WALTER NAEGLE (BRCSJ BOARD MEMBER emeritus & beloved partner of bayard rustin) BECAME INTERESTED IN NONVIOLENCE & SOCIAL JUSTICE ISSUES AS A 1960’S TEENAGER IN SUBURBAN NEW JERSEY. HE WATCHED THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT SPEAK TRUTH TO POWER THROUGH THE COMMANDMENTS OF LOVE & REDEMPTIVE SUFFERING. AT 18, HE JOINED VOLUNTEERS IN SERVICE TO AMERICA (VISTA), AT THE SAME TIME REFUSING INDUCTION INTO THE MILITARY. IN 1977, HE MET BAYARD & THE TWO BECAME PARTNERS FOR THE REMAINDER OF RUSTIN’S LIFE.
IN 2013, HE ACCEPTED RUSTIN’S POSTHUMOUS PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM BESTOWED BY PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA. HE HAS VOLUNTEERED WITH THE GI RIGHTS HOTLINE, PRISONER VISITATION & SUPPORT, THE CAMERA CLUB OF NEW YORK, & THE AMERICAN FRIENDS SERVICE COMMITTEE. HE IS ALSO CO-AUTHOR OF THE WONDERFUL “TROUBLEMAKER FOR JUSTICE: THE STORY OF BAYARD RUSTIN, THE MAN BEHIND THE MARCH ON WASHINGTON” (CITY LIGHTS).

Rasheed Newson (best-selling Author, television TRAILBLAZER, & Black Queer activist) has a successful career as a tv drama writer, an executive producer, & a showrunner & now His debut novel, “My Government Means to Kill Me”, tells a fierce & riveting queer coming-of-age story following the personal & political awakening of a young, gay, Black man in 1980s New York City. Whilst attending a Jesuit high school, Rasheed realized that he was definitely a homosexual & he immediately aimed to become a practicing homosexual (practice makes perfect!). No mean feat in Indiana in the mid-1990’s, Rasheed once spent several hours sitting in a coffee shop because he’d heard rumors that gay people frequented the coffee shop. His loitering was fruitless but luckily that simply inspired to seek COMMUNITY elsewhere. After inspirational work for many non-profits, Rasheed moved to Los Angeles & joined the entertainment industry. He now has an ID badge from every studio lot & highlites of his career includes time spent on “Lie to Me” “The Chi”, “Narcos”, among many other drama series, & now serves as executive producer of “Bel-Air” airing on Peacock.
Rasheed lives with his husband & their two children in California.

Alan Muraoka (“Alan” on Sesame Street & Activist for Asian American & LGBTQIA Rights & Representation) is an Emmy & GLADD Award winning actor/director/producer living in NYC. He is beloved as “Alan” the proprietor of Hooper’s Store on the iconic television show Sesame Street, where he has just completed his 25th season, but his works as an artist & activist go far beyond that neighborhood. 
His stage credits include Broadway productions of Disney’s Aladdin, Pacific Overtures, The King and I, My Favorite Year, Shogun, Mail, & Miss Saigon, where he played the lead role of the “Engineer,” as well as national tours of Miss Saigon, M. Butterfly, & Anything Goes. Alan’s numerous network television & film credits include It Could Happen to You, City On The Hill, Curb Your Enthusiasm, 30 Rock, Louie, Showtime’s Brotherhood, The Tonight Show, As the World Turns, Guiding Light, One Life to Live, & Day of Independence, a short film by Academy Award-winning director Chris Tashima. He has performed with the Boston Pops, Pink Martini at the Hollywood Bowl, & the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall. As a director, his 1998 production of Falsettoland for the National Asian American Theatre Company received high praise from The New York Times. He has directed episodes & segments for Sesame Street including co-directing The Power of We (2021 Emmy Award, 2021 NAACP Image Award Nomination), See Us Coming Together (2022 Producer’s Guild Nomination) Sesame Street: Family Day (2022 GLAAD Media Award) as well as shows at both Kennedy & Lincoln Center, up & down Manhattan, & across the entire nation & around the world.
He is a member of the Director's Guild of America, the Stage Directors & Choreographers Society, & the Lincoln Center Directors Lab. A UCLA graduate, Alan received a musical theater performance scholarship underwritten by Carol Burnett. He is an active member of Asian American organizations & was honored with the Inspiration Award from APEX, a mentoring organization in NYC, & the Role Model of the Year award from the FCC (Families with Children from China). Visit Alan at www.alanmuraoka.tv & follow his adventures both on & off the Street on Instagram

