A2MEND

African American Male Education Network & Development

300+ Educators Journey Back to Ghana for 2nd Biennial All-African Diaspora Educators Summit

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

300+ Educators Journey Back to Ghana for 2nd Biennial All-African Diaspora Educators Summit

Ghana volunteers at the inaugural 2022 All-African Diaspora Education Summit.

LOS ANGELES, CA, August 26, 2024 – In a continued effort to reshape education for the African diaspora, A²MEND and over 300 educators from across the United States will gather for the second Biennial All-African Diaspora Education Summit (ADES) in Ghana.

The Summit, taking place from September 27 to October 6, 2024, will be hosted in Accra and Cape Coast, Ghana. The theme for the 2024 summit, “Colonization to Sovereignty: The Future of Educating the African Diaspora – 2022-2032,” reflects a critical and bold vision for the future of education centered on African sovereignty, self-determination, and liberation.

“This summit is more than just a gathering — it is a return to our roots, a reclamation of our narrative, and a powerful statement that African-centered education is essential to our future,” said Herbert English, A²MEND president and dean of Counseling and Specially Funded Programs at Riverside City College. “We are not only educating minds but also liberating souls. ADES is where we come together to honor our ancestors and forge a new path for the generations to come.”

Building on the success of the 2022 ADES, which brought together educators from the U.S. and Africa for the first time, this year’s summit will continue to explore how African-centered education is a vital tool for empowering Black people globally. The summit provides a platform to address key questions: How can we most effectively implement an educational structure that centers the history, traditions, philosophy, and lived experiences of Black people? Who were we before they came?

“Last year’s Summit laid the foundation for a global dialogue on how we educate the African diaspora,” said Dr. Edward Bush, president of Cosumnes River College and A²MEND president-elect. “This work is vital because education is our most powerful weapon in the fight for sovereignty and self-determination. We must continue to ask the hard questions about our past and envision a future that is truly our own.”

The Summit invites K-12 teachers, community college faculty, administrators, policymakers, and educational advocates to collectively design and advance strategies for Black students’ success. ADES 2024 will explore how African-centered pedagogy can serve as a foundation for controlling resources, amplifying the contributions of Black people, and reimagining educational practices.

ADES 2024 will offer an immersive professional development opportunity, allowing African American educators to reconnect with the ancestral homeland of African people. By exploring both the historical and contemporary context of education in Africa, participants will engage in transformative dialogue and collaboration that nurtures a vision of educational sovereignty.

“I support the ADES Summit because it offers educators an invaluable opportunity to learn, heal, and grow in the very land where our history began,” said Dr. Ricky Shabazz, A²MEND board member and president of San Diego City College. “The work we do here helps us dismantle systems of oppression, reimagine education, and ultimately uplift Black students worldwide. This is not just a conference — it’s a movement.”

For those interested in supporting this transformative event, sponsorship opportunities are available. To learn more, please visit https://www.thesummit.info/sponsors or email us at assist@execuconnect.org.

About A²MEND:

A²MEND (African American Male Education Network & Development) is committed to advancing educational success for Black students through professional development, advocacy, and mentorship. Their mission is to implement African-centered solutions that foster liberation and equity in educational spaces.

Media Contacts:

Edward Bush, Ph.D.
President, Cosumnes River College
bushe@crc.losrios.edu
916.691.7321
Ricky Shabazz, Ed.D.
President, San Diego City College
rshabazz@sdccd.edu
619.388.3453

Become an A²MEND Donor This New Year

Every African American male deserves an opportunity to attend college to pursue a degree in higher education. As we begin this new year, please join A²MEND in our mission of fostering Black male success in California’s community college system. Your generous contribution will make a difference in the lives of these young men and their promising futures. Become an A²MEND contributor by donating here.

College Students Encouraged to Join an A²MEND Student Charter

A²MEND’s Student Charter Program offers a student support structure in an affirming environment where African American male students and other men of color are able to thrive. A²MEND’s student charters provide educational, cultural, social and intellectual programs that promote positivity and brotherhood among their members. The aim of A²MEND’s student charters is to improve academic success and to develop culturally competent servant student leaders.

There are more than 20 A²MEND student charters at community colleges across California. To find a A²MEND student charter at a California community college, please visit here.

Sponsorships Still Welcome: A²MEND Annual Summit

If you belong to an educational institution, nonprofit or business that is aligned with A²MEND’s mission to support the higher educational goals of African American male students, we invite you to become a sponsor for the A²MEND Annual Summit, an inspirational event taking place in Los Angeles from March 1-3, 2023.

Last year, A²MEND brought together 800+ people, 75+ educational entities and 25+ businesses at the organization’s annual summit. Sponsorships for the summit enable A²MEND to further impact lives through the organization’s mentoring programs that support the success of Black male students in California’s community college system.

Sponsorships are established on a first-come, first served basis, so become an A²MEND sponsor today. For questions and more information about becoming a sponsor of A²MEND’s Annual Summit, please contact a2mendpartners@gmail.com. To apply as an event sponsor, please visit here. 

Munir Omar: A Sense of Belonging

Munir Omar is an A²MEND activist who is a thriving student at Solano Community College. He is currently A²MEND’s student charter president as well as a bright mind in mathematics and technology.

Born in Dubai and raised in East Africa, Omar was such an excellent mathematics student that he was able to nab a coveted exchange student opportunity in the U.S. while still a young teenager. Although he was grateful to attend a high school in Northern California, Omar endured struggles as a foreign exchange student. “I was the only Black kid in my integrated mathematics theory class,” he said. “I felt unwelcomed there, like I didn’t belong.”

Munir Omar (front row, center) is joined by fellow students, faculty and staff at an A²MEND campus event.

Omar persevered, graduating with high marks before returning to his home country. He later arrived back in the U.S. to pursue his college education. During his first year at Solano Community College, he was approached by another student, Mike Young, who persuaded Omar to help him start an A²MEND student charter on campus.

Omar worked with Young to bring other students into the charter by organizing campus events that nurtured relationships among fellow Black male students in addition to faculty and staff. His student activism enabled him to feel a greater sense of “community” on campus. “A²MEND taught me that I am welcome, that I belong,” he said. “They helped me realize that being African American is my identity. That’s who I am. And I am worthy.”