The Future; Conclusion

George “Conscious” Lee is an education consultant, social media influencer, professor and coordinator of policy debate at the University of Oklahoma. With over a million followers and over 40 million likes on his TikTok channel “TheConsciousLee”, this intellectual debating, hip hop dancing, thought-provoking, and workshop facilitating keynote speaker proves that Black intellectuals don’t have to play respectability politics to deliver a message that resonates. George Lee holds a bachelor’s degree in African & African American Studies and a Master’s degrees in both Human Relations and Adult Higher Education. He also holds Graduate Certificates in Women and Gendered Studies, along with Human Resource and Diversity Development from the University of Oklahoma. As if he doesn’t have enough to do, George Lee is also the Coordinator of Policy Debate for OU’s nationally recognized debate team, a professor, and has been named in the top 20 College Policy Debaters of the past decade. Racking up millions of views, the content creator’s videos have been shared by Human Rights Campaign, Cardi B, Democracy Now!, BET and others. He’s also been featured in Forbes, Essence, the Washington Post, The Atlantic, and The New York Times, according to his website, George Lee Speaks.
Aurelius Francisco is the co-founder and co-executive director for the Foundation for Liberating Minds (FLM), a community nonprofit organization working to disrupt the root causes of oppression through transformative education. He leads FLM’s Deconstructing Masculinity Program, Free Our People Initiative, and hosts its DreamRadically Podcast. As the co-executive director, Aurelius strategically drives the vision of the organization forward through program and member development, partner outreach, and shared leadership. His work with FLM’s Free Our People Initiative extends to coordinating a working group, Against Carceral Feminism OK working to build true safety for survivors of gender-based violence. Aurelius’ work in Oklahoma extends to Tulsa with the Terence Crutcher Foundation where he assists in research and organizing efforts around community safety and power building, and narrative change. He also serves as a trainer, facilitator, and consultant with the Restorative Justice Institute of Oklahoma. Aurelius is currently pursuing a Master of Arts degree in the Social Sciences from the University of Chicago, and obtained a bachelor’s degree in African American studies and political science with minors in international studies and women’s and gender studies from the University of Oklahoma in the Spring of 2020, where he served as Co-Director for the Black Emergency Response Team and was active in multiple roles for the Gender + Equality Center, Vice President of OU’s NAACP chapter, and editor of FORUM Magazine.
Lisa Gouldsby is a young leader and high school student at Del City High School. Lisa spent three years as the Oklahoma Association of Student Councils (OASC) State Delegate, was the OASC 2021 Oklahoma State Secretary, and spoke at the 2021 OASC State Convention to over 2,100 high school students from across Oklahoma. Lisa is a glimpse into the future leaders of our state and offers fresh and inspiring perspectives on the future of Oklahoma.
Shania Muhammad is the youngest African American student in history to attend four different colleges, at age 13. She enrolled in Oklahoma City Community College, University of Oklahoma, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, and Langston University. Shania scored a 22 on the ACT and received acceptance letters from over 30 colleges, Full Ride Scholarships, and prestigious awards. Shania, now 14, is a Sophomore at Langston University, majoring in Agriculture (Plant and Soil Science). She has completed 56 credit hours, maintaining an overall GPA of 3.8. In May of 2022, Shania will graduate with Associates Degrees from Langston University and Oklahoma City Community College, making history yet again as becoming the youngest graduate from two different colleges. Shania is excited to share her historic story in her upcoming book, (Read, Write, Listen) ” 13 in college How I did it” where she delves into how she became one of the youngest African American graduating college students in the country.