ERIN WORRELL (BRCSJ BOARD PRESIDENT) IS AN OUT & PROUD TRANS WOMAN LIVING IN PHILADELPHIA, PA, WHERE SHE IS THE REGIONAL (NORTH AMERICA) COMPLIANCE OFFICER FOR A MAJOR CHEMICAL DISTRIBUTOR. SHE IS THE FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE PHILADELPHIA FREEDOM BAND, AN LGBTQIA & ALLY COMMUNITY CONCERT & MARCHING BAND IN PHILLY WHO BROUGHT THE FUNK TO OUR INAUGURAL PRINCETON PRIDE PARADE IN 2019. SHE SERVED ON THE PFB BOARD FOR 7 YEARS, IS A PAST BOARD MEMBER OF EQUALITY PENNSYLVANIA, & A REGULAR VOLUNTEER FOR SPECIAL OLYMPICS DELAWARE. SHE HOLDS A DEGREE IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE FROM DREW UNIVERSITY & A LAW DEGREE FROM TEMPLE UNIVERSITY BEASLEY SCHOOL OF LAW.
ERIN ALSO SERVES AS A GUEST LECTURER ON THE TRANS EXPERIENCE AT ROWAN UNIVERSITY & CONTINUES TO PLAY AS A MEMBER OF Philadelphia Freedom Band (principal oboe, clarinet, alto saxophone).

Peniel Joseph, Ph.D. (BRCSJ BOARD VICE-PRESIDENT) is Founding Director of the Center for the Study of Race & Democracy at the University of Texas at Austin. His career focus has been on what he describes as “Black Power Studies,” which encompasses interdisciplinary fields such as Africana studies, law & society, women’s & ethnic studies, & political science. Dr. Joseph holds joint professorship appointment at the LBJ School of Public Affairs as the Barbara Jordan Chair in Ethics & Political Values, & in History at the College of Liberal Arts. As a professor at Tufts University, he founded the first Center to promote engaged scholarship on race & democracy’s impact on global citizens. He received a B.A. from SUNY at Stony Brook & a Ph.D. from Temple University.  A fellowship recipient of Harvard University’s Charles Warren Center, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, & the Ford Foundation, Dr. Joseph’s work has appeared in The Journal of American History, The Chronicle Review, The New York Times, The Black Scholar, Souls, American Historical Review, Newsweek, TheRoot, Reuters, & The Washington Post. Dr. Joseph has commentated on CNN, National Public Radio, The Colbert Report, PBS, & MSNBC, & has authored award-winning books, Waiting ‘Til the Midnight Hour: A Narrative History of Black Power in America, Dark Days, Bright Nights: From Black Power to Barack Obama, & Stokely: A Life, which has been called the definitive biography of Stokely Carmichael, the man who popularized the phrase “black power” & led the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, known as the SNCC. He recently published The Sword & the Shield: The Revolutionary Lives of Malcolm X. & Martin Luther King Jr. which upends longstanding preconceptions to transform our understanding of the twentieth century’s most iconic African American leaders. 

Wey-Wey Kwok (BRCSJ SECRETARY) is Senior Attorney at the Center for Medicare Advocacy & has spent her career as a public interest attorney. Her practice has included the areas of low-income & disability benefits, prisoners’ rights, juvenile dependency & delinquency, family law, domestic violence, elder law, health care, & immigration.   She has worked as an attorney with the Legal Aid Society of Hawaii, as a project attorney for the AARP Foundation's National Training Project, & for the Public Defender’s office as well as in numerous other public interest settings. Since 2002, she has been with the Center for Medicare Advocacy, a nonprofit, nonpartisan law organization that provides education, advocacy, & legal assistance to help older people & people with disabilities obtain fair access to Medicare & quality health care. She engages in policy work & analysis, impact litigation, & direct client representation.  Wey-Wey holds a law degree from Georgetown University Law Center, & a bachelor’s degree from Yale, where she majored in American Studies.

