September is African Heritage Month!
MOAA Joins KanKouran To Kick Off African Heritage Month In September
For over 30 years Assane Konte, co-founder and Artistic Director of KanKouran West African Dance Company, has staged authentic glimpses of the peoples and cultures of Africa.
MOAA will join KanKouran and hundreds of participants from across the country to partake in three days of intense workshops in traditional African dance and drum, taught by master dancers and drummers from Mali, Senegal, Liberia, the Congo, and Guinea.
When: Friday, September 2, 2016 to Sunday, September 4, 2016
Where: Dance Exchange | 7117 Maple Avenue | Takoma Park, MD | 20912
Learn more
Mayor Bowser Swears In New Members of the Commission on African Affairs
MOAA congratulates the newly sworn-in members of the Commission on African Affairs (COAA). The newly sworn Commissioners include Dr. Akua Asare, Abdel Maliky, Lydia Nylander, Kedist Gerenaw, and Dr. Pape Cisse. The COAA serves as an advisory group to the Mayor's Office on African Affairs and Mayor Bowser on issues impacting the African community. Commission meetings are held on the first Wednesday of each month at the Reeves Center located at 2000 14 Street NW 20009.
Learn more
Second Annual Young African ConneXions Summit Video
Meet MOAA's Newest Intern!
Awo Abdi Elmi
Program Intern and YALI Fellow
A
native of the Republic of Djibouti, Awo is a capacity-building professional
with over seven years of experience in the management of community development
projects. In Djibouti, she delivers training to women's groups, various associations, and government
agencies. Awo has also dedicated her time to working with
underprivileged children to awaken a love for reading and literature.
Awo
earned her Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Symbiosis
International University, in Pune, India.
Currently, she is pursuing two masters' degrees, one in Management from
the University Of Franche-Comte, France and another in Public Administration
from the National School of Public Administration in Quebec, Canada. She is a
Mandela Washington Fellow and speaks Somali, French, Arabic and English.
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After
26 years on the force, Lanier departs for National Football League
Tuesday, August 16, 2016, Mayor Bowser
announced that Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Chief Cathy Lanier will
retire from the role she has held for 10 years. Chief Lanier is retiring
effective September 17th to become the Senior Vice President of Security
Operations for the National Football League.
“Chief Lanier epitomizes the
best of police chiefs,” said Mayor Bowser. “She is smart, compassionate, tough, data-driven,
accountable to those she protects, and a great leader of the brave women and
men of MPD. Best of all, she believes in the power of building relationships with
communities as the best way to deter and solve crime. To put it
simply, Cathy Lanier has made the District of Columbia a safer and stronger
place to live, work, and play. On behalf of the residents of the District of
Columbia, I thank her for her committed service, record of achievement, and
safekeeping of the residents of the District of Columbia and wish her the best
in her future endeavors.”
The Bowser administration will announce an interim Chief in the
coming days. A search for a permanent replacement will begin at once.
Learn more
11 DC Public Schools Kick Off School Year 2016-2017 with More Learning Time
On Monday, August 8, 2016, more than 3,600 elementary and middle school students begin school at 11 extended-year schools across DC Public Schools (DCPS), gaining an extra month of learning.
“The extra classroom time that an extended-year calendar provides is critical,” said Chancellor Kaya Henderson. “We know that students from low-income families often lose more than two months of reading achievement during the summer, despite the fact that their middle-class peers are making gains. Providing students in struggling schools with more instructional opportunities across all subjects – from math and English language arts to world language and music – leads to better outcomes in the long term.”
School will start on Monday, August 22 for the remaining 104 DCPS schools.
Learn more
Ron Brown College Prep Opens
Earlier this month, Ron Brown College Preparatory's first
class of students joined teachers and staff for a two-week orientation and retreat.
The new, all-boys public high school opens its doors this Monday. Ron Brown is
one part of an effort by the District of Columbia Public Schools to ensure that
every young man graduates with the skills necessary to be successful.
The Mayor, Chancellor and Deputy Mayor for Education will
kick-off the traditional public school year at Ron Brown on Monday, August 22.
Learn more
An Update on DC Statehood
Mayor Bowser and the New Columbia Statehood Commission have been promoting #DCStatehood. In order to become the 51st state, the Commission needs your help. Visit statehood.dc.gov for ways to get involved. You can also follow the New Columbia Statehood Commission on Twitter at @dcstatehood51 for updates.
