UPP! Board of Directors
Seth D. King - Co-Founder / President - North American Region
Seth D. King is a middle school Technology Teacher at Aspire Centennial College Preparatory Academy in Huntington Park, CA. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, a Secondary School English Teaching Credential from Cal State University Los Angeles, and is currently completing his Master’s degree in Educational Technology and Leadership at CSULA. Mr. King is committed to feeding, housing, clothing and importantly educating all children and young people: www.linkedin.com/in/sethking2020 He is the North American Region President of the United People for Peace (UPP!), which is a coalition of peace builders from around the world. Mr. King also wrote the One World Declaration of Peace inspired by the high school students of College-Ready Academy High School #5 in Los Angeles, Calif. Sign the One World Declaration of Peace Petition: http://www.empower2020.net
Trish Vidal King - Vice President - North American REgion
Trish Vidal King is vice president of United People for Peace (UPP!). Also known as Patricia, she was born in Lima, Peru, and lived there until the age of three when she then immigrated to the United States with her mother. Trish was raised in Los Angeles and earned a bachelor’s degree from Cal State Los Angeles and a graduate degree from Cal State Long Beach both in social work. She is currently registered with the Board of Behavioral Sciences as an associate social worker while she works on accumulating her hours to become a licensed clinical social worker. For the past eight years, she has been a full-time children’s social worker for the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services. Trish resides in Venice, Calif., with her husband Seth D. King and their two young children.
Juliette James - Board Treasurer - North American Region
Juliette James is board treasurer of the United People for Peace (UPP!). She is also the producer and executive producer of the 6th Semi-Annual Youth Empowerment Peace Program (YEPP!) talent show. She is a Southern California real estate agent from Venice, Calif., where she owns and operates a distinctively elegant by-the-sea vacation home. She is also a professional dancer who studied at Joffrey Ballet School. Upon graduation, her passion for dance led to a career in dance with Ivory Dance and Percussion Ensemble as a principal dancer. She was recognized for her award-winning performance as the lead dancer in Congo. Her interest in health and wellness inspired her to pursue a certificate in nutrition and then to become a certified personal trainer and acupuncturist. She has also won several fitness titles through California State Fitness Championship and is a member of the National Physique Committee. Juliette loves to dedicate her free time to encouraging youth to be critical thinkers, creative, reflective, mindful practitioners as well as instruments of therapeutic and social change.
Sheryll Alexander - Board Secretary - North American REgion
Sheryll Alexander is board secretary of United People for Peace (UPP!). She runs a #newmedia agency as a professional writer, editor and extreme social media journalist based in Southern California. Currently, she is the editor at large for Visit West Hollywood’s quarterly OnePointNine newsletter and is a regular contributor to AutoGanic and Fit
Fathers Travel. Sheryll is a longtime lifestyles writer, travel editor, automotive journalist, professional road test reviewer, food writer, restaurant critic and green activist. Not only a writer and editor, she also works with entrepreneurs, companies and tourism bureaus to bring her editor at large services to website content, blogs, social media programs, media kits and media relations pitches. Going into her second decade as a professional independent journalist and media relations expert, Sheryll has written for such esteemed outlets Travel+Leisure, Vacationist, AOL Autos, Gayot, Greer's OC, WeHo News, Decisive and South Coast Plaza's TASTE magazine. She has garnered editorial placement for clients in OC Register, The Huffington Post, LA Times and Daily Pilot.
Fathers Travel. Sheryll is a longtime lifestyles writer, travel editor, automotive journalist, professional road test reviewer, food writer, restaurant critic and green activist. Not only a writer and editor, she also works with entrepreneurs, companies and tourism bureaus to bring her editor at large services to website content, blogs, social media programs, media kits and media relations pitches. Going into her second decade as a professional independent journalist and media relations expert, Sheryll has written for such esteemed outlets Travel+Leisure, Vacationist, AOL Autos, Gayot, Greer's OC, WeHo News, Decisive and South Coast Plaza's TASTE magazine. She has garnered editorial placement for clients in OC Register, The Huffington Post, LA Times and Daily Pilot.
