Paul Gilroy is one of the foremost theorists of race and racism working and teaching in the world today. Working across disciplines, including British and American literature, African American studies, Black British studies, transatlantic history, and critical race theory, he has transformed the canon of political and cultural history, making us aware of how the African diaspora—largely spurred into motion by racial slavery—was an extra-national, sociopolitical, and cultural phenomenon that challenged essentialist conceptions of country, community, and identity, and was constitutive of modernity. He is an emeritus professor of humanities and was the founding director of the Sarah Parker Remond Centre for the Study of Racism and Racialisation at University College London. Gilroy is the author of influential publications such as The Black Atlantic: Modernity and Double Consciousness (1993), Against Race: Imagining Political Culture beyond the Color Line (2000), Postcolonial Melancholia (2005), and Darker Than Blue: On the Moral Economies of Black Atlantic Culture (2010), as well as numerous articles and essays. He has written about the work of Steve McQueen in several essays, including “Time and Terror: Widdershins in the Torrid Zone” in Steve McQueen: Sunshine State (2022); “Never Again Grenfell,” published in conjunction with the exhibition Steve McQueen: Grenfell at Serpentine Galleries, London (2023); and “For a Low-End Theory of Black Atlantic Cymatics” in Steve McQueen: Bass (2024). Gilroy is the recipient of the 2019 Holberg Prize, given to a person who has made outstanding contributions to research in the arts, humanities, social science, law, or theology.

Marcus Miller is a multi-Grammy-winning artist, producer, and composer whose groundbreaking musical legacy spans several decades. Born in New York in 1959, he launched his career as a session musician and has since contributed to over 500 recordings. In addition to enhancing tracks for music icons such as Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick, Bill Withers, Luther Vandross, and Roberta Flack, Miller also played a pivotal role as a composer and producer in the later stages of each of these artists careers. His contributions showcase his multifaceted talent as well as his profound understanding of his craft. Miller started touring with Miles Davis in the early 1980s, during which he developed a close relationship with Davis; their composing and producing collaborations yielded classics such as Tutu and Amandla, establishing him as a jazz visionary. As a solo artist, he has garnered over a dozen Grammy nominations, and in 2009 he won the Grammy for Best Jazz Instrumental Album. He is also a prolific bandleader and frequently composes scores for major motion pictures and television series. Miller has been awarded numerous accolades in addition to his five Grammy awards, including the Dutch Edison Award for Lifetime Achievement in Jazz (2013) and France’s Victoire du Jazz (2010). In 2013, he was appointed a UNESCO Artist For Peace in recognition of his unwavering commitment to music as a catalyst for change. Most recently, Miller received the Cultural Medals of Distinction for artistic contributions from both Monaco and France. Miller collaborated with Steve McQueen as bandleader, producer, and arranger for his work Bass (2024).