Learn more
Get Out on the River with DOEE
The Department of Energy and Environment invites you to get out on the water through their new Anacostia River Explorers educational boat tours. Aboard these free, guided motorboat and canoe tours you’ll learn all about the Anacostia River including its human and natural history, the threats it faces, and what solutions are being implemented to help the river realize its full potential as an invaluable asset for the District of Columbia and our residents. These boat tours are funded by the 5-cent plastic bag fee and are available to anyone, no matter their age, ability or language.
Learn more
Somali-American Woman Secures Historic Primary Win In Minnesota
On Tuesday, Aug. 9, Ilhan Omar made history by winning the primary election in the Minneapolis House district 60B. She clenched the victory over Representative Phyllis Kahn. Kahn served 44 years in office, and is one of the longest-serving state legislators in Minnesota history. If Omar wins the general election in November, she’ll be the first Somali-American State Representative and the first Somali-American woman in the Minnesota legislature.
Overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds is nothing new for the 33-year-old Somalia-born community activist. She lived for four years in a Kenyan refugee camp after escaping civil war in Somalia with her family. For nearly 20 years, Omar has been a resident of the Cedar-Riverside community in Minneapolis. As Director of Policy Initiatives at Women Organizing Women, she’s worked to empower first- and second-generation women immigrants in her community.
Learn more.
How A Ghanaian [YALI Fellow] Got U.S. Funds And Training To Take His Adventure Travel Firm To The Next Level
Dziedzorm “Jay Jay” Segbefia owned a successful tourism business in Ghana but needed money and know-how to take it to the next level. He got both when he was accepted to President Barack Obama’s Young African Leaders Initiative in 2014.
BraveHearts Expeditions is an adventure sports business offering hiking, trekking and mountaineering adventures in Ghana. He’s something of a tourism pioneer, Segbefia told AFKInsider. His business is something that had not been done before in the sub-region. Segbefia is general partner of BraveHearts, and he was already getting attention from angel investors and startup funders in Ghana before he caught the attention of the YALI. He won the StartUp Cup Ghana Business Model Competition and the Ghana Angel Investor Network’s coveted Most Promising Entrepreneur Award in 2013.
Learn more.
Meet MIZIZI, The Dopest Brand Of The Diaspora
MIZIZI started as an idea in the dining halls of the University of South Florida in spring of 2014. Paakow Essandoh and his friend George Kariuki (who later left the company for other business endeavors) noticed the lack of African pride displayed in Florida and decided to work to change that. They saw the lack of representation in Florida and thought about how Africans might be affected by the same thing globally. The duo would spend hours brainstorming ideas for patterns and designs that could be marketable.
“We wanted to uplit that African self-esteem within everyone and give them something they can wear stylishly and take pride in,” Essandoh says. The line officially launched in the summer of 2015.
MIZIZI literally means “roots” in Swahili. The name, though simple, represents the connections the brand aims to make every day.
Learn more
African Banks Join ITC SheTrades Initiative
The International Trade Centre (ITC)’s SheTrades Initiative has received the support of African financial institutions, including Access Bank and Fidelity Bank in Nigeria and Barclays in Kenya. The SheTrades Initiative was
launched in September 2015, and aims to connect 1 million women to the
international markets by 2020 as well as achieving global actions to
empower women to trade.
The ITC has so far recruited partners ranging from financial institutions to research and multilateral organisations committing to getting 800,000 female entrepreneurs to market by 2020. “We work with a diverse range of partners. What counts for us is that they will be ready to put their commitment in writing and be ready for us to check and monitor that they follow through with it,” says ITC executive director Arancha González.
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Photographer Chronicles The New African Diaspora In Vibrant Portraits
Atong Atem was 6
years old when her family left her native South Sudan, migrating through
Ethiopia to a refugee camp in Kenya. Soon after, they migrated to Australia. As
such, from a young age, Atem identified herself as an outsider, caught
somewhere between past and present, her current setting and the place she calls
home.
Now an art student based in Melbourne, Atem is still viscerally aware of the way a single person can occupy many times, places and cultures at once. In her photography series “Third Culture Kids,” Atem crafts staged and stylized portraits of other such individuals, Australia’s second-generation African youth, exploring the ways race, colonialism and history play into one’s constructed sense of self.
“Third Culture Kid” is a term used to describe a child who grew
up in a culture different than their parents’. For Atem, the word alludes to
the mystifying reality of being a living contradiction, albeit a very
well-dressed one. “Being a Third Culture Kid means recognizing there’s a
space that exists between the culture we’re from and the culture we’re living
in,” she explained in an interview with i-D.
