Showing posts with label Africa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Africa. Show all posts

Monday, January 02, 2023

Payne Center for Social Justice Announces Historic Partnership Between African Universities and Public HBCUs

The Payne Center for Social Justice (PCSJ) announced the launch of a historic partnership between 17 universities in Africa and a select group of the 47 public Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) served by the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF)

The partnership between the PCSJ and Stellenbosch University in South Africa will lead to the creation of the Academy for Growth and Global Engagement: Africans and African Americans (AGGE). In cooperation with the Center, Stellenbosch will serve as the anchor and administrative arm of the Academy and will be managed through a steering committee of representatives from participating universities.

A partnership agreement was signed and celebrated in conjunction with President Biden’s “US-Africa Leaders’ Summit” [December 13-15, 2022] and following Semafor’s Africa Summit on December 12, 2022, at GALLUP. The Summit created a prime opportunity to engage leadership at the highest levels of government and industry in the African Union’s (AU) First Continental Report of the Implementation of Agenda 2063 in relation to this newly formed partnership. 

The primary purpose of the Academy is to build a robust community of learning designed to build capacity in education, research, and extension for the public good,” said Dr. M.C. Brown, Executive Director of the Payne Center. “We intend to bring scholars in Africa and the U.S. together in search of new and innovative ideas that have the power to transform the human condition in Africa and in Black America.”

This partnership will strengthen the Center’s commitment to bolstering human capital for tomorrow’s workforce and aligns with the Center’s pursuit of research rooted in social science and focused in six primary areas of concentration, (1) Civic Participation; (2) Economics and Wealth; (3) Educational Equity; (4) The Future of Work; (5) Communities and Environments; and (6) Organizational Entities. 

                                                                                         # # #

 ABOUT THE PAYNE CENTER FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE

The Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) created the Dr. N. Joyce Payne Center for Social Justice as a nexus for research and advocacy to advance social justice for Black Americans. The Payne Center draws together top HBCU scholars, national thought leaders, community advocates, and on-the-ground solution-makers to identify, evaluate and scale new evidenced-based programs and policies designed to create sustainable change to the fabric of Black life in American society.

 

Tuesday, March 01, 2022

Statement from the African Union on the reported ill treatment of Africans trying to leave Ukraine

The African Union released the following statement on the reported ill treatment of Africans trying to leave Ukraine during a time of war:

The current Chair of the African Union and President of the Republic of Senegal, H.E. Macky Sall, and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat, are following closely the developments in Ukraine and are particularly disturbed by reports that African citizens on the Ukrainian side of the border are being refused the right to cross the border to safety.

The two Chairpersons recall that all people have the right to cross international borders during conflict, and as such, should enjoy the same rights to cross to safety from the conflict in Ukraine, notwithstanding their nationality or racial identity.

Reports that Africans are singled out for unacceptable dissimilar treatment would be shockingly racist and in breach international law. In this regard, The Chairpersons urge all countries to respect international law and show the same empathy and support to all people fleeing war notwithstanding their racial identity.

The Chairpersons commend the efforts by African Union Member State countries and their embassies in neighbouring countries to receive and orientate African citizens and their families trying to cross the border from Ukraine to safety.

Tuesday, July 27, 2021

Former President Barack Obama joins NBA Africa as strategic partner

The National Basketball Association (NBA) today announced that former President Barack Obama has joined NBA Africa as a strategic partner.

President Obama will help advance the league’s social responsibility efforts across the continent, including programs and partnerships that support greater gender equality and economic inclusion.  In this capacity, President Obama will have a minority equity stake in the new venture, which over time he intends to use to fund Obama Foundation youth and leadership programs across Africa.

NBA Africa conducts the league’s business in Africa, including the Basketball Africa League (BAL), which held its inaugural season in May featuring 12 of the top club teams from 12 African countries.  NBA Africa is focused on expanding the NBA’s presence in priority African markets, deepening the league’s engagement with players and fans across the continent, and continuing to grow Africa’s basketball ecosystem through programs like the Jr. NBA, Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Africa and NBA Academy Africa.  In addition, NBA Africa has launched several social responsibility initiatives aimed at raising awareness of gender-based violence, supporting girls’ education, and improving the livelihoods of African youth and families.

