 MOAA Year in Review (2015)
MOAA Fresh Start Open House
On Friday, February 13, 2015, the Mayor’s Office on African Affairs (MOAA) hosted its Fresh Start Open House, welcoming members of the DC Commission on African Affairs, African leaders of community, community-based organizations, and local business owners. During the event, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced the appointment of Director Mamadou Samba, who was charged with implementing a robust operation and outreach strategy for the agency.
To view a brief video of the event including Mayor Bowser’s address, please click here. To see more pictures, click here.
 Click on the image to see the video
MOAA Recruited African Mentors for Mayor Bowser’s Empowering Males of Color (EMOC) Initiative
MOAA, in partnership with Young African Professionals (YAP) committed to recruiting fifty African mentors to support Mayor Muriel Bowser’s Empowering Males of Color (EMOC) initiative. EMOC is a program developed by DC Public Schools to identify current academic challenges and improve the success of our African-American and Latino male students. It seeks to collaborate with the community, schools, and district leaders to implement effective strategies that enhance the student experience, increase achievement, and prepare our young men for college and careers.
MOAA's Fresh Start African Media Mixer
On Tuesday, April 7, 2015 MOAA invited all media outlets with an interest in covering local and international African diaspora news to attend its Fresh Start African Media Mixer at Bossa Bistro & Lounge. Participants learned about MOAA's fresh start initiatives, discussed ways to strengthen the presence of African media in the District, and identified areas of future collaboration.
For more pictures of the event, click here,
MOAA African Business Mixer
On Wednesday, April 22, 2015, MOAA hosted local business owners, non-profit organizations and upcoming entrepreneurs during its African Business Mixer at Etété Restaurant. Guest speakers from other government agencies included Fred Moosally, Director, Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration (ABRA), William Hager, Public Information Officer at ABRA and Ted Archer, Chief of Staff, Department of Small and Local Business Development (DSLBD).
For more pictures of the event, click here,
Executive Action Immigration Session
On Saturday, April 25 and Sunday, April 26, 2015, the Commission on African Affairs (COAA) and MOAA teamed up with US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and immigration attorneys to conduct two informational sessions on President Obama's Executive Actions on Immigration. The sessions were hosted by the Renaissance Center at the Lamond-Riggs Library in Ward 5, and by DSK Mariam Ethiopian Orthodox Church in Ward 4, respectively. MOAA staff and interns provided French and Amharic interpretation services as both sessions were designed for Low- and Non-English Proficient (LEP/NEP) African constituents.
African Community Grant Proposal Writing Workshop and Panel Discussion
MOAA hosted its first African Community Grant Proposal Writing Workshop and panel discussion to support the growth of community and faith-based organizations and strengthen their access to the District’s grant opportunities. The two-day workshop took place on Friday, May 15, 2015 and Monday, May 18, 2015 and was designed to critically evaluate internal and external organizational factors, including program development, identifying appropriate funding sources, developing proposals, and building collaborative partnerships.
Following the workshop, MOAA’s Director Mamadou Samba chaired a panel of discussants including Lafayette Barnes, Director, Office of Partnerships and Grants, Sara Gallagher, Program Officer, International Diaspora Engagement Alliance, and Anthony Chuukwu, Executive Director, CitiWide Computer Training and African Community Grantee who spoke on the theme “An Overview of Funding Resources for Non-profit Organization.
For more pictures, click here.
MOAA and George Mason University’s Institute for Immigration Research Collaborate on Research about the District’s African Immigrants
On Monday, May 25, 2015, MOAA and the George Mason University’s Institute for Immigration Research (IIR) agreed to collaborate on compiling a survey research project focused on the African immigrant population in DC. This agreement was issued on Africa Day 2015 and marks a significant step forward in documenting demographic details such as age, employment, and education as well as linguistic and cultural diversity among African-born constituents in the District.
To listen to an Interview with Safiya Khalid, Executive Director of Institute of Immigration Research (IIR) on the MOAA-IIR Joint Research Project, please click here
 Click on the image to listen to the interview
MOAA Launched an African Community Public Safety Taskforce
On May 27, 2015, MOAA organized a planning meeting for the establishment of an African Community Public Safety Taskforce. Represented at the meeting were District government safety task force agencies including the Metropolitan Police Department, Fire and Emergency Medical Services, Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency, as well as DC Public Library and the U.S. Department of Justice.
Young African ConneXions Summit and Mandela Day of Service
On Friday, July 17, 2015, MOAA, launched its first-ever Young African ConneXions Annual Summit titled African Youth Leadership and Linkages at the Howard University School of Business Auditorium.The summit was attended by over 200 participants and was organized in partnership with President Obama’s Washington Mandela Fellows and Howard University. Speakers and panel discussants engaged audience members in dialogue on topics such as youth leadership, public service, technology, community advocacy, and the importance of creating sustained linkages.