Dr. Manisha Javeri - BOARD OF Director - North American Region
Dr. Manisha Javeri is a board member of the United People for Peace (UPP!). Dr. Javeri is an Associate Professor at California State Los Angeles. She has a long background in physical chemistry and formerly taught at the University of Mumbai before moving to the United States in 1999. Dr. Javeri joined CSULA in 2003 after earning a doctoral degree in educational technology from the University of Northern Colorado at Greeley. Her 22 years of teaching experience are influenced by both Eastern and Western cultures while using techniques and philosophies from such thinkers as Mahatma Gandhi, Swami Vivekananda, John Dewey, Plato and Rousseau. In addition, Dr. Javeri is the recipient of Rotary the World Peace Fellow award (2010) and represented Rotary LA5 at Chulalongkorn University in Thailand. Her main research interests are to integrate technology in designing and developing humanitarian interventions around the world. She has developed several such projects, where students participate in solving real world problems and designing technology-based interventions. Some of the “interventions” students have developed include: HIV/AIDS training manuals for the teenagers in Mozambique, micro-financing and business plans for the women caregivers in Africa, e-learning course modules for Mozambique’s University of Unilurio and solar cooking and training manuals and
videos for Mozambique women.
videos for Mozambique women.
UPP! Advisory Board Members
Michael Bush
Michael Bush, mediator and founding director of the Institute for the Advancement of Community, designs and teaches courses in Psychology, Religious Studies, and Leadership at Alliance College-Ready High School #5, where he also directs his school's Character Education program. His original research interests in formulating a theory of community have expanded to include an exploration of application methods for his ideas, so he is currently examining concepts of organizational communication and leadership, family mediation, and facilitative coaching. Mr. Bush also volunteers with various social service agencies in and around Long Beach, CA concerned with community building and civic engagement. He holds two Master of Arts degrees from California State University, the first granted in the field of Religious Studies in 2007, the second in Negotiation, Conflict Resolution, and Peacebuilding, in 2011.
Chris “Amore One/Guido Corleone” Devcich
Hip Hop / Indie / Socio-Political-Philosophical-Love Rap
Hailing from Los Angeles, California
Tagline: "Light Finds A Way Outta The Darkness"
Born: May 25th, 1979. Government Name: Chris Devcich.
Born kicking and screaming in the South Bay of Los Angeles, CA, and hailing from two full-blooded Italian grandmothers, Guido Corleone has journeyed around the world to come to the realization that Truth lives in each one of us. That Truth is delivered through his fierce, honest, humorous and poignant brand of Hip Hop that draws from current events, social and economic justice, his direct life experience; love, both lost and found, universal and romantic; and a stream of both individual and collective consciousness.
As a member of Venice Beach's feel-good crew the Luminaries, Guido, AKA Amore One, spreads this Truth in the form of Hip Hop while touching and inspiring those who
he meets. In 2011, they had the opportunity to be ambassadors of peace on a 10-day tour of Palestine and Israel. Producing much of his own work, and also as a guitarist, skilled audio engineer and video editor, Guido is a one-man army of liberation, connecting with whoever he comes in contact with, and whatever movement he may be aligned with at the time, whether it be defending the earth, and the nation's largest urban community farm, The South Central Farm, or standing on the front lines of the Occupy Movement, and getting arrested if need be.
Guido has performed in a number of different settings, ranging from large festival stages like the Harmony Festival, Lightning in a Bottle and the Taybeh Beer Festival in Taybeh, Palestine; to venues around LA and the states, flatbed trucks and makeshift stages in various different demon-strations. Any stage is home to this journeying wordsmith. He has performed with a myriad of artists including KRS-ONE, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Ben Harper, Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine), Dead Prez, The Glitch Mob, K'Naan, The Dead Kennedy's, Bad Brains, STS9, Aceyalone, Pigeon John, 2MEX, The Shape Shifters, Matisyahu, Open Mike Eagle, Nocando, Dumbfoundead, Love and Light and many more. In addition to countless performances, Guido serves as Label Boss and Owner of Bell Rang Records, and President of Lu Fam Pro Entertainment, label of the Luminaries and event production company that produces the weekly event Luminous Movement at Zanzibar in Santa Monica.
