OUMOU SY
Is a Senegalese fashion designer frequently referred to as “Senegal’s Queen of Couture.” She designed the wardrobe for the Senegalese singers Baaba Maal and Youssou N’Dour and has won various awards at international film festivals for her costume designs. In 1998 Sy was one of the three African fashion designers to win the Principal Prince Claus Award.
DARRYL COLLIER MASTER OF CEREMONY
Assistant Vice President, Empowerment Retirement Professional Comedian/Speaker
We all have a gift that is meant to be shared for the betterment of mankind. My gift is Speaking and Touching Lives in a positive way.”
Darryl Collier is an assistant vice president for Empower, which is the second largest financial services firm in the United States. But Darryl is no ordinary business executive, he is also a professional speaker and a stand-up comedian with over 30 years of experience.
Darryl’s entertainment resume includes being named Denver’s Funniest Comedian in 1994, an appearance on Black Entertainment’s television series ComicView, along with performances with A list entertainers like Jamie Foxx, Steve Harvey, Damon Wayans, Sinbad, Tommy Davidson, David Alan Grier, Ellen, and Dave Chappelle to name a few.
Darryl has also opened musical performances for popular singers like Smokey Robinson, Chaka Khan, the Temptations, Donna Summers, Peabo Bryson, Gladys Knight, the O’Jays, and the late Ray Charles.
Darry’s signature speech is entitled “Living and learning from laughter” which delights audiences with the power of humor to change your life and the lives of others.
Darryl is a past member of the Colorado Speakers and National Speakers associations.
BRIAN VOGT
Chief Executive Officer | Denver Botanic Gardens
Brian Vogt has been CEO of Denver Botanic Gardens since April 2007. In that time, attendance has grown to well over one million per year, programs have been launched to address access to food in urban areas, a comprehensive diversity and inclusion project has been integrated into daily activity, the Center for Global Initiatives was launched focusing on plant research and crop genetics, and an exhibit program has curated works by legends such as Henry Moore, Dale Chihuly and Alexander Calder.
Under his leadership, over $116 million was raised and more than 60 construction projects have been completed including the Mordecai Children’s Garden, a parking complex, the Bonfils-Stanton Visitor Center, the Greenhouse Complex, the Science Pyramid, Ellipse Garden, the Steppe Garden, the Sensory Garden, the Hive Garden Bistro, and the recently completed Freyer –Newman Center.
Previous professional experience includes three Cabinet positions for the State of Colorado and President of the South Metro Chamber of Commerce. Vogt serves as President of the Board of the American Public Gardens Association and as Board Treasurer for Plant Select. He is an active participant with many civic organizations in the Denver area and speaks frequently on intentional culture, adaptation and leadership. He holds a BA in Classical Antiquity from the University of Colorado.
8TH ANNUAL GALA
Saturday, August 26, 2023
MASTER OF CEREMONY
Darryl Collier
WELCOME TO THE DENVER BOTANIC GARDENS
Brian Vogt, Chief Executive Officer, Denver Botanic Gardens
AFRICAN IMMIGRANT MONTH Proclamation Presentation
ABOUT ALG | Papa Dia
UNITY POEM
I Am the Bridge: A Poem by All of Us
DINNER
MISSION MOMENT
Madiama Mbaye
PADDLE RAISE
Eric Goodman, Gala Auctioneer
KEYNOTE ADDRESS | LETTER OF FRIENDSHIP
Professor - Minister of Culture of Senegal
Aliou Sow
AWARDS AND PRESENTATIONS
CLOSING REMARKS
FBA + AF - Our History did not begin in chains
I am African rhythms thumping in a breakdance battle in Brooklyn
We’re Foundational Black Americans: Born in the basement of the American dream
A lynch rope for an umbilical chord,
FBA + AF - Attached to a motherland we’ve long forgotten
FBA + JE - The trauma of my ancestors is imbedded in my DNA.
