Event coming up next week in DC. I will be there speaking on food sovereignty, trade, and the Open Source Seed Initiative.
The webpage says invitation only, but registration is now open to the public!
MONDAY, AUGUST 4TH
WASHINGTON, DC
Click here to view the full agenda
Creating Our Own Space & Changing the Conversation
Taking place on the eve of President Obama’s African Leaders Summit, the Empowered Africa Dialogue will provide an alternative space where grassroots citizen-activists, scholars, progressive NGOs and community organizers from Africa and the United States will critique, from a progressive and proactive perspective, significant issues related to US-Africa policy.
Positioned as a counter to the African Leaders Summit, Empowered Africa will gather a broad range of constituencies and multi-issue organizations from the United States and Africa that have influenced progressive organizing on U.S.-Africa relations. These organizations include those working on human rights, conflict, labor, gender, climate justice, health and sustainable development locally and transnationally.
The Dialogue is an important opportunity to focus renewed attention on Africa by bringing in new energy from young activists and organizers on the continent. Participants from Africa and the U.S. come with many experiences and multiple perspectives on how to shape not only foreign policy agendas but also domestic ones.
Defining the Moment
In his second term, President Obama initiated three programs to demonstrate an interest in Africa. He committed $7 billion over five years to “Power Africa,” a largely corporate initiative aimed at increasing access to electricity in sub-Saharan Africa. The Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) was established to train 500 young people from Africa in entrepreneurship and business, civic leadership, and public management. The final project is the African Leaders Summit in Washington, DC on August 5-6. Our people’s event will occur the previous day.
The heads of state summit, the first of its kind, provides us with a unique opportunity to help shape the public debate and hold the Obama administration and African heads of State accountable on critical issues of peace and militarism, democracy, sustainability and climate justice.
Our goals are to build solidarity between U.S. and African based activists and to provide a space to critically engage US-Africa policy and strategies to transform it.
AGENDA
9:00 to 9:30 a.m.
Registration and Resource Tables
9:30 to 10:30 a.m.
Toward an Inclusive Dialogue on US-Africa Relations
Brenda Mofya, Oxfam International
Sulayman Nyang, Howard University
Anita Plummer, Spelman College, Moderating
10:30 to 11:00 a.m.
Break and Resource Tables
11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Concurrent Discussion Group Sessions
Climate Justice on Our Common Planet
Mithika Mwenda, Pan African Climate Justice Alliance
Jacqui Patterson, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
Brandon Wu, ActionAid
Katherine Philipson, US-Africa Network, Moderating
Militarism and Human Security
Horace Campbell, Syracuse University
Maurice Carney, Friends of the Congo
Brenda Mofya, Oxfam International
Michael Shank, Friends Committee on National Legislation
Emily Williams, US-Africa Network, Moderating
12:30 to 1:30 p.m.
Lunch
(Buffet lunch will be available on site for $10.05 per person.)
1:30 to 1:45 p.m.
Please proceed to your next discussion group.
1:45 to 3:15 p.m.
Concurrent Discussion Group Sessions
Agribusiness and Land Grabbing
Jacques Bahati, Africa Faith and Justice Network
M. Jahi Chappelle, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
Scholastica Haule, ActionAid Tanzania
TBD, ActionAid USA, Moderating
Trade Unions and Democracy from Below
Bill Fletcher, American Federation of Government Employees
Able Ngigie, United Workers Union of Liberia
Nancy Parker, United Steelworkers
Oretha Tarnue, United Workers Union of Liberia
Janet Checkley, Solidarity Center, Moderating
Rising Inequality and Illicit Financial Flows
William Minter, AfricaFocus Bulletin
Alvin Mosioma, Tax Justice Network Africa
Khadija Sharife, African Network of Centres for Investigative Reporting
Evelyn Sallah, Unchain Africa Press, Moderating
3:15 to 3:45 p.m.
Break and Resource Tables
3:45 to 5:30 p.m.
An Alternative Vision of US-Africa Relations
Kari Miller, US-Africa Network, Moderating
Prexy Nesbit, US-Africa Network, Moderating
Wednesday, August 5, 2014
Networking Dinner
6:30 PM
Addis Ababa Restaurant
8233 Fenton Street
Silver Spring, MD 20910
Beginning to End Hunger 