No matter what languages we speak or where we call home, our struggles are interchangeable. Black lives matter in Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, The UK, USA, Sudan, the Carribean and everywhere.
Join us tomorrow as we explore real and meaningful ways of building transnational black solidarity.
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MEET THE PANELISTS
Uzodinma Iweala is an award-winning writer, filmmaker, and medical doctor. He is the CEO of The Africa Center in New York, promoting a new narrative about Africa and its diaspora through a focus on culture, policy and business.
He is the Co-Founder of Ventures Africa Magazine, a member of the Presidents Youth Advisory Group (PYAG) for Jobs for Youth Africa (JfYA) at the African Development Bank (AfDB) and a member of the NowNew board. Beasts of No Nation (2005), Our Kind of People (2012), and Speak No Evil (2018) are titles to his writing credit.
With a cross-cultural background, we look forward to his perspective on how black identities intertwine across the globe and how we can find solidarity.
Through a steadfast dedication to justice and service, renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Benjamin Crump has established himself as one of the USA’s foremost lawyers and advocates for social justice.
He is the founder and principal owner of Ben Crump Law. He has worked on some of the most high-profile cases in the U.S., representing the families of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Stephon Clark; as well as the residents of Flint, Michigan, who were affected by the poisoned water of the Flint River.
His practical experience fighting for black dignity within the federal system places him squarely at the heart of the issue, the lives of black people in the diaspora. We are honoured to have him on our panel.
Aaron Mitchell is the Director of Talent Acquisition — Corporate Functions for Netflix. He is the architect behind Netflix’s $100 million commitment to support Black communities.
Prior to Netflix, Aaron worked in various areas in HR including leading Talent Management for MassMutual and leading Asia-Pacific recruiting strategy and planning for Citibank.
We look forward to his viewpoint on solutions that address systemic inequality and facilitate Black economic progress.
Paula Moreno is Colombia’s ex-Minister of Culture, the youngest to hold the position and the first female Afro-Colombian to hold ministerial office. In 2013, she was recognized by the BBC as one of the top 100 female leaders and in 2016 by the UN as one of the most influential afrodescendant leaders in the world.
She founded Visible Hands in 2010, an organization focused on the empowerment of communities in the margins to change power relations in Colombia and the world. She is currently a member of the Board of trustees at the Ford Foundation.
Given extensive experience working with communities, we are excited to hear Paula’s take on solidarity and allyship among black people in this session.
Matthew Ryder is the former Deputy Mayor of London and a leading UK barrister specialising in crime, data and human rights.
He has represented clients in some very high-profile cases, including the family of Stephen Lawrence, and journalists working with Edward Snowden.
As former Deputy Mayor of London, he oversaw social integration, social mobility and community engagement for Mayor Sadiq Khan.
We can’t wait to hear Mathew’s thoughts on transnational allyship and global blackness in this session.
Ebele Okobi is Facebook’s Public Policy Director for Africa, the Middle East and Turkey. Prior to Facebook, she was the Global Head of Human Rights at Yahoo and before that, was in the management development program in Nike’s EMEA headquarters.
She is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a board member of Junior Achievement Africa and a Trustee of Care International UK.
With digital penetration on the rise in Africa, we are excited to discuss policies and how online spaces can be optimised for black connectivity across the world.