FBA - So, we sang, Our story, wild as a swing dance to Louisiana Jazz. Our Ancestors spirits carry us and our bones are made of stardust
Surviving the whips, chains, and segregation
Forced to build families and this nation without Reparations!
The sweat of our brows paved the ground of the Red, White and Blue.
A star noose that choked the life out of my ancestors
ALL - And, still we rise!
the Blood and Bones I carry are rich and yet they are seen as opposite
I am the People who have been feared, hated, misunderstood, and revered
I am the unstoppable, indestructible human expression of Love and Resilience
FBA + AF - I am unapologetically Black in all shades and rhythms
ALL - I am the bridge between yesterday’s sorrows
FBA - And a child’s hope for tomorrow.
AF – We are the immigrants from the home of all humanity!
Once, a continent with no barriers and borders
Is still a cradle of hope for all!
A land, so often spoken of, but seldom actually listened to!
AF + FBA - We are Africa!
AF - Six letters that speak to the diversity of its many nations
How can you minimize such grandeur to simplistic words, depictions, otherings? North, South, Central, East, West.
The beauty of the high peaks of Mount Kilimanjaro.
To the rolling hills in Cape Town
The waters of the Niger
And the vast of the Sahara Desert
This poem is yesterday & tomorrow celebrating the past, present and future - our ancestors –
This poem is for the weak and strong. It will tell of history
ALL - I am the bridge
AF - To a world where the weak coexist with the strong
AF+ LA - Until we find a world where we all can belong.
LA – And speaking of belonging, us Latinos know about how borders can divide
Many have tried to put us down by saying we are unworthy of being here, but what would this country be without us?
ALL - A mother earth with an empty womb
LA + NA - They want us in the shadows, forgotten in history’s tomb.
But, I am that eagle crossing the borderless sky, I am that mestizo
I am not from here or there,
No soy de aqui ni soy de aya
“I’d rather die on my feet, than live on my knees”
LA + FBA - My dream is for unity, justice, and peace,
ALL - Amongst all nations, cultures, and creeds,
JE – My Jewish faith is about creating a world where we can all breathe in peace
Always with an eye, heart and mind on God’s work, the Torah –
JE + FBA + LA - And, the other eye on persecution.
JE - Wary, careful, always looking over our shoulders
“Are we safe here, and for how long?”
Fitting in American society, but then also not.
Assimilating only as far as society will allow
In the words of the ethics of our fathers, “If I am not for myself, who will be for me? But, if I am only for myself, who am I?
ALL - And If not now, when?”
EU - We are European America
We walk in the room white with a lower-case w and a knapsack filled with privilege
By our bootstraps we capitalized
We colonized, consumed and exploited people and Earth
We called it “Freedom”
ALL - This is the barrier we will break
EU - The bridge we will build is made of recognition and restoration
Recognition of real justice and universal humanity
Restoration of a shared vision for a common destiny
The bridge has planks of empathy and action
EU + FBA - Empathy that binds us to each other’s lives and stories
EU - Action that amplifies the quietest of voices and creates new histories
Understanding where we are so we can see what’s ahead
ALL - Dismantling the systems that oppress and cause dread.
AS – Because we are here to live courageously, and creatively
We are Asian-Americans.
Our hair is as black as ink, with eyes like coal, and everything looks light around us
We are small in stature, with hearts the size of giants
Breaking stereotypes of the “Model Minority”
ALL - While building a future for our families.
AS - Discipline, hard work, and respect are hallmarks in the Asian communities
Virtues we share with the best of Humanity.
“Okage Sama De”
ALL – What I am today, is because of you:
NA – And, what we are today is on indigenous land
The Ute, Cheyenne, and Arapahoe still sing on the wind
Can you hear them? Among the roar of the traffic. There’s a sound that captivates our ears. Under the grass, beneath the soil. You have to get close.
NA + LA + AF - They’re Drums. Low and forceful. Like Mother’s heartbeat. Steady, persistent. She calls to her children…
ALL - “Remember who you are.
NA - Your umbilical cord is your connection to the universe, the sun, the stars, the water, the land your people have walked since time immemorial.”
