A2MEND

African American Male Education Network & Development

A²MEND Welcomes Educators to Ghana Summit This Month

A²MEND has invited educators and thought leaders to the University of Cape Coast, Ghana to join them at the All African Diaspora Education Summit held September 19 to 24. This first-ever summit will create a dynamic, unprecedented space and opportunity for educators to freely and unapologetically reimagine how they teach and serve Black students.

A²MEND joined the Obokese Foundation and other partners in co-sponsoring this inaugural summit. These partners organized the summit due to the vital importance of African American educators redefining their value system and bringing back to their college campuses the African way of life that is embedded in excellence as exhibited for the many generations of Ghanian culture.

“The All African Diaspora Education Summit aligns with A²MEND’s work of nurturing Black men to succeed in higher education by helping them feel a sense of brotherhood and connection with their ancestral heritage,” said Dr. Amanuel Gebru, President of A²MEND. “We hope our summit serves as a transformational experience that will help educators make an even greater impact on the lives of Black male college students.”

About 600 educators are expected to attend the summit, which will feature globally renowned African centered, liberatory practitioners and scholars. Internationally recognized keynote speakers and facilitators will enable attendees to network and engage in liberatory practices that will ensure deep reflection and create reinvigorated action. Through the summit, the event organizers seek to honor the platform of the government of Ghana’s policy initiative of “Beyond the Return.” This policy initiative calls for the global African family to return to Africa to participate in the rebuilding process of connecting to their African-centric ancestry, thus restoring their cultural identity – as heritage awareness has proven to support a Black student’s educational success.

A2MEND Mentee James Butera: From Uganda to UC Riverside

Over the last several years, A²MEND student mentee James Butera has come a long way in his life – literally. Raised in Uganda, Butera managed to graduate from high school and community college before transferring to UC Riverside – just five years after arriving in the U.S. with his parents and siblings to start a new life. Today, Butera feels like he’s on his way to realizing his career dream in the finance industry, as he’s currently on track to earning a bachelor’s degree in Business Economics.

James Butera

Butera believes that A²MEND has been an integral part of his journey to succeeding in college. He learned about the mentoring program through a professor while attending San José City College. He soon joined and eventually became a member of A²MEND’s Student Leadership Academy. The camaraderie and support that he felt within the organization helped guide him on his trajectory of attending a four-year university. “We’d get mentored in the financing career field,” he said. “My grades got a boost.” In March, Butera attended A²MEND’s annual conference in Los Angeles to accept a scholarship for his academic performance.

As a new student at UC Riverside, Butera already has set his sights on the next stage of his education. “I want to go to grad school to get an MBA so I can work in finance management,” he said. “And I want to do something for the community.”

For student mentees interested in A²MEND’s Student Leadership Academy, feel free to submit an application here.

Become an A²MEND Student Mentee

The A²MEND Mentor Initiative provides support, guidance, professional development and networking opportunities for new and existing students enrolled in a community college based in California. Student mentees also have the opportunity to network with other mentees and mentors within the program through a number of professional development programs and events.

Students will be matched with a mentor who works in A²MEND’s system based on similar educational and career interests. In addition, A²MEND will provide both mentor and mentee training that ensures that both students and professionals receive maximum benefit for being a part of this game changing initiative.

To learn more about becoming an A²MEND mentee, please visit here.

“I wanted to become an A²MEND mentee so that I could feel a part of something that resembled me and my struggle. I got to see what individuals were capable of, individuals that looked and sounded like me. This was the first time that I had ever been exposed to successful, educated and positive men and women of color supporting one another. I wanted to be a part of that.” – David Perez, A²MEND Mentee

Charles Long: A²MEND Mentee’s Journey to UC Berkeley

At age 40 and a single father, Charles Long is reinventing himself by pursuing a college degree later in life. Long recently received his associate’s degree and is now working toward earning his bachelor’s degree at UC Berkeley beginning this new school year. At UC Berkeley, he ambitiously aims to double major in social welfare and psychology, with a minor in African American studies. But as an A²MEND mentee, he’s confident he’ll have the supportive network he needs to succeed in reaching his educational goals.

While a student at Moreno Valley College, Long learned about A²MEND through a faculty advisor who felt the organization could support him in his interest in transferring to a four-year university. During the A²MEND conference in March, Long was able to meet and converse with admission representatives from UC Berkeley and UCLA. Although he had already applied to UC Berkeley at the time, the introduction encouraged him to move forward with following through with the college admissions process.

A2MEND mentor Charles Long pictured with his daughter Makayla at his graduation from Moreno Valley College.

“A²MEND is a brotherhood of intelligent Black men who have overcome in life to get where they are,” said Long. “I’ve never been around a large group of accomplished Black men. Seeing them at the conference and going to Africa with them – it’s been inspirational.”

Raised in Oakland, Long has sought role models ever since he can remember. His father was incarcerated for the first eight years of his life, and he spent part of his childhood in foster care after his mother lost parental custody due to her drug addiction. Miraculously, his parents reconciled and raised their children together once his mother successfully completed a rehab program and his father was released from prison. But his memories in foster care made an indelible impression on him, motivating him to pursue a career in social work to help others who share similar childhood experiences.

“I’ve always wanted to be a social worker because when I was in foster care, a social worker made my time there a lot easier,” said Long, adding that he wants to also establish a group home one day. “I want to open up a group home for juveniles, like a boarding school. Not just to provide housing, but to take them on trips to show them a different way of living.”

A²MEND Students Join Board Members on East Africa Trip

Last month, six student mentees joined seven A²MEND board members on an extraordinary trip to East Africa as part of the organization’s Africa Study Abroad Program. A²MEND’s excursion program enables board members to escort student mentees to Africa each summer to connect them with their ancestral homeland. For this year’s trip, the student mentees traveled to the African countries of Kenya and Tanzania.

While in Nairobi, the A²MEND students and mentors visited Nairobi National Park, where they experienced a safari to enjoy an up-close look at African wildlife in their natural habitat. They also toured the Nairobi National Museum that showcases Kenya’s rich history of art and culture.

A2MEND student mentees and mentors shown on a tour at the Nairobi National Museum in Kenya.

In Mombasa, the A²MEND group visited the Fort Jesus Museum nestled along the coastline near the Old Town. The museum displays various artifacts from the era where Mombasa served as a transit point for the slave trade and commodities. Also in Mombasa, the group spent time at the Maasai Market, an open-air market that sells colorful artwork, goods and food.

The A²MEND group additionally spent time at Swahili Beach, where they learned about Africa’s coastal marine life and observed archaeological artifacts from the Indian Ocean. They also rode camels along the coastline and participated in mental health practices, like sound healing and yoga, during their morning visits to east African beaches.