Dr. Willie Mae Lewis
Long before July was dubbed Black Mental Health Awareness Month Dr. Willie Mae Lewis was advocating for Blacks to better care for their mental well-being. She has made it her mission to aid Blacks and others in clearing the hurdles that keep them from investing in their own mental well-being. Dr. Lewis is a board-certified specialist in providing counseling and guidance for anyone seeking to improve their overall health and quality of life. Her advanced training includes a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Temple University, 15 years of teaching graduate-level counseling, psychology, and guidance; she works with various organizations providing treatment to different individuals. She has extensive experience in anger management, mediation and conflict resolution, stress management, violence prevention training, drug and alcohol assessments, interventions, and attention deficit disorders. Through the Women’s Resource Center, which Dr. Lewis founded, she runs the Imani Faith Health Initiative that conducts a state-approved Battering (abuse) Intervention Program and DWI first-time offender program, two issues Lewis contends stem from a lack of mental/emotional well-being; a weekly pastors’ conference call to pull religious leaders and institutions into the battle for healthier Black minds; and Mending Threads, her weekly Facebook Live show that airs on Tuesdays, 7-8 am with a rebroadcast that airs via Houston Public Access TV, Tuesdays 7-8 pm.
Paris Eley
Paris Eley has been at the forefront of Black Music for decades! Having served as Head of Black Music at several national record companies including CBS, Epic, A&M, Atlantic, and Motown Records, Paris is the epitome of leadership. Under his tutelage recording artists such as Lou Rawls Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, Smoky Robinson, Stevie Wonder, Earth Wind & Fire, Marvin Gaye, Luther Vandross, Patti LaBelle, Diana Ross, Johnny Gill, Boyz II Men, Randy Crawford, The O’Jays, Barry White, Gladys Knight, Brandy, and others enjoyed stellar, successful careers. In celebration of African American Music Appreciation Month, the City of Houston issued a proclamation that recognized Paris’ music industry career as well as the work he now does in Houston.
Constance Charles
Constance Charles is proud to call herself a cancer survivor. When her doctor confirmed the cluster of lumps she’d felt around her right breast was breast cancer … the diagnosis was a complete surprise as she had no history of cancer in her family. A single parent, and mother of a 15-year-old, Constance was afraid to tell her daughter, Briahna, because she didn’t want to think about her having to face the world alone, as life had always been just the two of them together in Texas. A proud survivor, Constance always tells single parents, or anyone facing cancer — that faith, family and friends are what helped her and Briahna get to through her cancer journey. Today, Constance is fighting cancer in a new way. She’s the latest cancer survivor featured in Jason’s Deli’s Strike Through Cancer campaign, which raises money to support cancer research at MD Anderson.
Cam Hill
Well-known throughout the city and surrounding areas as host of Houston’s The Cam Hill Show… Dr. Cam Hill is an Entrepreneur, Commercial and Real Estate Expert and was one of the first to receive an honorary doctorate from Leaders Esteem Christian Bible University.
Judge Dianne Curvey (DCA)
Judge Dianne Curvey presides over the 280th Judicial District Court, Harris County’s protective order court that focuses solely on domestic violence cases. Judge Curvey is a native Houstonian and has 17 years of experience as a practicing attorney. She has handled almost two thousand family law, criminal, juvenile, and probate cases during her career. In addition to being admitted to the Texas State Bar in 2005, she is also licensed to practice in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas as of 2006. She is passionate about the mentorship of young attorneys who desire to work as sole practitioners. One of her goals for the 280th Court is to establish trauma-informed practices to help those who are victims of harm and those who harm. She wishes to make the 280th an inclusive courtroom, where men are neither afraid or ashamed to seek court invention from their abuser.