Faith’s favorite feelings are a tie between sun on skin and warm mud oozing between bare toes. She is grateful for the life changing knowledge of literary grandmothers such as Audre Lorde, bell hooks, Toni Morrison, Zora Neale Hurston, Toni Cade Bambara and many more. She treasures the great privilege to have listened at the feet of giants in social justice and theory around Black lives such as Cathleen Cleaver, Elizabeth Alexander and Jafari Allen. She wouldn’t be the same without the guidance of James McBride writing on paper napkins in McSorley’s Old Alehouse, “The work of your life is your life!” She works at the intersection of race, environment, history and culture. Faith has become a sharer of stories through serving lattes, sitting in cubicles, learning from children, riding public transportation, and talking to strangers. She daydreams about picking the leaves off cilantro stems with elders on front porches that can only be reached by dirt roads. Her feet have brought her - running and trekking and fishing and riding - to bustling streets, breathtaking vistas, and powerful rivers around the world. Like James Baldwin, she “loves America more than any other country in the world and, exactly for this reason, insist[s] on the right to criticize her perpetually.” She falls in love every time she hears “Que lo que.” She aspires to truly be a plant mama, she loves dancing in open air under the moonlight at kid-friendly parties, and her heart lives on a Brooklyn rooftop. Symbols of credential found here.
Perry is an avid runner, biker, and backcountry skier who is Avalanche L1 certified. He’s also a lifeguard, a Wilderness First Responder, and the founder of The Venture Out Project, a non-profit organization that brings together queer, trans, and LGBTQ+ youth and adults to create community, develop leadership skills, and gain confidence through the shared experience of outdoor adventure. The Venture Out Project also serves as an educational resource to support schools and organizations in their effort to affirm their LGBTQ+ community members. As an educator, Perry works with colleges, camps, schools, and other institutions to provide comprehensive, progressive education around gender diversity. When not out on some trail, cutting a fresh line through powder, or advocating for gender diversity in the outdoors, Perry can be found at home in western Massachusetts where he’s working with his local community to build a first of its kind, rural transgender health center.
Jamie DiNicola is an award-winning filmmaker & activist. His films have screened at Toronto’s Inside Out Film Festival, Seattle Queer Film Festival, San Francisco Transgender Film Festival, Monmouth Film Festival, and many others. Jamie’s production company, TransWave Films, focuses on centralizing trans stories & storytellers. Jamie graduated from Rutgers University in 2014 and Rutgers Law School in 2018. Jamie was named as one of the “10 Trans Filmmakers You Should Know” by Huffington Post. He is currently producing the upcoming documentary series, Trans in Trumpland, which is executive produced by Trace Lystte, Miss Major, and Chella Man.
Tyler Lerch is a 19 year-old from Sarasota, Florida. They have been involved with The Venture Out Project (TVOP) since 2015. They started as a youth participant and now help lead trips every summer. Their work with TVOP has taught them the importance and beauty of making community in less-inclusive spaces.
