Speak for Change was founded with the mission of creating positive and lasting social change in our local and global communities. From a studio at the Tannery Arts Center in Santa Cruz, Thomas Sage Pedersen has hosted over 100 podcast episodes – and now, Speak for Change and Indexical bring you a series of live events! Each event features an interview and a musical guest, with new and custom sets tailored to the topic of conversation.

Consuelo Alba is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Watsonville Film Festival (WFF). Under her leadership, WFF developed from a grassroots collective into a non-profit arts organization offering year-round programming. The WFF mission is to showcase primarily Latinx stories that illuminate our shared humanity and promote positive change. Currently, Consuelo is the Board Chair of the Arts Council Santa Cruz County and inaugural member of Rise Together. 
 
For years, Consuelo has leveraged the power of film to inspire, connect and shift disempowering narratives and harmful stereotypes of the Latinx community. She is an award winning-documentary filmmaker and executive producer of local films. Her short El Andalón / The Healerscreened in more than 30 film festivals worldwide, received seven awards and was broadcast on Mexican public television. In her role as a film festival director, she is a community organizer, multimedia producer and programmer whose work is grounded in equity, creativity and joy. Working with an incredible Board, and a small but mighty staff and volunteers, Consuelo puts together film programs that spark powerful conversations and inspire action. 
 
Consuelo was born and raised in Mexico City. Her parents instilled in her a deep appreciation for her culture. Since moving to California 25 years ago, she made it her mission to honor her cultural legacy through her work as a translator, reporter, editor, business owner, documentary filmmaker and cultural activist.Consuelo graduated with honors with a BA in Communication Sciences & Journalism from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. She worked as a translator for El Andar, an iconic bilingual magazine in Santa Cruz, and as an editor and reporter with Nuevo Mundo, the Spanish language publication of the San Jose Mercury News.
 

Alexandra Henry is a self-taught pianist, ear-trained singer songwriter and founder of Soul Good Entertainment. Originally from Ithaca, NY, she now lives in Santa Cruz, CA and is the mother of a wonderful son. Alexandra has used her love of the arts, awareness of healing, passion for singing and fire for human rights to pursue her career in music. Her self-titled album debuted in 2019, capturing listeners with powerhouse raw vocals and deeply personal lyrics.

Thomas Sage Pedersen’s mission and purpose has shifted throughout the years, but has always revolved around: to explore and implement innovative ways to inspire and create communities that are rooted in health, self-awareness, communication, creativity, accountability, courage and nonviolence. He continues to explore these principles in his personal life as well as in organizations he has created, helped create or are a part of.

Thomas is the CEO and Founder of the award winning music school Everyone’s Music School. He is the founder and main host of the podcast Speak For Change Podcast. He also has his own radio show on KSQD 90.7 fm in Santa Cruz County called the Speak For Change Radio hour. He is a co-Founder and the main facilitator of the Black Kings of Santa Cruz County which is a black men’s group here in Santa Cruz County rooted in brotherhood and connection.

He is a member of the Santa Cruz Equity Collaborative who are popularly known for holding responsibility for the BLM mural here in Santa Cruz. When not working in the community Thomas likes to write, paint and create music. He lives in the Redwoods of Santa Cruz County with his amazing artist wife Lauren Ringelman.