“The NBA has always been a great ambassador for the United States—using the game to create deeper connections around the world, and in Africa, basketball has the power to promote opportunity, wellness, equality, and empowerment across the continent,” said President Barack Obama.  “By investing in communities, promoting gender equality, and cultivating the love of the game of basketball, I believe that NBA Africa can make a difference for so many of Africa’s young people.  I’ve been impressed by the league’s commitment to Africa, including the leadership shown by so many African players who want to give back to their own countries and communities.  That’s why I’m proud to join the team at NBA Africa and look forward to a partnership that benefits the youth of so many countries.”

“We are honored that President Obama has become a strategic partner in NBA Africa and will support our wide-ranging efforts to grow the game of basketball on the continent,” said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.  “In addition to his well-documented love for basketball, President Obama has a firm belief in Africa’s potential and the enormous growth opportunities that exist through sports.  NBA Africa will benefit tremendously from his engagement.”

“We have ambitious growth plans for NBA Africa and having President Obama join our efforts is a recognition that through sport, Africa can take its rightful place on the world stage,” said NBA Africa CEO Victor Williams.  “We look forward to working with President Obama and our strategic investors to use basketball as an economic growth engine across the continent and as a platform to improve the health and wellness of one of the world’s youngest and fastest-growing populations.”

Strategic investors in NBA Africa include a consortium led by Babatunde “Tunde” Folawiyo, Chairman and CEO of Yinka Folawiyo Group, and Helios Fairfax Partners Corporation (HFP), led by Co-CEO Tope Lawani.  Additional investors in NBA Africa include NBA Legends Junior Bridgeman, Luol Deng (South Sudan), Grant Hill, Ian Mahinmi (France; ties to Benin), Dikembe Mutombo (Democratic Republic of the Congo) and Joakim Noah (ties to Cameroon).

The NBA has a decades-long history in Africa and opened its African headquarters in Johannesburg in 2010.  Since then, the league’s efforts on the continent have focused on increasing access to basketball and the NBA through social responsibility, grassroots and elite development, media distribution, corporate partnerships, NBA Africa Games, the launch of the BAL, and more.

The inaugural BAL season was broadcast to fans in 215 countries and territories in 15 languages.  On Sunday, May 30, Zamalek (Egypt) defeated US Monastir (Tunisia) 76-63 to win the first BAL Championship.  Fans can follow @NBA_Africa and @theBAL on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

Saturday, January 13, 2018

Maxine Waters Statement on Donald Trump’s Racist Slurs About Immigrants


Rep. Waters Statement on Donald Trump’s Racist Slurs About Immigrants


January 12, 2018 Press Release

LOS ANGELES – Congresswoman Maxine Waters (CA-43), Ranking Member of the House Financial Services Committee, released the following statement in response to Donald Trump’s comments on immigrants from what he referred to as “shithole countries” during an Oval Office meeting:

“Donald Trump is a racist and indecent man with no good values who is woefully unfit and undeserving of the office in which he serves. That this president, a deeply flawed human being with no understanding of public policy, would make such ill-informed and deplorable comments about Haitians, Salvadorans, and immigrants from African countries, merely underscores everything we already know about him: he is a hopeless and ignorant bigot.

“Donald Trump dog-whistled his way into the White House, running a campaign based on hate, bigotry, and fear. Upon taking his oath of office, he surrounded himself with alt-right white nationalists, such as Steve Bannon, Stephen Miller, and Sebastian Gorka, and nominated a well-known racist, Jeff Sessions, to lead his Department of Justice. One of his first actions as president was to institute a prejudicial and potentially unconstitutional ‘Muslim ban’, and since then, his administration has significantly increased its efforts to target minority communities and increase deportations. Furthermore, when the KKK, neo-Nazis, and white nationalist groups rallied and ultimately murdered an innocent woman in Charlottesville, he refused to rebuke them. While he won’t denounce white nationalists from our nation’s highest office, he has leveled attacks on journalists, athletes, private citizens, and even Members of Congress – many of whom, not coincidentally, are people of color.

“Donald Trump is crumbling under pressure from the ultra-right-wing conservatives. These radical conservatives elected Trump expecting him to use his presidential authority to deport thousands of innocent young people, many of whom were brought to this country as children and have since made positive contributions to our society. In true Trump-fashion, to compensate for his deficiencies and failure to grasp immigration policy, he has resorted to using an ignorant racial slur to denigrate people and countries about whom he knows nothing and for whom he has no care. Perhaps if these countries had white majorities, he might actually care about them. But they do not, and therefore he does not.

“What's even worse than his racist comment and divisive tactics, he is a hopeless liar who believes that he can make these comments in the presence of others -- as he has done in this recent meeting with Members of Congress involved in negotiations about DACA – and then deny them, which only adds to the 2,000 lies that he has already told since taking office that have been documented by the media.

