State of Emergency: Creating Change NOW - Tamika D. Mallory with Elder Kirsten John Foy, Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardner (St. Louis, MO), Damon Lindelof, & DJ ‘Shangela’ Pierce

 

 

 

Elder Kirsten John Foy, Minister of The Gospel of JESUS CHRIST | Family First | Civil & Human Rights Activist | Political Strategist | Commentator | Founder, Arc of Justice | Official Bio to Come.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kimberly M. Gardner was elected Circuit Attorney in 2016 and assumed office on January 1, 2017. Gardner leads an office of 140 committed professionals who seek justice on the behalf of the residents of the City of St. Louis. Mrs. Gardner is a life-long resident of the City of St. Louis. Growing up in a high crime area of North St. Louis and her family’s 70-year funeral home business has exposed her to the devastation that violent crime has on far too many families. Her desire to strengthen the relationship between the community and law enforcement was an important motivator for her dedicating herself to becoming the city’s top prosecutor. Gardner is committed to engaging citizens throughout the community in a criminal justice system that promotes trust, accountability and transparency. Mrs. Gardner is working to expand the traditional role of the prosecutor and utilize a broader set of tools with law enforcement, community, judges and social service stakeholders to find innovative solutions to address violent, and serious crimes. She is also committed to finding opportunities to help at-risk young people become productive members of our community and avoid being drawn into the life of crime. Prior to becoming the first African American Circuit Attorney in the City of St. Louis, Mrs. Gardner served as an Assistant Circuit Attorney, and served two terms as a Missouri State Representative in the 77th District. Mrs. Gardner earned a Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Administration from Harris Stowe State University, a Juris Doctor from Saint Louis University, and a Master of Science in Nursing from Saint Louis University.

 

 

 

Actor and Performer, D.J. “Shangela” Pierce, is best recognized as the only contestant to compete on three separate seasons of the Emmy-award winning reality series “RuPaul’s Drag Race” (Seasons 2, 3 and “All Stars” 3). Shangela recently completed a 184 plus city international tour, performing her comedy and cabaret act to sold out audiences. In March 2019, Shangela brought down the house at the GLAAD Awards in LA performing a Beyoncé medley, and in May, hosted the GLAAD NY Awards show. This past year, Shangela launched her eponymous podcast, featuring interviews with diverse guests such as Andy Cohen, Lena Waite and more. In 2019, Time Magazine honored Shangela by including her on their prestigious TIME 100 Next List, which highlights 100 individuals who are shaping the future of their field and defining the next generation of leadership. Shangela was the first and only drag queen performer to be included.

 

Shangela can be seen starring in the Emmy nominated HBO series “We’re Here,” a six-part unscripted series that recruits small-town residents across America to participate in a one-night-only drag show. In each episode, renowned drag queens Bob the Drag Queen, Eureka O’Hara and Shangela Laquifa Wadley inspire and teach their own “drag daughters” to step outside their comfort zone for a night of no-holds-barred, full-on drag. The series recently won for Outstanding Reality Program at the 32nd Annual GLAAD Media Awards. Season two will premiere later this year. Additionally, Shangela guest starred on The CW’s “Katy Keene” as a “ruthless” drag queen and hosted HBO Max’s “12 Dates of Christmas” reunion special. Shangela teamed with Spotify to launch “Halleloo Happy Hour” with DJ Shangela, a new audio experience combining music and talk content featuring games, guests, and tea.

 

Pierce continues to climb in notoriety. He has been named one of OUT Magazine’s “100 Most Compelling People” and in 2015 was featured on Forbes.com for his drag management company Say What Entertainment. Shangela became the first queen to walk the 2019 Oscars red carpet in drag. In June 2019, New York Magazine named Shangela one of “The Most Powerful Drag Queens in America” and in November 2019 Out Magazine also included her on their Out100 list as one of their “Drag Queens of the Year.” In 2018, Shangela was honored with the Rising Star Award by the LGBT Music Festival for his global contributions in performance and music. As an actor, Shangela most recently starred in the scene-stealing role as Lady Gaga’s drag mother in the Academy Award winning film “A Star Is Born.” She voiced the role of Donizete/Scarlet in the Netflix animated drag queen series “Super Drags,” and guest starred on Comedy Central’s acclaimed series “Broad City.” Shangela has also guest starred on several notable network television series, including “Broke Girls,” “Glee,” “Bones,” “The Mentalist,” “X-Files,” and more. She has appeared in several films including “Hurricane Bianca,” “Kiss Me, Kill Me,” and “Hurricane Bianca 2”. In 2012, she co-starred with Jenifer Lewis in a four-part scripted YouTube series called “Jenifer Lewis and Shangela.”

 

Pierce has written and released music, including singles “Werqin Girl” and “Pay Me” and performed alongside Miley Cyrus at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards. Pierce has co-produced the successful “Werq The World” tour as creative director and is currently touring his self-written stand-up comedy show “Shangela is Shook,” which was filmed and premiered at the Honolulu Film Festival. Shangela can also be heard on Ariana Grande’s recent single “NASA” with a spoken intro. As Shangela, she has performed on six of the seven continents, and has sights set on Antarctica next!

A native of Paris, Texas, Pierce graduated with honors from Southern Methodist University and currently resides in Los Angeles.