Clare Polke (she/they) is a Grimké Scholar & Master of Theological Studies candidate specializing in Religion & Society at Princeton Theological Seminary. As a former educator, journalist, & diplomat, their research lies at the intersections of race, religion, & foreign policy. Prior to enrolling at Princeton, she worked as a Foreign Service Officer for the U.S. Department of State & a print journalist covering racial equity & education policy. Clare is a native of Archer, Florida, & has lived in multiple countries around the world, most recently in Sierra Leone, West Africa. They are a proud alumnus of Florida A&M University, a public historically black university in Tallahassee, Florida, & American University's School of International Service. As a Black, queer, southern Christian, you can frequently find Clare geeking out abot Spirit & the proper way to prepare grits (without sugar). 
Clare shares, “I wish I had a safe-space like the Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice during my formative years. Across my professional experiences, I have always explored questions of voice, expression, culture, & spiritual identity. I'm deeply inspired by the interfaith, interdisciplinary work that BRCSJ centers in pursuit of justice & equity for all historically marginalized communities and can't wait to join the fight.”

David Sailer (BRCSJ TREASURER) is Founder & Owner of the Clarion River Group& has worked with social justice organizations & leaders for more than 25 years.  He learned his organizing skills as a union organizer, leading campaigns with low-income workers across the country as well as in Central America. David has also served in senior leadership positions in labor, housing rights, & education rights organizations- such as acting as the Director of Finance & Administration at SEIU Local 32BJ & as the Executive Director of The National Housing Institute among other pivotal roles.  He has served as a teaching fellow with the AFL-CIO Organizing Institute & as an Adjunct Professor at the Cornell University ILR school.  He has a BA from Wesleyan University & a Masters in Organizational Development & Leadership from Fielding Graduate University.  Currently, through the dynamic Clarion River Group which he founded, David trains new organizers, coaches experienced leaders & guides organizational transformation work at mission-driven organizations across the country.

Carol Watchler (BRCSJ Community OUtreach coordinator) is A FORMER NUN WHO TAUGHT SCIENCE IN THE COMMUNITY’S SCHOOLS, SHE LEFT TO JOIN HER LIFE WITH ANOTHER FORMER SISTER IN LOVING MUTUAL SUPPORT OF FEMINIST ACTIVISM & then THIRTY SEVEN YEARS A public SCHOOLTEACHER, during which she received the NEA Virginia Uribe Award for Creative Leadership in Human Rights as well as the NJEA Martin Luther King Jr. Civil Rights Award, & continues after more than twenty-five years to work on sexual orientation & gender identity concerns in the school environment & the greater community. Carol was an early leader in the movement- her dedication to safe spaces for LGBT people in education going back to the start of the National Education Association Gay & Lesbian (now GLBT) Caucus in the 80’s where she was the first female co-chair. She continues to be involved in workshop presentations for educators & community groups to ensure safe & welcoming schools for all persons whose lives are affected by LGBTQIA issues. She helped to found & was president of Youth Service New Jersey, a statewide organization working to support community service learning in school & works to educate herself on cross cultural awareness as well by looking at ways to eliminate racism by her participation in the White Aspiring Allies to People of Color. Carol is a proud & strong paddler on the Machestic Dragons, Breast Cancer Survivor Dragon Boat Team, which encourage & empower people to face their dragons with an indomitable spirit.