Following the summit, MOAA partnered with the Mayor's Office of the Clean City to organize the first Mandela Day of Service with a street clean-up at Good Hope Marketplace in Ward 8. Over 80 volunteers and DC Agency staff members participated.
Click here to view a video of introductory remarks and here to see more pictures from the event.
Video Message from H.E. Mninwa Mahlangu to Participants of Young African ConneXions Annual Summit
H.E. Mninwa Mahlangu, Ambassador of the Republic of South Africa to the United States, offers a special keynote address via video for MOAA's Young African ConneXions Annual Summit. In the video, he not only highlights the need for African diaspora youth to become involved in public service, but also recalls the meaning of International Nelson Mandela Day, and salutes the legacy of the late South African leader.
Click here to watch the video.
MOAA's Diaspora in Dialogues Film Project
Diaspora in Dialogue: A Profile of Africans in DC is a documentary film project produced by the Mayor’s Office on African Affairs (MOAA) to raise the visibility of the growing community of African immigrants in Washington, DC, and to share their personal and professional experiences living and working in the nation’s capital.
The six participants interviewed come from all walks of life, and represent the rich linguistic and cultural diversity of Africans that call the District home. As community leaders, service providers, business owners, local government officers, artists, and professionals, African immigrants are active and dynamic participants of the communities they live in. Diaspora in Dialogue tells the story of Africans contributing to the economic, social, and cultural fabric of city life.
Click here to watch the trailer for the film project.
6th Annual DC Africa Festival
 
As part of its city-wide celebration of African Heritage Month and its Multicultural Awareness and Development Program, the Mayor’s Office on African Affairs (MOAA) hosted its 6th Annual DC Africa Festival on Sunday, September 27, 2015 at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center.
Each year, the Mayor’s Annual Africa Festival celebrates diverse communities of the District’s African diaspora through art, culture, cuisine, history, and music.Over 400 attendees joined the Mayor’s Community Affairs Director Charon Hines for the festivities. Since its inception in 2010, the Festival has fast become one of the District’s most anticipated cultural events drawing hundreds of attendees.
To watch a short video of the event, click here, and click here to see more pictures.
African Community Grant Pre-Bidders Conference
On Tuesday, November 3, 2015, MOAA held its Pre-bidders Grant Conference at the Edna Cromwell Community Room of the Franklin D. Reeves Center of Municipal Affairs. About 60 participants, mostly community- and faith-based organization representatives, attended the informational session on eligibility criteria and funding priorities. Deputy Director and grant manager Heran Sereke-Brhan discussed the African Community Grant's Request for Applications (RFA) that was distributed on Monday, October 26, 2015.
'Have Your Say' African Community Townhall Meeting
On Tuesday, November 3, 2015, MOAA and the Commission on African Affairs (COAA) co-hosted the first-ever ‘Have Your Say’ African Community Town Hall Meeting. About 70 members of the African diaspora from the D.C. Metro Area convened to discuss the various needs of diverse communities, particularly in the areas of public safety, language access, affordable housing, and homelessness.
MOAA Staff Meets Grammy Winner and Musical Superstar Youssou N'Dour
 
On Tuesday, November 17, 2015, the staff of MOAA joined Grammy Award winning Senegalese singer and musical superstar Youssou N'Dour, before his concert at the George Washington University's Lisner Auditorium. MOAA staff members were granted backstage access to meet with the artist. MOAA Director Mamadou Samba and Deputy Director Heran Sereke-Brhan exchanged thoughts with Youssou on a variety of topics, including ways of strengthening ties between the sister cities of Washington, DC and Dakar, Senegal; the need to work closely with the African diaspora; and the positive power of representation and engagement explored through the arts and humanities.
Click here to see a brief video of the encounter.
MOAA Welcomes New Commissioners to the DC Commission on African Affairs
 Botttom picture from left to right: Commissioners Nana Ama Afari-Dwamena, Kotheid Nicoue, Ikenna Udejiofor, Mayor Muriel Bowser, Chibu Anyanwu, Willair Stivl and Director Mamadou Samba
On November 19, 2015 Mayor Muriel Bowser led the swearing in ceremony of the District's new Board and Commissioner members, including the DC Commission on African Affairs (COAA). With their wealth of experience and community engagement expertise, COAA's new members will contribute to the strategic goals of the Commission and represent the rich diversity of the African community that they will serve.
EKO | African Diaspora Coding Academy Session 1 Graduation
On Saturday, December 12, 2015, The Mayor’s Office on African Affairs (MOAA), in partnership with the Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO), the Department of Human Resources (DCHR)’s Center for Learning and Development, and Coders4Africa (C4A), hosted a graduation ceremony for its EKO | African Diaspora Coding Academy Session I. Forty graduates of the program came out of this first session with website development and coding skills. About 50 community members, including several members of the Commission on African Affairs, MOAA staff and invitees attended the graduation ceremony.
To learn more about the EKO program, watch this short video, and to see more pictures of the EKO program, click here.
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