3rd Annual Africa Day…

On May 25th, Africa Day NYC hosted the 3rd annual New York City Africa Day celebration. The investment summit and celebration of African Excellence was held virtually from 10 am EST to 4:30 pm EST. Africa Day NYC included guest speakers and panelists from across the globe.

Africa Day NYC was launched at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic as a virtual,  live-streamed event on the Africa Day NYC Facebook page. Africa Day NYC 2021 was held virtually again before the lifting of most in-person gatherings in New York City.

Due to the rise in new variants, the organizers decided to hold Africa Day NYC 2022 virtually again. The Africa Day NYC 2022 event may be viewed on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/AfricaDayNYC/
As of May 30, more than 6,000 viewers have watched Africa Day NYC 2022.

Africa Day is the commemoration of the founding of the African Union, which was formerly known as the Organization of African Unity, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on May 25th, 1963.

Africa Day is a celebration of the diversity of Africa, the wide variety of cultures, and African Unity. The program on Wednesday, May 25th, created a dialogue for members of the community to celebrate, educate, inspire, and empower each other.

The Panels included a wide variety of topics including – Healthcare: Putting Yourself First; Bridging The Diaspora; Education: Our Youth, Our Future; Investment and Tourism: Africa Rising; Civic Engagement; and Black Media: Our Stories, Our Voices.

The panelists for Healthcare – Putting Yourself First included Dr. Jonathan Jiménez, Executive Director of NYC Care. Co-Host Mohammed Mardah, Chairman of the African Advisory Council, sat down with Dr. Jiménez as they discussed the NYC Care program and all of the ways the African community could benefit from access to healthcare.

NYC Care provides healthcare to all New York City residents regardless of immigration status. NYC Health+Hospitals has 11 locations in New York and over 70 clinics. Once enrolled, you will receive a membership card and see a Primary Care Physician within 2 weeks. NYC Care also provided prescription medication. 

Next was the Bridging The Diaspora panel. Panelists included Mackie Holder, Consul General for the Republic of Barbados; El Hadji Ndao, Consul General for the Republic of Senegal; Kevin Parker, a New York State Senator; and Mohammed Mardah.

The panel discussed cultural connections, trade and investment opportunities, expat job opportunities, and tourism in Barbados and Senegal. The panel explored how African immigrants, Caribbean immigrants, and Black Americans can work together.

The Education – Our Youth, Our Future Panel touched on the importance of education for the African community. Panelists such as Althea Stevens, NYC Councilwoman and Chair of the Youth Committee; Dr. Auriel Watson, Founder of Ubuntu Prep; Dr. Monica George-Fields, Founder and CEO of REACH Educational Solutions; and Rudy Coombs, Co-Founder of One Hundred Black Men and Eagle Academy discussed their roles in empowering the youth through education. 

The fourth panel of the investment summit and celebration was Investment and Tourism – Africa Rising. Panelists included George Ntim, Market Director for Diplomatic and Community Relations for the New York City Marriott Hotels; Bernard Toliver, President of Renaissance Meetings & Special Events, Inc.; and Jefferson T. Koijee, Mayor of Monrovia, the capital city in Liberia. The panel discussed strategies for increasing tourism in a COVID-19 world. 

For the Civic Engagement panel, co-host Mohammed Mardah was joined by Luis Sepulveda, New York State Senator; Gbubemi Okotieuro, Vice President of Government Affairs at Berkeley College; and El Hadji Ndao, President of SunuAfrik Inc. This panel discussed the importance of being involved civically and electorally. Senator Sepulveda explained that everyone can engage legislators regardless of their immigration status and advocate for their communities. 

The Black Media – Our Stories, Our Voices panel included panelists from across the United States and the globe. The panelists included Cheryl Smith, Secretary of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), President of the Dallas-Fort Worth Association of Black Journalists; Rina Risper, Publisher and Owner,

The New Citizens Press; Cheryl Thompson-Morton, Director, Black Media Initiative, Center for Community Media at the Newmark J-School (CUNY); Jamie Mighti, Founder, Giraffe Outlook; and Mona Davids, Founder and President of LittleAfrica News. Panelists were based in a variety of states across the U.S including Texas, Michigan, and New York all the way down to South Africa. Panelists discussed the importance of black media in a climate that is dominated by white-owned corporations.