Glen Pannell (AKA Mike HOt-Pence) is an artist & activist living & working in New York City. As an actor & director, he has worked in over 60 productions off-Broadway, on tour, & in regional theatres across the country. He holds a BFA from Princeton University & an MFA from the University of San Diego/Old Globe Theatre program. For over 30 years, he has served on the Graduate Board of the Princeton Triangle Club. As his alter ego Mike Hot-Pence, now thankfully in semi-retirement, he shook his can, both literally & figuratively, & raised over $60,000 for communities & causes that were especially vulnerable under our previous administration. He collected donations publicly & online for organizations such as Planned Parenthood, The Trevor Project, Everytown for Gun Safety, & International Refugee Assistance Project, & our very own BRCSJ. His unique blend of street theatre & political activism has been featured in GQ, People, Cosmopolitan, Vanity Fair, & Teen Vogue & Huffington Post named him a Favorite Queer Hero for using his genetic mutation for good instead of evil. 

The Rev. Robert Moore (Executive Director, Coalition for Peace Action) is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ. Since his full-time peacemaking ministry began in 1978, Rev. Moore has played a leadership role in major activities in the U.S. peace movement. He organized a press conference at Three Mile Island the day after the nuclear accident; he & CFPA played a major role in defeating the NRA’s attempt to rescind New Jersey’s Assault Weapons Ban; & he pioneered the first Peace Voter Campaign in the US. Rev. Moore co-organized the founding conference of the National Religious Campaign against Torture under CFPA’s umbrella, spinning off to become an ongoing major national interfaith group & he played a similar role in founding the Interfaith Network on Drone Warfare. These activities are only a miniscule sample of all the inspirational work that has allowed CFPA to become a model for peace groups across the country. Starting as a single group with one office under Rev. Moore’s leadership, CFPA has grown has grown to over 7,800 members & it is recognized as one of the fastest growing & most effective grassroots peace groups in the nation. Rev. Moore has received many honors in his personal & organizational capacities & has traveled far & wide in his various peacemaking ministry roles, including trips to Hiroshima & Nagaski, the former Soviet Union, Germany, Scandinavia, Greece, Holland, Canada, & Mexico.

Dean Dafis (mayor, Maplewood, NJ; lead, BRCSJ HQ expLoratory committee) is Maplewood’s first out elected LGBTQIA Councilperson where he is actively engaged in efforts related to economic development, business special improvement district enhancement, senior services, youth empowerment & mentoring, social justice advocacy, & community coalition building.  A first generation Greek American who grew up in the melting pot urbanity of 1970’s downtown Philadelphia, Dean is an attorney who began his legal career in Legal Aid in the criminal & family courts & then later worked at prominent law firms & on Wall Street in economic fraud & white collar crime matters.  After the market crash of 2008, he became a full-time political & community activist. 
Dean championed NJ’s first permanent rainbow crosswalks as a welcome marker of his community’s sanctuary status & inclusive policy, as well as a community building exercise. In his words, “For our youth in particular, those struggling with doubt or isolation & in need of affirmation, I want them to have a place where they can proudly cross or walk over their fear or shame.” Dean’s own youth was filled with self–doubt, fear, & the repeated bullying that was very common in those days before GSA’s existed in schools.  He’s a gay conversion therapy survivor who came of age during the late 80’s, witnessing friends either die of AIDS or get arrested & incarcerated for speaking up whilst fighting for their lives.  He co-directed organizing efforts of “MENY” (Marriage Equality NY)- an early grassroots advocate for marriage equality in New York which later became “MEUSA” (Marriage Equality USA)- advising affinity groups across the country in their respective equality campaigns. 
He enjoys public service & partnering with advocates, community leaders, & other elected officials since moving to New Jersey in 2015 with his husband, George Forbes.

Tom Haydon (Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist; lead, BRCSJ GOVERNANCE committee) worked as a news reporter for more four decades, including 32 years at The Star-Ledger of Newark, N.J. He covered politics, state & federal courts, police, crime, immigration & the environment. He also reported on local, county & state government in New Jersey. The winner of several journalism awards, Tom was on a team of reporters that received the Pulitzer Prize for their incisive & exemplary work. His work was honored by the Union County Human Relations Commission for achievement by the media. Throughout his career, Tom worked at numerous newspapers covering southern, central & northern New Jersey as well as a stint as an online reporter at NJ.com.