Learn more
SBRC One-On-One Session: Basic Steps to Obtaining a
Business License
During this session, the Department of Consumer and Regulatory
Affairs (DCRA) Small Business Resource Center
(SBRC) staff will provide one-on-one assistance with navigating through the
regulatory process. Attendees will gain in-depth knowledge of registering with
corporations (i.e. Limited Liability Company, Corporations, Non-Profit, etc.)
and with the basic steps of obtaining a business license. Additionally, they
will receive assistance with the zoning application process (i.e. Certificate
of Occupancy and or Home Occupancy Permit).This opportunity is geared towards
future and current business owners looking to conduct business in the District
of Columbia.
When: Wednesday, August 24th, 2016 | 10:00 am - 10:30 am
Where:
1100 4TH Street, SW | E-268 | Washington
DC | 20024
Learn more
Summer of Mentoring: Encore
Entrepreneur Workshop
The U.S Small Business Administration,
SBA’s network of Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs), Women’s Business
Centers (WBCs), and SCORE chapters are providing mentors to help entrepreneurs
to be America’s next successful small business owner. These experts can help
turn your business idea into a reality and advice participants throughout the
life of their businesses. Attendees will also learn more about SBA programs and
services that can help them start and grow their businesses.
When: Monday, August 29, 2016 | 12:00 pm -
1:15 pm
Where:
Miller Branch Library
| 9421 Frederick Road | Ellicott City, Maryland | 21042
Learn
more
The Business Planning Process
The District of Columbia Small
Business Development Center (DC SBDC) will be
hosting a seminar that will explain the step by step process of creating a
business plan.
Business planning is usually conducted when starting a new organization or a
new major venture, for example, new product, service or program. Essentially, a
business plan is a combination of a marketing plan, strategic plan,
operational/management plan and a financial plan. This seminar provides an
overview of the thought process that goes into the development of a business
plan and a discussion of the reasons why.
When: Saturday, September 03, 2016
2:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Where: 2600 6th Street, NW | Suite 128 | Washington, DC | 20001
Learn more
OSSE’s
Adult Degree Audit
The Office of the State Superintendent of Education
(OSSE), Excelsior College, Trinity Washington University, the University of the
District of Columbia, and the University of the District of Community College
are organizing an Adult Degree Audit. During the event, the organizers will
help people who have college credits, credits from military experience or
credits from job training but no degree, to discover how to maximize your
previously earned credits toward a certificate, associate or bachelor's degree.
When: Saturday, August 27, 2016 |10:00 am -
2:00 pm
Where: 810 First Street Northeast | Third Floor |Grand Hall | Washington, DC |
20002
Learn more
The
Foundation Center Training: Introduction to Finding Grants
The Foundation Center is hosting classes on the
Introduction to Finding Grants. The participants will discover what funders are
looking for in nonprofits seeking grants and how to find potential funders.
They also will learn the 10 most important things you need to know about
finding grants including: Who funds nonprofits and what are their motivations,
what do funders really want to know about the organizations they are interested
in funding and how do you identify potential funders and make the first
approach.
When: Tuesday, August
30, 2016 |11:30 am - 1:00 pm
Where:
Foundation Center-Washington DC |1627 K
Street NW, Third Floor | Washington, DC | 20006
Learn
more
How to Present
with Confidence, Command and Charisma
The Center for Nonprofit Advancement is
organizing a seminar on Design presentations that inform and persuade, mostly learn techniques to
keep the audience engaged. This seminar focuses on presentation skills and
techniques that will have you standing up and speaking with confidence and
poise. The organizers will provide participants with proven methods and
strategies they can learn and practice. Participants will be able to greatly
enhance and improve their effectiveness in every speaking situation-
eliminating the anxiety, fear and embarrassment they previously associated with
giving talks, speeches and presentations.
When: Wednesday, August 31, 2016 |10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Where: Center for Nonprofit Advancement |1666 K Street,
NW | Suite 440 | Washington, DC | 20006
Learn
more
Health, Wellness, &
Education: "A Family Affair"
The Office of Planning, Policy, and
Program Support in partnership with the Resource Development Administration is
hosting the “Health Wellness & Education: A Family Affair” event and
in-service trainings promote the educational achievement, health, safety, and
wellbeing of District of Columbia foster children, teens and emancipating young
adults. This is a “CFSA family affair” that includes all of our families;
foster, kinship, pre-adoptive and biological (reunifying), that care for our
children.
