ASP Series Speakers

Matthew Ryder is a leading UK barrister, specialising in crime, data and human rights. His clients have included the family of murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence, journalists working with Edward Snowden, and Kenyan politicians appearing before the International Criminal Court. He is also a former Deputy Mayor of London, overseeing community engagement and social mobility for Mayor Sadiq Khan. Matthew grew up in London as the son of a Jamaican mother and British father, and attended Cambridge University and Columbia University in New York before qualifying as a lawyer.

Through a steadfast dedication to justice and service, renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Benjamin Crump has established himself as one of the nation’s foremost lawyers and advocates for social justice. He is the founder and principal owner of Ben Crump Law. He has worked on some of the most high-profile cases in the U.S., representing the families of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Stephon Clark; as well as the residents of Flint, Michigan, who were affected by the poisoned water of the Flint River. He has been nationally recognized as the 2014 NNPA Newsmaker of the Year, The National Trial Lawyers Top 100 Lawyers, and Ebony Magazine Power 100 Most Influential African Americans. In 2016, he was designated as an Honorary Fellow by the University of Pennsylvania College of Law. His book, published in October 2019, Open Season: Legalized Genocide of Colored People, reflects on the landmark cases he has battled, and how discrimination in the courthouse devastates real families and communities. Benjamin Crump’s dedication to fighting systemic racism and protecting the civil rights of African Americans led Reverend Al Sharpton heralded him as: Black America’s Attorney General.

Attorney Crump has served in leadership positions at the highest levels of the legal profession and has been recognized for his efforts by numerous esteemed organizations. He served as the 73 rd President of the National Bar Association and is the current President of the National Civil Rights Trial Lawyers Association. He was the first African-American to chair the Florida State University College of Law Board of Directors and currently serves on the Innocence Project Board of Directors. He was bestowed the NAACP Thurgood Marshall Award, the SCLC Martin Luther King Servant Leader Award, the American Association for Justice Johnnie Cochran Award, and the Alpha Kappa Alpha Eleanor Roosevelt Medallion for Service. In 2016, he was designated as an Honorary Fellow by the University of Pennsylvania College of Law, and he has been nationally recognized as the 2014 NNPA Newsmaker of the Year, The National Trial Lawyers Top 100 Lawyers, and Ebony Magazine Power 100 Most Influential African Americans. In June 2018, he was appointed to the National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) Board of Directors.

Attorney Crump is also the executive producer of the groundbreaking documentary, “Woman in Motion,” about Nichelle Nichols and the race to space. Nichols was among the first African-American actresses on TV and played Lieutenant Uhura in Star Trek the original series. He hosted the critically acclaimed legal docudramas, “Evidence of Innocence” on TVOne and “Who Killed Tupac: The Search For Justice” on A&E. He was also seen on Fox’s “You The Jury.” Attorney Crump portrays legendary civil rights attorney Z Alexander Looby in the award-winning Hollywood film production “Marshall,” and has appeared in the documentary “Beating Justice,” the story of the Martin Lee Anderson case, and BET’s “I am Trayvon.”

He is the founder and director of the Benjamin Crump Social Justice Institute and hosts its annual Contemporary Issues in Civil Rights Symposium, where national thought leaders gather at Tennessee State University. He is a frequent contributor to Huffington Post Black Voices, CNN, and USA Today.

Attorney Crump’s book, published in October 2019, Open Season: Legalized Genocide of Colored People, reflects on the landmark cases he has battled, and how discrimination in the courthouse devastates real families and communities. With myriad successes on the national stage, Attorney Crump has still made his community a priority by helping to ensure quality legal representation and access to the courts for poor people in his hometown, formerly serving as Board Chairman of Legal Services of North Florida and, with his former law partner Daryl Parks, donating $1 million to the organization’s capital campaign.

Attorney Crump was born in 1969 in Lumberton, North Carolina. He graduated from Florida State University (FSU) and received his law degree from FSU College of Law. He is married to Dr. Genae Angelique Crump.

Aaron Mitchell is the Director of Talent Acquisition — Corporate Functions for Netflix. At Netflix, Aaron works directly with Netflix’s Chief Financial Officer, Chief Talent Officer, General Counsel, and Chief Communications Officer and their leaders to scale their teams across the world. Prior to joining Netflix, Aaron worked in various areas in HR including leading Talent Management for MassMutual and leading Asia-Pacific recruiting strategy and planning for Citibank.

Aaron was born in New Haven, CT and graduated from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA with a Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration in Human Resources and has an MBA from Harvard Business School.