Juneteenth Family Festival: June 15th, 2024
110th & Longwood | Chicago IL
11am-7pm

Meet Our Team!
Shanya Gray has been an Assistant Professor and Counselor at Moraine Valley Community College for the last 6 years. She is originally from the island of Barbados where she obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology with First Class Honors from the University of the West Indies. After Shanya obtained her Bachelor’s Degree, she emigrated to the United States where she obtained a Certificate in Intercultural Studies from Bethany Global University and a Masters’ Degree in Clinical Psychology from Wheaton College. In further educational pursuits, Shanya is currently engaged in Doctoral studies in Community Psychology from National Louis University.
Shanya has resided in the Beverly community for over 13 years where she is civically engaged. Most recently, Shanya’s leadership gave vision to the inaugural Beverly, Morgan Park Juneteenth Festival in the community. Shanya who is on the board of All Day Montessori School and The Southwest Chicago Diversity Collaborative, is also the co-founder of the Moms of Beverly Facebook group, an Facebook group that strives to be anti-racist and maintains a membership of over 6,000 moms in and around the Beverly Community.
Jurema N. Gorham is the Founder and Executive Director of Burst Into Books. In this role, she helps develop and lead the services offered through the organization. The mission of Burst Into Books is to rebuild our village through the arts, advocacy, educational and family programming. Over 10, children have received free books to add to their home libraries since 2018. Jurema has been an educator since 2008 with experience ranging from Kindergarten to 12th grade.
In March 2020, Jurema was recognized by WGN-9 as a finalist for the national Nexstar Remarkable Woman Contest. In February 2020, she received the Humanitarian Award from the Far South Community Action Council for her work with families and community outreach. In addition, she was honored by the Drew Barrymore Show as a “Drew Gooder” for their Mother’s Day special. Jurema earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education from Chicago State University and two Master in Education degrees (Differentiated Instruction and Educational Leadership) from Concordia University Chicago. Currently, she is a doctoral candidate in Curriculum and Instruction at Concordia University Chicago. She is committed to using her experience and education to pour into the communities she serves in.
Da Lina Bailey is a mother, Marine Corps veteran, psychologist, consultant, and district manager for a local government. For 25 years, she has worked in the social service field, directly servicing, managing services and programs, or creating programs and services for underserved and underrepresented populations. In 2019, she received the Community Leader award from the Far South Community Action Council of Chicago Public Schools. Da Lina has earned her B.A. in Liberal Arts at St. Xavier University and her M.A. in General Psychology from National Louis University. She is currently working on her dissertation for her Ph.D. in Community Psychology. Da Lina Bailey enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, and giving back to the community because she remembers, as a youth, the community helping her family in their times of need.
Kiana Keys is a Finance District Director of Business Enterprises and Strategic Management at a higher educational institution. She received a Bachelor of Arts from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Masters in Public Service Management from DuPaul University.
As a South Side of Chicago and Beverly resident for over 30 years, Kiana is committed to improving race relations and engagement in diverse communities. She attended both elementary school and high school in the Beverly and Morgan Park communities and participates in many community-led activities. Kiana is also a writer and WSET3 wine expert certified by the international Wine and Spirit Education Trust. As a writer, she focuses on family, social issues and wine education. As a wife and mother of 3, she also enjoys eating, wine-tasting, crocheting and photography.
Dr. Audrey L. Tanksley is an Internal Medicine Physician with a sub-specialty in Addiction Medicine. She was born and raised on the south side of Chicago and currently lives in North Beverly. She attended Keller, Morgan Park Academic Center and Whitney Young HS. She later attended undergraduate school at Southern Illinois University Carbondale and medical school at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Springfield, IL. She enjoys spending time with her husband, 2 children and 2 dogs.
Dr. Markeita Moore is a pediatrician with Advocate Children’s Medical Group. She is a true Chicagoan with roots on the west side. Dr. Moore ‘s undergraduate degree is from University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, Master of Public Health and Medical Degree are from University of Illinois at Chicago. From 2018-2020, Dr. Moore completed Advocate Christ Hospital Pediatric Physician Leadership Development Program. She has been a pediatrician for about ten years. Dr. Moore is the Medical Director of Advocate Children’s Medical Group-Evergreen Pediatrics office and Physician Representative on Advocate Christ Physician Staff Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee. Dr. Moore loves kids and community outreach.
Kristal Adams is a native of Chicago’s south side. She attended Morgan Park High School. Since a young age, Kristal has had a passion for serving underprivileged youth and at-risk adults. She worked at South Side Help Center and Haymarket Center in Chicago. Immediately following graduation from Xavier University of Louisiana, Kristal began her career in education. Due to hurricane Katrina, Kristal returned to her hometown and continued to teach.
Seeking to have a greater effect on the uplifting of students within the Black community, Kristal earned two additional degrees — a masters in social work with a school concentration from the University of Chicago and a masters in educational administration from Dominican University. Kristal currently works as a school social worker for Chicago Public Schools with aspirations of becoming an administrator. However, Kristal’s most important role is raising her two daughters, Kaila and Kameela. In her spare time, Kristal enjoys crafting, traveling, and thrifting.
Angela Franklin is a primary teacher at All Day Montessori in Chicago’s Beverly community. She is also the mother of one, and the grandmother of three. She loves to travel, visit her grandchildren, sing jazz and fish every chance she gets! She looks forward to the Juneteenth Family Festival growing beyond our wildest dreams and sharing the importance and history of what Juneteenth is all about.
Tiana Morgan is an Engineering Superintendent in the Energy Industry and has over 17 years of experience in projects, engineering and maintenance. She is a licensed Professional Engineer (PE) and holds a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology. Tiana is a STEM enthusiast and is passionate about increasing and retaining Women & Minorities in these underrepresented fields. Tiana devotes time to volunteering in STEM organizations and Community Events. She truly believes that access and exposure can change someone’s life trajectory, and she likes to be the liaison when possible. Tiana also received her Real Estate Broker’s license after college. In doing so she has learned real estate investing and has helped others on their path to home-ownership.
She is a proud native of the South Side of Chicago, where she resides with her loving Husband & 2 children. When she’s not working, mommying and volunteering, Tiana enjoys cooking, crocheting and she has developed a love for renovating properties which mixes her technical aptitude and creativity into one.


Contact Us
You may email us at info@juneteenthfamilyfestival.com or complete the form below. Please allow 48 hours for a response. Thank you for your support!: