DANNY JIMINIAN, ESQ.

BOARD CHAIR

Jiminian Law PLLC

Born in Williamsburg and raised in Washington Heights, Danny Jiminian has felt a connection to his afro-latino-indigenous roots through every aspect of his Dominican heritage. To this day, it fuels his work as a lawyer, empowering diverse voices in film, music, art, books, and business. It also inspires his work as a writer and filmmaker, creating narratives that celebrate and dissect the diaspora in its myriad forms.

LUMUMBA AKINWOLE-BANDELE

BOARD VICE-CHAIR

Senior Organizer, Criminal Justice Project, NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund

Lumumba Akinwole-Bandele is a father, husband, educator, priest of Obatala and organizer based in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. He is currently the interim executive director of Community United for Police Reform. As a member and organizer with the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement NY chapter, Mr. Akinwole-Bandele helped establish its campaign to counter police abuse and misconduct. He also co-founded the world-renowned Black August Hip Hop Project. Black August raises awareness and support for political prisoners in the United States. Lumumba currently serves as an adjunct lecturer teaching Community Organizing at CUNY School of Professional Studies and he serves as board member for the Center for Constitutional Rights and the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute. 

MARIE BROWN

Literary Agent,

Marie Brown Associates

Marie Dutton Brown is a literary agent and the President of Marie Brown Associates, a literary services agency. With extensive experience in the publishing industry, she has held significant professional roles in book and magazine publishing. Her career includes valuable experience as a bookseller and bookstore manager in New York City and Los Angeles. Additionally, she has served as a book and magazine editorial consultant,  editor, and book marketing strategist.

SAPNA LAL, ESQ.

BOARD SECRETARY

President, The Lal Firm, LLC

PEGGY ROBLES-ALVARADO

BOARD MEMBER

Founder & CEO, RoblesWrites Productions Inc.

Peggy Robles-Alvarado is a Jerome Hill Foundation Fellow in Literature, a three-time International Latino Book Award winner, and a BRIO award recipient. Her latest poetry collection, BURN ME BACK, is set to debut in September 2025, published by Four Way Books. She has earned writing fellowships from CantoMundo, Desert Nights, The Frost Place, The Ashbery Home School, VONA, Candela Playwrights, Dramatic Question Theater, and NALAC. With two master’s degrees in education and an MFA in performance and performance studies, Peggy’s work appears in The Breakbeat Poets Vol. 4: LatiNext, ¡Manteca!, great weather for MEDIA, and What Saves Us, as well as online in Poets.org, The Quarry at Split This Rock, The Common, Tribes.org, and NACLA.org. She has been featured at Solfest Latine Theater Festival, The Dodge Poetry Festival, Lincoln Center, HBO Habla Women, The Smithsonian Institute, PEN America, Harvard University, and AWP. Through her 501c3, Robleswrites Productions Inc., she created Lalibreta.online and The Abuela Stories Project. Learn more at robleswrites.com and robleswritesproductions.com 

AQUILA HINES

BOARD MEMBER

Aquilla Hines is an educator and cyber threat intelligence engineer. She holds a Master’s in International Affairs from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and a Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences from the University at Buffalo. Born and raised in Brooklyn, Aquilla enjoys reading afrofuturism, lifting heavy(ish) weights, and caring for her plants.

CLARENCE BANKS

BOARD MEMBER

Clarence Banks joined CCCADI’s Board of Directors in 2025, and is a passionate advocate for racial and social justice, with a deep commitment to CCCADI’s mission of advancing cultural equity for African descendant communities. Clarence is a native of Delaware and an HBCU graduate, Delaware State University, where he studied Finance & Banking. His professional experience includes working at some of the largest companies in the financial services industry, including his current role as a Director, Product Owner focusing on Data Strategy & Automation.

At a young age Clarence began a journey to find his roots as a Black American, which turned into a passion for the African Diaspora that he continues to explore through travel and reading. In his free time, Clarence pairs his passions with his profession by working with culturally-relatable first-generation college students, small businesses and local non-profits, primarily focusing on problem solving, decision making, and financial wellbeing. Clarence is an active member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and other community-based organizations that push for cultural equity, racial and social justice.