Speakers & Performers

Elmy Bermejo is a committed public servant and a champion for women’s rights. She has more than 25 years of experience in executive level management, strategic planning, policy development and advocacy. She has an established successful record of collaboration with...

Erin Inglish is a tour-de-force banjo chanteuse, a thoughtful wanderer steeped in the thick of California’s music scene. Inglish’s performances proffer passionate lyricism, toe-tapping grooves, and striking reflections about the state of the modern world. Her voice is...

Jay Bettergarcia, Ph.D., is a non-binary queer person of color and a professor in Psychology and Child Development at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. Jay runs the Queer Community Action, Research, Education, and Support (Q C.A.R.E.S.) program to identify barriers and...

Natalie Risner, mother, wife, and small business owner, was born in San Luis Obispo and is now raising her young girls on the Central Coast. She is a part of the Coalition to Protect SLO County, a grassroots group working to bring a citizens’ initiative to the ballot...

Dian Sousa is a long time activist and poet. She has published three books of poetry, has published in numerous journals and been nominated for the Pushcart Prize. She is a former Poet Laureate of SLO. Dian read her poem WHY WE MARCH at the 2017 San Luis Obispo...

Lisa is a professional wardrobe stylist empowering women through personal style, a freelance writer and an advocate for people with disabilities. Her son Blake (6) has Down Syndrome and she is an ambassador for the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS). Her advocacy...

Born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, Maria immigrated to the United States as a toddler. After settling in the Santa Ynez Valley, Maria experienced school as an undocumented youth. Those experiences; both good and bad, helped shape her career path as an educator....