Here Guido performs for students in the Youth Empowerment Peace Program (YEPP!) at an LA charter school, College Ready # 5:
Guido Corleone / Amore One Performs for Students Live at YEPP! #3
Music Videos:
"Free Energy" Music Video
"Peace" Music Video
"Be The Change" Music Video feat. Trevor Hall
Music Links:
Guido Corleone - "#OCCUPYWORLDWIDE" (EP)
Luminaries - "ONE" (Album)
Booking Contact:
310-714-9444
[email protected]
"Love and Solidarity" - G.
Hailing from Los Angeles, California
Tagline: "Light Finds A Way Outta The Darkness"
Born: May 25th, 1979. Government Name: Chris Devcich.
Born kicking and screaming in the South Bay of Los Angeles, CA, and hailing from two full-blooded Italian grandmothers, Guido Corleone has journeyed around the world to come to the realization that Truth lives in each one of us. That Truth is delivered through his fierce, honest, humorous and poignant brand of Hip Hop that draws from current events, social and economic justice, his direct life experience; love, both lost and found, universal and romantic; and a stream of both individual and collective consciousness.
As a member of Venice Beach's feel-good crew the Luminaries, Guido, AKA Amore One, spreads this Truth in the form of Hip Hop while touching and inspiring those who
he meets. In 2011, they had the opportunity to be ambassadors of peace on a 10-day tour of Palestine and Israel. Producing much of his own work, and also as a guitarist, skilled audio engineer and video editor, Guido is a one-man army of liberation, connecting with whoever he comes in contact with, and whatever movement he may be aligned with at the time, whether it be defending the earth, and the nation's largest urban community farm, The South Central Farm, or standing on the front lines of the Occupy Movement, and getting arrested if need be.
Guido has performed in a number of different settings, ranging from large festival stages like the Harmony Festival, Lightning in a Bottle and the Taybeh Beer Festival in Taybeh, Palestine; to venues around LA and the states, flatbed trucks and makeshift stages in various different demon-strations. Any stage is home to this journeying wordsmith. He has performed with a myriad of artists including KRS-ONE, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Ben Harper, Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine), Dead Prez, The Glitch Mob, K'Naan, The Dead Kennedy's, Bad Brains, STS9, Aceyalone, Pigeon John, 2MEX, The Shape Shifters, Matisyahu, Open Mike Eagle, Nocando, Dumbfoundead, Love and Light and many more. In addition to countless performances, Guido serves as Label Boss and Owner of Bell Rang Records, and President of Lu Fam Pro Entertainment, label of the Luminaries and event production company that produces the weekly event Luminous Movement at Zanzibar in Santa Monica.
Here Guido performs for students in the Youth Empowerment Peace Program (YEPP!) at an LA charter school, College Ready # 5:
Guido Corleone / Amore One Performs for Students Live at YEPP! #3
Music Videos:
"Free Energy" Music Video
"Peace" Music Video
"Be The Change" Music Video feat. Trevor Hall
Music Links:
Guido Corleone - "#OCCUPYWORLDWIDE" (EP)
Luminaries - "ONE" (Album)
Booking Contact:
310-714-9444
[email protected]
"Love and Solidarity" - G.
International Representatives
Yahya Bouiramane - Co-Founder / President - Moroccan Region
Ismail Lotfi - Co-Founder / Vice-President - Moroccan Region
Muhammad Khurshid - Director - Pakistan Region
Muhammad Khurshid is the Regional Director in Pakistan of United People for Peace (UPP!), which is a coalition of peace builders from around the world. Khurshid has been a respected journalist in the Bajaur Agency of Pakistan for decades. He has been a tireless worker for peace in towns and tribal regions. A self-taught writer and journalist, Khurshid has written hundreds of stories. Realizing the vast corruption in his native land and its resulting poverty, war, and terror brought to this mountainous region, Khurshid has partnered with United People for Peace (UPP!) to not only promote peace in the region, but to create jobs and end hunger, poverty and illiteracy. Khurshid lives in Pakistan with his wife and four children, all of whom attend school. He is seeking donations at this very moment to feed, clothe and educate his own family so as to open an UPP! Regional office in Khar town in Bajaur Agency, Pakistan. To learn more and donate, visit Empower Pakistani Journalist in a Stand for Peace: www.youcaring.com/voiceforpeace”