As we all know, February is Black History Month. It’s a month where we honor those who have made an impact on American culture for equal rights, those who have invented, those who have a helped others and those who have inspired everyone to be the best they can be, not only as a person of color but as a human. For the past two years for Black History Month, I started an online series called 28 Days Diversity where I would feature someone new everyday during the month of February for just being awesome in their own right. Even though it’s black history month, the goal for 28 Days of Diversity is to feature not just African-Americans but other minorities in the web/tech space. Also note that 28 Days of Diversity is not a popularity contest or an influencer list but a list of thought leaders in the social web sector, including entrepreneurs, bloggers, conference organizers, IT professionals and friends not ranked in any particular order who I have either met in person or followed online. Each post will include a picture, bio, two links from the selected person and this paragraph.
For 2012 I wanted to not just feature individuals but also ask a question to where each featured person could share their passion with others. For 29 Days of Diversity 2012 each post/person will answer the question “What motivates you to become successful?”
For the next 29 days since 2012 is a leap, come back to visit SocialWayne.com/tag/28daysofdiversity and/or 28daysofdiversity.com to see who’s on the list. For day 8, I would like to introduce to some and present to others:
Kimberly C. Ellis, Ph.D.
Twitter: @drgoddess
Website/Blog: drgoddess.com
Bio
Kimberly C. Ellis, Ph.D., is affectionately known as Dr. Goddess,” and a true Renaissance Woman. She is a Scholar of American and Africana Studies, an Artist, Activist and Entrepreneur who loves Technology and Social Media. A published academic author, popular blogger, playwright and issues and electoral campaign winner, Dr. Goddess has become a staple at such conferences as Netroots Nation, Blogging While Brown, Blogalicious, Black Thought 2.0 (Duke University) BlogHer and South by Southwest Interactive (SXSWi). Welcome to the Cult!
Topics
Women and World Change, Women’s Studies
American History and Literature
African American History, Literature and Black Theatre
Organizing 2.0, New Media Liberation for the Every Generation,
Tweeting the Revolution, The Bombastic Brilliance of Black Twitter
Instructional Technology and the Academic Experience
Qualifications
Doctorate, American Studies, African American Literature and History
Assistant Professor, DePauw University, University of Houston, Univ. of Pittsburgh
New Organizing Institute Participant, State of Pennsylvania Rootscamp Organizer Community Benefits Agreement Movement
Raise Your Hand! No Casino on the Hill Campaign
Awards
One of the Most Influential Black Women on Twitter, For Harriet Digital Magazine
Exquisite Women, The Black Man Can
Nominee, Women’s Media Center Social Media Award
Top Ten Creative Women in Social Media, Liberated Muse
Fab 40 Under 40, New Pittsburgh Courier Award
Thomas Merton Center, New Person Award
YWCA Racial Justice Award
Major Speaking Engagements
Black Thought 2.0, Duke University, 2012
South by Southwest Interactive Conference (SxSW) 2012
Netroots Nation, 2009, 2010, 2011
Blogging While Brown 2011
BlogHer 2011
Blogalicious, 2010
National Trust for Historic Preservation 2011
Target Audiences
High School and College Students
Academics
Women aged 18 – 65, Men, aged 18 – 50
Black and Latina women
Activists, organizers
Theatre Lovers
What motivates you to become successful?
Knowing all of the sacrifices that have been made for me, especially by my mother, is a primary motivating factor for me to be successful in my endeavors. I also intend to live as free as possible, so it’s important for me to focus and do well. Otherwise, whenever the sun is shining and the waves undulate across the landscape. That’s enough for me!
You can follow the status of 29 Days of Diversity 2012 on http://28daysofdiversity.com, http://socialwayne.com/category/28-days-of-diversity/ and syndicated on BlackWeb 2.0.