When: Saturday,
August 20, 2016 | 9:00 am - 4:30 pm
Where: Child
& Family Services Agency | 200 I Street Southeast | Washington, DC | 20003
Learn
more
AIDF Global Disaster Relief Summit 2016
This high-profile event gathers all actors involved with delivering aid relief and resilience programmes with an aim to address challenges related to enabling quicker and better response during crisis and catastrophes.
Health resilience will be addressed at the Global Disaster Relief Summit during the panel on innovations and technologies to support health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with speakers from John Hopkins University, Philips Healthcare, International Medical Corps and Pan American Health Organization. They will discuss:
• Current health threats and how to overcome them
• Mobile monitoring programmes and community health centres
• mHealth
• Coordinating support and health promotion activities
• Capacity building to better support at-risk groups
Learn more
Briya Public Charter School Medical Assistant Program
Students can prepare for a career as a professional medical
assistant in Briya’s 12-15 month program with hands-on training and education
in the following areas: communication, anatomy and physiology, math and
medications, lab medicine, business administration and business law and ethics.
Learn
more
Community Health & Wellness
Fair at Green Valley Senior Apartments
Green
Valley Senior Apartments are hosting a Community Health & Wellness Fair for
apartment residents and the general public. DC HSEMA will be on hand to provide
emergency preparedness tips, guidance on building emergency kits, and
information on how to sign up for AlertDC.
When: Tuesday, August 23,
2016 | 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Where: 2412 V St NE |
Washington, DC | 20018
Learn more
General Vendor Workshop
Each
month, the Office of Contracting and Procurement, in conjunction with the
Department of Small and Local Business Development, hosts a General Vendor
Workshop to discuss how to do business with the District. In these sessions,
vendors learn the requirements for doing business with the District, the
procurement process, and ask any questions they may have.
When: Thursday, August
25, 2016 | 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Where: 441 4th Street, NW
| 700S | Washington, DC | 20001
Learn more
ABC Licensee Orientation
Training
New
and existing ABC licensees are invited to attend ABRA’s orientation training
from 2-4 pm on Thursday, August 25, 2016 to review: District ABC laws and
regulations (including any recent changes to the law), Tips for working
effectively with the community, Settlement Agreements, Expectations of ABC
licensees, Best practices and Noise abatement and sound management. Contact
ABRA Community Resource Officer Sarah Fashbaugh by Friday, August 19, 2016 to
RSVP for training. Attendance for this class is strongly recommended for new
ABC license holders. Training is free of charge. Requests for interpreters may
be made; however, they must be submitted by the RSVP deadline.
When: Thursday, August
25, 2016 | 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Where: 2000 14th Street,
NW | S400 | Washington, DC | 20009
Learn more
D.C. State Fair
DISB
will be on hand at the D.C. State Fair to provide information about the
Department’s services and programs and provide tips on financial fraud
prevention. More information can be found at the D.C. State Fair webpage. The
DC State Fair is a free showcase of the region’s agricultural and artistic
talents. Join us for this seventh annual celebration of all things homegrown:
food, music, art and entertainment for everyone.
When: Sunday, August 28,
2016 | 11:00 am - 8:00 pm
Where: NoMa Junction at
Storey Park | 1005 First Street NE | Washington, DC | 20002
Learn more
Live Q&A With OTA
The
DC Office of the Tenant Advocate holds a monthly chat session online to answer
live questions from the tenant community. Generally the sessions are held
on the last Tuesday of every month. To submit a question beforehand,
please email Horace.Lassiter@dc.gov.
Pre-submitted and live questions will be answered during the chat session.
When: Tuesday, August 30,
2016 | 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Where: Online
Learn more
Black Workers Center Meeting
ONE DC will be discussing ways you can join other workers in organizing and shaping their Apprentice Shift Campaign. They're demanding that the city shift from a failed jobs training model to paid apprenticeships that include a pathway to permanent employment.
This meeting will also serve as the third mural workshop. Muralist Edgar Reyes is facilitating the beautification process for the Black Workers Center.
When: Thursday, August 18, 2016 | 6:00pm
Where: United Black Fund | 2500 Martin Luther King Jr Ave SE | Washinton DC | 20020
Learn more
Want Your Event Featured in the African Beat?
'The African Beat' is distributed to over 7,000 subscribers every other Friday. If you would like your event to be featured in our calendar, please submit the following details: what, when & where, and provide a link to where readers can go for more information. Submission deadline for the next edition is Wednesday, August 31, 2016 by 5:00 pm. Send all materials, along with any questions, to oaa@dc.gov.
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