 Facebook support groups. Holly had two strong passions prior to illness: facilitating compassionate communities and advocacy. She was on track to turn these passions into a career with a psychology major and goals of a master's degree and doctorate until ME struck and derailed her plans. Holly worsened from more moderately ill to 23.5 hours a day in a darkened room holding on through the pain and hoping for better days. Eventually, those better days did come and Holly immediately turned to the active online ME community. She became co-manager of the Justice for Karina Hansen campaign, and has since served in a variety of roles through #MEAction where she has used her talents for advocacy and community building. 

Fiona Lowenstein is an award-winning journalist, producer, speaker, and the founder of Body Politic, a grassroots patient-led health justice organization. Fi was hospitalized for COVID-19 in March 2020 and went on to found the Body Politic COVID-19 Support Group, which served over 15,000 people across the globe until 2023. The group's work was featured in The New York Times, Forbes, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, and Women’s Health, among many other outlets. Fi went on to publish THE LONG COVID SURVIVAL GUIDE, which was a 2022 Foreword INDIES Gold Winner in Health. Their writing has been published in The Nation, The New York Times, Teen Vogue, Wired, Vox, The Guardian, Business Insider, the Columbia Journalism Review, and more. They have also helped launch non-profit organizations, communities for media entrepreneurs, digital health newsletters, and symptom tracking apps. 

Ola Ojewumi is an activist and writer born and raised in Prince George’s County, Maryland. As a political commentator, Ola has appeared on PBS’s Democracy Now and MSNBC’s  AM Joy with Joy Reid. Her speeches alongside Senator Cory Booker have gone viral with 3.7 million  

views. 

Ola is a University of Maryland, College Park graduate with a bachelor’s degree in government and politics. As a student, she founded two nonprofits, Sacred Hearts Children’s Transplant Foundation and Project ASCEND. These organizations provide college scholarships to low 

income students, funding for women's education programs, support for global mentorship groups and literacy programs, and distribute teddy bears and books  to children awaiting organ transplants across the United States. These initiatives  have reached hundreds of young people living in Washington, D.C., West Africa, and Central America. 

Ola initiated these charitable efforts after receiving a life-saving heart and kidney transplant, inspiring her to give back to her community. 2017, she became a cancer survivor after being treated for a rare post-transplant lymphoma. The  Clinton Global Initiative, MTV, Intel, Glamour Magazine, and The Huffington Post have praised her initiatives. Presently, she works as a DEI consultant and freelancer, having written for CNN, NBC News, and The Huffington Post.  

In addition, she’s served on boards for nonprofit organizations created by General. Colin Powell and musician Lady Gaga. As an advocate, she has advised the Obama Administration on policies to advance the lives of people  living with disabilities and held internships in the White House, Democratic Leader/Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, Democratic National Committee  (DNC/Democratic Party), and Congressmen Albert R. Wynn’s Congressional Office.