Mariya Russel
Marius Russell is the first black woman to run a Michelin star restaurant. She has always had a huge interest in cooking, even from a young age. Cooking was very prominent in her family, and she would be in the kitchen a lot. After learning how to make eggs for herself, she decided she wanted to do it for other people, too. She was first introduced to cooking as a career in high school. After high school, she moved to Chicago to attend The Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago, or the Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Chicago, which closed in 2017. She interned at the Columbia Yacht Club before working at Uncommon Ground, Green Zebra, The Bristol, and Nellcote and Senza. From there she moved to Charleston, South Carolina for a change in scenery. However, after her father’s death, she and her husband moved back to Chicago so they could be closer to her mother. She began work at Oriole in 2016 as a server, and she was asked if she wanted to be a part of the future project Kumiko and Kikkō. She was promoted to the position of sous chef, and later chef de cuisine in 2018. She began her research into Japanese cuisine, which involved a lot of experimentation.
Tarana Burke
Tarana Burke was born on September 12, 1973, in the Bronx, New York. From a young age, Burke developed a passion for activism and community organizing. In the late 1980s, she joined an organization focused on youth development called 21st Century. Starting as a teenager, Burke led campaigns and launched initiatives around issues like housing inequality, racial discrimination, and economic injustice. Fueled by her passion for activism. After graduating college, she moved to Selma, Alabama to work for the 21st Century. While working with this organization, Burke encountered many young women of color that were survivors of sexual violence and abuse. Also a survivor of sexual abuse. In 1996, a young woman asked to speak with Burke privately about experiencing sexual abuse. She continued to focus on young women of color and co-founded an African-centered Rites of Passage program for girls called Jendayi Aza. This program evolved into her non-profit JustBe, Inc. which was founded in 2007. This organization was created to empower and encourage young Black girls through unique programming and workshops. Burke continued to work in the non-profit sector. She served as Managing Director of a Black arts organization in Philadelphia called Art Sanctuary. In Selma, Alabama, Burke worked as a curatorial consultant and special projects director at the National Voting Rights Museum & Institute. While at this museum she helped to organize the annual Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee to commemorate the Selma Voting Rights Struggle. Burke’s work earned her a consulting position on Ava DuVernay’s award-winning film, Selma in 2014. A few years later, Burke’s work returned to the spotlight. During the 2017 Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse scandal, Burke’s hashtag #metoo went viral. People all over the world began posting the phrase on their social media accounts to align with the movement.
Rhianna Fenty
