A Beautiful Resistance Live!

Jeneé Osterheldt covers identity and social justice through the lens of culture and the arts. She centers Black lives and the lives of people of color. Sometimes this means writing about Beyoncé and Black womanhood or unpacking the importance of public art and representation. Sometimes this means taking systemic racism, sexism, and oppression to task. It always means Black lives matter.

She joined the Globe in 2018. A native of Alexandria, Virginia and a graduate of Norfolk State University, Osterheldt was a 2017 Nieman Fellow at Harvard, where her studies focused on the intersection of art and justice. She previously worked as a Kansas City Star culture columnist. 
 

Imari K. Paris Jeffries, Ph.D., is the President and CEO of Embrace Boston, where he is leading a citywide racial equity transformation through The Embrace monument, the Embrace Center, and ongoing community organizing efforts. Imari brings a wealth of experience from the nonprofit management, racial equity, community activism, education reform, and social justice sectors and has served in executive roles at Parenting Journey, Jumpstart, Boston Rising, and Friends of The Children. He currently serves as a Trustee of the UMass System, UMass Global, Mass Humanities, Boston Ballet, the Huntington Theatre, GBH Advisory Board and former Governor Baker's Black Advisory Commission.

Most recently, he was the Executive Director of Parenting Journey with other leadership stints as Chief Executive Officer of the Italian Home for Children, Chief Operating Officer of Jumpstart, interim CEO of Boston Rising, and Executive Director of Friends of the Children-Boston. Imari has extensive professional experience in public, national, and nonprofit leadership and has supplemented his work with volunteer service on boards. These have included Jumpstart, the African American Federation of Greater Boston, Save the Harbor, Save the Bay, the Elizabeth Peabody House, the Massachusetts Mentoring Partnership, the Edward Brooke Charter School, The Providers Council, and Third Sector New England.

Imari was recently named one of Boston’s most Influential Bostonians by Boston Magazine and the Boston Business Journals Power 50. He is a four-time graduate of UMass Boston and received his Ph.D. through UMass Boston's Higher Education Program in June 2023. An Army veteran, Imari served from 1991-1996. He currently lives in Hyde Park with his family.

Towfu is Boston-based genre-bending DJ known for seamlessly blending hip hop, dancehall, afrobeats, house, and R&B into high-energy, culture-rich sets that defy musical boundaries. His sound is a reflection of his global mindset—shaped by a deep love for travel and collecting inspiration from around the world. Whether it’s a packed block party in Paris or a rooftop in NY, Towfu brings people together through rhythm and soul.

More than just a DJ, Towfu is the founder of AllYouCanEat, a creative agency that fuses music, design, and storytelling into bold, culturally immersive experiences. Refusing to be boxed into any one genre or scene, Towfu champions the idea that music is a universal language meant to be shared across borders. For him, it’s all about the blend—the mesh of cultures, sounds, and people that make the world move.

Growing up in Boston, Yanna G found solace and inspiration in the rhythm of the city and the beat of her own heart. With a voice that cuts through the noise and lyrics that speak to the soul, Yanna invites listeners into her world, where every verse is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. Her fearless approach to pushing boundaries and challenging conventions within the R&B genre truly sets her apart. Each song reflects her journey of self-discovery and empowerment as a young woman, capturing the essence of her inner-city upbringing and the strength it instilled in her. Recently crowned 2024 Best New Artist at the Boston Music Awards, Yanna is quickly solidifying her place as a rising star in the music scene.

Giselle Byrd is the Executive Director of The Theater Offensive, located in Boston, MA, making her the first Black trans woman to lead a regional theatre company in the United States, where she is passionately continuing and amplifying the theater’s mission for uplifting and elevating the work of queer and transgender artists of color and LGBTQIA2S+ youth and their allies.  She was recently appointed to the Massachusetts Commission on The Status of Women, making her the first trans woman of color to serve on the commission. where she plans to continue their mission to advance women and girls toward full equity in all areas of life and to promote rights and opportunities for all women and girls, ensuring that trans women and girls are not an afterthought.  As a producer, she holds the honor of being the first transgender woman to be accepted into Through Her Lens: The Tribeca and Chanel Women's Filmmaker Program.  In November 2024, Boston’s 25th Annual Transgender Day of Remembrance Committee awarded her the inaugural Boston Trans Art & Culture Trendsetter Award, following the announcement that her efforts in conjunction with The Theater Offensive caused Boston’s City Council to officially commemorate Transgender Day of  Remembrance.