Tom Onder (attorney, Stark & Stark; Lead, BRCSJ Fundraising committee) is a Shareholder & Chair of the Shopping Center & Retail Development Group. In addition, he is a member of the Firm’s Diversity Equity & Inclusion Committee, serving on the Infrastructure & Mentorship subcommittees. 
Tom & his family attended the first-ever Princeton Pride Parade in 2019, organized & executed by the BRCSJ, & immediately knew that he wanted to grow his involvement in the organization. “Being a Board Member of the Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice means being able to give back to the community & helping to create a more inclusive world for my four year old daughter,” Onder explained. “This organization focuses on helping people understand & be respectful towards other people, no matter who they are as individuals. The organization is really about showing respect & humanity to everyone, & I’m really proud to be a part of that.”
Tom concentrates his practice in the area of commercial leasing & represents in New Jersey & New York state courts, as well as federal courts, including Federal Claims Court, for a variety of matters, including the prosecution of commercial evictions.
Outside of the Firm, he contributes to the community as a Trustee with the Mercer County Community College & is State Chair for the International Council of Shopping Centers’ (ICSC) New Jersey, Pennsylvania, & Delaware Regions & serves on ICSC’s National Economic Subcommittee. In his spare time, Tom is an avid gardener, crossword enthusiast & die-hard Cleveland Browns fan.

REST IN POWER EMILIO

Emilio Delgado (Luis on Sesame Street & Chicano Rights Activist) is truly a trailblazer both as the inspirational & aspirational Luis the Fix-It Man on Sesame Street & as an activist on the actual street! His representation as Luis Rodriguez allowed so many kids to see themselves reflected back from their TV's for the first time & taught so many of us so much about Latin culture & language as he played the longest running role for a Mexican-American in a television series on the award-winning PBS children’s program. He began his life in Calexico, California & spent his early childhood living across the border in Mexicali, Mexico with his grandparents & it was this multicultural background that informed both his activism & his acting. He began his career in the Emmy Award winning “Canción de la Raza” & has since in his over 50 years of acting appeared everywhere from “Lou Grant” to “Law & Order”. He has also flourished on stage from coast to coast hitting the boards from the Golden State to the Great White Way, singing out from the Hollywood Bowl to Carnegie Hall, & serving as Artistic Director of the Barrio Theatre Ensemble of East LA. At the same time he has fought for Chicano rights & Social & racial justice on many different platforms stemming from his early days with the United Farm Workers supporting Cesar Chavez & protesting against the vietnam war. Emilio is a recipient of the Impact Award from the National Hispanic Media Coalition, has been honored numerous times by the National Academy of Arts & Sciences, & in his home of New York City, they celebrated him on “Emilio Delgado Day” October 15th. He has done charity work with numerous organizations including the Alphabet Rockers, Project Sunshine, 52nd Street Project, & Head Start but has never lent his name like he has to our Center.
As Emilio his own self espouses, “I am so very inspired by the mission & community-building of the Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice & how the diversity & cooperation that Sesame Street built is now being carried forth into the future by the good works of the BRCSJ. So very glad that Luis has found a nuevo hogar aquí…
¡Pa’lante!”

Ex-Officio:
Robt Martin Seda-Schreiber
Chief Activist, BRCSJ

awesome advisory BOARD MEMBER

Michelle Elizabeth Brown (Activist, author, community organizer) Straight outta’ greater Detroit, Michelle is a Public Speaker, Author, Activist, Poet, & Lecturer at universities/colleges, LGBTQIA Pride celebrations, community gatherings, & social & racial justice forums internationally & served as Executive Director for Michigan Equality as they transitioned to becoming a larger organization with greater outreach. She is a regular columnist for Between The Lines (Michigan’s only queer newspaper), creator of the beloved series of children’s books, “Jack with the Curly Tail”, & on the other end of the spectrum, “Wild Fruit Hidden in Open Spaces - Musings in Prose & Poetry” & “3 Layers & A Brassiere” & hosts the legendary “Collections by Michelle Brown - Blog Radio” recognizing & celebrating the lives of those standing boldly in the crosshairs of their intersectionality & creating change as they move through life.