One of the most celebrated African-American novelists of our time, Colson Whitehead is now the winner of the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for his novel The Underground Railroad. With six novels under his belt, Whitehead is known for his genre-bending stories that focus on race, class, commercialism, and American history. Whitehead was born in New York City in…
Lynn Nottage, born in Brooklyn, New York, is an African-American playwright, co-founder of production company Market Road films, and writer and producer for the Netflix series, She’s Gotta Have It. Her work usually speaks for the exploited and working class, and incorporate the lives of African and African-American women. Nottage has just recently been awarded…
As a co-founder of two groundbreaking startups, Marie Githinji is using technology to change the world. Githinji knew she wanted to pursue tech from a fairly young age, certainly before she had any awareness that it wasn’t a typical path for a girl. Once she got into the field and started working as…
A UN-Sponsored Organization In 1997, the United Nations helped several organizations combine their resources to found the African Women’s Alliance (“the AWA”). This international nonprofit enterprise draws upon the talents of African women residing in their own nations and across the world. It was incorporated in 2001 as a nonprofit organization. Its members hope to enhance the lives…
Esi Edugyan is an award-winning novelist whose cultural heritage and diverse education fuels her rich stories of history, race, and finding one’s place in the world. Born in 1977 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Edugyan began writing poetry as a teenager and her talents were soon recognized by a high school teacher. She started her…
Are you intimidated by the gym? Do you feel like it’s too late to get in shape? An 80-year-old grandmother from Baltimore named Ernestine Shepherd is just the person to inspire you to get fit. She has an unbelievable physique and an impressive record. Ernestine’s story proves that anything is possible with determination and…
Noëlla Coursaris is not only a well-known model, but she is also a self-described “fierce advocate for Africa’s youth” and an active philanthropist. As a successful fashion model in London and NYC, she has regularly graced the pages of magazines like Vogue, Elle, and Vanity Fair. Her true passion, though, is giving back and championing human rights.…
Health risks and dangerous conditions such as malaria, pneumococcal infections, viral induced encephalopathy, and bacterial blood diseases continue to affect African populations, particularly children, across the continent. These matters also constantly keep Dr. Evelyn Gitau, a cellular immunologist from Kenya, busy in the lab and the field. Dr. Gitau believes that clinical immunity to malaria…
The Neem Foundation program focuses on helping the former captives of Boko Haram. This terrorist group, widely known for its mass kidnappings—most sensationally the 2014 kidnapping of over 200 Nigerian school girls—uses various violent means to fuel its terrorist organizations, as well as spread its zealous ideology. Some kidnapped girls have even been forced…
The Easter holiday has profound meaning in the Christian faith for it represents the mystery of the Resurrection, a great symbol of hope that the Savior will one day return to unite humanity and make everything holy for eternity. Although news headlines closely follow Easter celebrations conducted by the Roman Catholic Church, it is important…
