I Give You the Springtime of My Blushing Heart

Dedan Gills (1945–2015) was a poet and active member in one of the first urban intentional environmental communities in the country, the LA Eco-Village. Certified in Permaculture, he was a founding member of the LA Permaculture Guild. His poems have appeared in the International Sufi Association Journal. Born in Watts, California, Dedan was instrumental in the formation of the Black Student Alliance movement in Southern California in the 60s.

Belvie Rooks is an essayist, educator, and producer whose work weaves together the worlds of spirituality, feminism, ecology, and social justice. Her essays have appeared in a number of anthologies including The Same River Twice: Honoring the Difficult (edited by Alice Walker), sharing her reflections on the making of The Color Purple. She was the principal writer and director of Who’s Gonna Be There?, a two-person stage performance starring Lethal Weapon’s Danny Glover and Jaws star Roy Scheider—reflecting on their mentors and mentoring.

Belvie Rooks is an essayist, educator, and producer whose work weaves together the worlds of spirituality, feminism, ecology, and social justice. Her essays have appeared in a number of anthologies including The Same River Twice: Honoring the Difficult (edited by Alice Walker), sharing her reflections on the making of The Color Purple. She was the principal writer and director of Who’s Gonna Be There?, a two-person stage performance starring Lethal Weapon’s Danny Glover and Jaws star Roy Scheider—reflecting on their mentors and mentoring.

Danny Glover, award-winning actor, producer, and humanitarian has been a commanding presence on screen, stage, and television for more than twenty-five years. He is the 2022 recipient of the special Academy Award: the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for his work with UNICEF. As an actor, he has appeared in more than 100 feature films, including The Color Purple’(1985), To Sleep with Anger (1990), The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), Dreamgirls (2006), and Sorry to Bother You (2018), as well as his best-known role as Detective Roger Murtaugh in the four-film Lethal Weapon series (1987-1998). He has also produced dozens of narrative and documentary films. As a crusader for global justice, he has used his influence to inspire others to take action against economic and social inequality.