Keynote Speaker

Renée Watson is a #1 New York Times bestselling American author, educator, and community activist with over one million books sold.

TIME named Watson a 2026 Visionary, honoring her commitment to helping children and young people reach their full potential.

Watson has spent her career writing about Black girls finding their power, communities rebuilding after loss, and the quiet dignity of being seen. That work has earned her some of the most prestigious honors in children’s and young adult literature. Her middle grade novel All the Blues in the Sky received the John Newbery Medal