“Donald Trump is an embarrassment and a national disgrace. Members of Congress have a responsibility to the American people and our democracy to impeach him.

“Justification for impeachment of this president includes the obvious obstruction of justice; continuing revelations about his associates and members of his family who have questionable contacts and connections to Russia; the alienation of our allies abroad; the attacks on the media and the 1st Amendment of the Constitution; the name-calling and attacks on his political opponents; the disrespect of women, including a U.S. Senator who he implied would do anything for a political contribution; and all of the disgraceful, untruthful, and disturbing actions by this president that continue to prove that he has no respect for our country’s most sacred values and traditions.

“No longer can Members of Congress, particularly Republicans, stand with such a dangerous, disturbed, and deceitful man who is a threat to everything for which America, the greatest democracy on earth, stands. Congress has a constitutional responsibility to impeach him without delay.”



Friday, January 12, 2018

NJ Gov-Elect Phil Murphy calls out Trump over racist remarks

I was fortunate enough to attend an event for NJ Gov-Elect Phil Murphy today and get this video. During a speech at the Newark Museum at an Inaugural Weekend kickoff event Democrat Phil Murphy called out Trump over his racist remarks. Watch those remarks below:

African Union statement on Trump's racist comments about Africa

The African Union released the following statement after President Trump referred to African countries as shitholes:

"Given the historical reality of how many Africans arrived in the United States as slaves, this statement flies in the face of all accepted behaviour and practice," AU spokeswoman Ebba Kalondo said.

"This is particularly surprising as the United States of America remains a global example of how migration gave birth to a nation built on strong values of diversity and opportunity."

The African Union (AU) is a continental union consisting of all 54 countries on the African continent, extending slightly into Asia via the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt. It was established on 26 May 2001 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and launched on 9 July 2002 in South Africa,[6] with the aim of replacing the Organisation of African Unity (OAU). The most important decisions of the AU are made by the Assembly of the African Union, a semi-annual meeting of the heads of state and government of its member states. The AU's secretariat, the African Union Commission, is based in Addis Ababa.

Thursday, January 11, 2018

Rep. Mia Love demands that Trump apologizes for racist remarks about Haiti and Africa

Republican Congresswoman Mia Love, who is Haitian-American of Utah’s 4th Congressional District issued a statement Thursday in response to a controversial comment by President Trump, in which he decried Haitian and African immigrants coming to the United States from “s—hole countries.”.

Read her statement below:

The President’ comments are unkind, divisive, elitist, and fly in the face of our nation’s values. This behavior is unacceptable from the leader of our nation. My parents came from one of those countries, took an oath of allegiance to it, and took on the responsibilities of everything that being a citizen comes with. They never took a thing from our federal government. They worked hard, paid taxes, and rose from nothing to take care of and provide opportunities for their children. They taught their children to do the same. That’s the American Dream. The President must apologize to both the American people and the nations he so wantonly maligned.”

Monday, January 12, 2015

Boko Haram slaughters 2,000 in Nigeria.

This past week saw what could be Boko Haram's deadliest massacre to date, marking yet another hideous milestone in the organization's increasingly violent campaign. Amnesty International estimates hundreds of people, possibly as many as 2,000, could have been killed, but the numbers cannot be verified.

Sunday, October 26, 2014

'Ebola racism': how the world is discriminating against Africans

Increasing anxiety and fear over the Ebola virus has led to what many commentators have dubbed "Ebola racism".

"People are being shunned and mocked for having visited, or even for simply having been born in, Africa – and anywhere in Africa will do, afflicted with Ebola or not," writes The Intercept's Andrew Jones.

He argues that the "hysteria" surrounding the virus in the West is an example of "ignorant discrimination that immigrants in general and Africans specifically have endured for decades".

So, how are Africans being discriminated against?

Read more: 'Ebola racism': how the world is discriminating against Africans

Friday, October 17, 2014

Kofi Annan: Ebola neglected because it started in Africa

Wealthy countries were slow to tackle the Ebola epidemic as it began in Africa, former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan said in tough criticism of the response to the crisis on Thursday.

"I am bitterly disappointed by the response... I am disappointed in the international community for not moving faster," Annan told the flagship BBC programme Newsnight.

"If the crisis had hit some other region it probably would have been handled very differently. In fact when you look at the evolution of the crisis, the international community really woke up when the disease got to America and Europe."

Read more: Kofi Annan: Ebola neglected because it started in Africa