Henderson Hill

HENDERSON HILL joined the law firm Ferguson Stein Chambers Gresham & Sumter in 1996 following a 15 year career in criminal defense and in the teaching of trial advocacy, first in Washington D.C. and since 1991 in North Carolina. Since joining the law firm Henderson has concentrated on general civil litigation, medical negligence, civil rights litigation, and has continued to litigate death penalty cases at trial and in post conviction. In 1997 Henderson obtained life sentences for the defendant in State v. Ferguson, after the jury returned convictions on five counts of first-degree murder.

Henderson has been a presenter and program chair for CLE programs related to trial advocacy and death penalty litigation throughout the country.

A member of the North Carolina State Bar, the District of Columbia Bar, the Mecklenburg County Bar Association, the North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers, Henderson previously served on the Board of Governors of the NCATL as Vice President for Legal Affairs. Henderson received the Paul Green Award from the North Carolina Civil Liberties Union in 1999, the Lawyer of the Year Award from the North Carolina Association of Black Lawyers in 1999, and was named Lawyer of the Year by the George W. White Bar Association, Durham in 1996.

Rev. Dr. Dwayne Anthony Walker

REV. DR. DWAYNE ANTHONY WALKER was born in Rock Hill, South Carolina. He later moved with is family to Chicago, IL, where he received his early education in the Chicago Public Schools. He is a graduate of Livingstone College, Salisbury, N.C. where he received the Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science.

After accepting the call to preach, he enrolled at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C. While a student, he served as Assistant Pastor for Youth and Young Adult Ministry at John Wesley A.M.E. Zion Church in Washington, D.C.

He received the Masters of Divinity Degree in 1989 and in June that year, he was appointed to pastor Metropolitan A.M.E. Zion Church in Detroit, MI. In November of 1994 Dr. Walker was appointed to serve as Pastor of Jones Tabernacle A.M.E. Zion Church, Indianapolis, IN. In addition to serving as Pastor of Jones Tabernacle, Dr. Walker served as Administrator of Kuumba Horizons Child Development Center. He was also a member of the board of Celebration of Hope, member of the board of Volunteers of America and a member of the Advisory Board of United Negro College Fund. In May 2004, Dr. Walker received the Doctor of Ministry degree from Wesley Theological Seminary, Washington, D.C.

In September of 2005, Bishop George W.C. Walker, Sr., Piedmont Episcopal District, appointed him as pastor of Little Rock A.M.E. Zion Church, Charlotte, NC. Dr. Walker currently serves as a member of The Board of Camp Dorothy Walls Conference and Retreat Center, on the Planning Commission for the City of Charlotte, and Chairman of Religious Affairs for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Chapter of the N.A.A.C.P. as well as the Chairman of the Little Rock Community Development Corporation.

Dr. Walker is the son of Bishop & Mrs. George W.C. Walker, Sr. He is married to the former Geneva T. Moore and they are the proud parents of four beautiful daughters, Deandra, Dana, Daivene, and Deborah.

Dwayne Collins

DWAYNE COLLINS is Chairman of Black Political Caucus Mecklenburg County and organizer of the rally that spotlighted the controversy over the selection of a new sheriff in Mecklenburg County and arranged for the Rev. Al Sharpton to speak at the rally.

Susan Burgess

SUSAN BURGESS, a Democrat, is an At Large member of the Charlotte City Council. She serves as the City Council Mayor Pro Tem.

She is Chair of the Housing and Neighborhood Development Committee and is a member of the Government Affairs, Transportation, Environment, and Planning Liaison Committees. In addition she serves as the Council representative to the Centralina Council of Governments (COG) and as an alternate to the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MUMPO).

She serves as the President of the NC League of Municipalities in October 2007 during the League's 100th anniversary year. She serves on the Board of Directors of the National League of Cities. She serves as Chairperson of the National Democratic Municipal Officials (DMO) Conference and in this capacity is a member of the Executive Committee of the Democratic National Committee (DNC). Mrs. Burgess is a recipient of a platinum award from the Leadership Training Institute of the National League of Cities.

Ross Overby

Ross Overby is running in the 9th District of North Carolina, a district that includes portions of Mecklenburg, Union, and Gaston Counties. For twenty eight years Ross has worked as an Environmental Engineer and Consultant. He has personally led the clean up of more than twenty severely contaminated sites improving the health and well being of entire communities. He is the author of the book titled "Who Will Speak for the American Ideal," which examines the negative impact of ideology-based policies on the people of our country.

Ross Overby has been a volunteer with local organizations such as Crisis Assistance Ministries, ECO Inc. (Energy Committed to Offenders), Hope Haven Inc. Drug Rehabilitation, Charlotte Emergency Housing, Goodwill Industries VIEW program, and the Goodwill Criminal Barriers Program.