AF – We are humanity
AS - Brothers and Sister separated by water and distance
EU - Here we have found each other.
JE - Our fear set aside for friendship
FBA - Please remember we’re family.
LA - Today is a new day to stand together.
AF + FB - Foot to foot, Shoulder to Shoulder
AS + EU - In beautiful colors and shades.
FBA - We are the indestructible woven thread.
ALL – We are the bridge to the world…of tomorrow!!
MADIAMA MBAYE
Certified Executive Coach
Madiama Mbaye (Majama) is a husband and a father of four children. He is an entrepreneur and the founder of Motivate 2 Elevate, a platform made to help him in his vision of becoming a full-fledged participant in creating a better world. Madiama is the author of Fated to Win, and a Certified Executive Coach with a focus on mental fitness.
After graduating from college with a Masters Degree in African American Literature, Madiama attended a vocational School (Ensut) in Dakar to study International Business. When he came to the U.S. in 2000, he taught French at a local High School in Kansas City, MO. In 2001, Madiama moved to Denver, CO and worked for a company for about 11 months before he started his own business, M&B Enterprises, with a Jani King of Colorado Franchise. He is also the CEO and founder of Mafatihul Bichri International, a media company.
Today alongside his businesses, he teaches Public Speaking and Leadership 101 Classes at the African Leadership Group in Denver, CO.
ELHADJI AMADOU NDAO
Consul General, Republic of Senegal
His Excellency Mr. Elhadji Amadou Ndao was born and raised in Senegal, West Africa, where he attended primary and secondary school. After graduating high school, he went to the University of Dakar where he, along with other thirty-two elite students in the literary track, had the privilege to be of the class that would be the first promotion of the Sociology Department newly opened at the renowned “Faculté des Lettres et Sciences Humaines” at the University Cheikh Anta Diop of Dakar.
A year into it, he had the opportunity to travel to the United States of America in the pursuit of a higher learning. A higher leaning indeed, for beyond obtaining his B.A. in International Relations at the City College of the City University of New York, he had the pleasure to experience the American culture in its fullest sense: The New York City experience.
After graduating from City College Mr. Ndao served for various NGO’s, Action Against Hunger –USA and The Humanist Center for Cultures, in their communications department before joining the United Nations Secretariat in 2011. At the UN, Mr. Ndao worked in the Department of Management for two years and then joined the Executive Office of the Secretary General, Every Woman Every Child team in the Strategic Planning Unit.
His Excellency Mr. Elhadji Amadou was appointed Consul General of the Republic of Senegal by Executive Order of His Excellency President Macky Sall since January 7th, 2015, and took office on January 30, 2015
YEMI MOBOLADE Mayor of Colorado Springs
Blessing ‘Yemi’ Mobolade was sworn in as the 42nd Mayor of Colorado Springs on June 6, 2023. This is his first four-year term as mayor. He is the first Black man and immigrant to be elected mayor of Colorado Springs and one of the youngest.
Mobolade moved from Indiana to Colorado Springs in 2010, where he started a church as part of the Christian and Missionary Alliance. After identifying a need in downtown Colorado Springs for cultural gathering places, he became one of the first entrepreneurs to invest in downtown after the Great Recession when he co-founded The Wild Goose Meeting House in 2013.
Seeing a greater need for collaboration within the faith community, Mobolade began working as director of outreach and engagement at First Presbyterian Church, where he would go on to co-found COSILoveYou, a nonprofit that unites more than 100 area churches under the common mission of serving the Colorado Springs community.
In 2017, Mobolade co-founded Good Neighbors Meeting House in the Patty Jewett neighborhood to provide an additional gathering place in the downtown area. He also began to leverage his success as an entrepreneur and business owner and began working as the vice president of business retention and expansion at the Colorado Springs Chamber & Economic Development Corporation. Here he was instrumental in caring for local employers and attracting new companies during a period of record job growth for Colorado Springs.
In 2019, Mobolade served the City of Colorado Springs as a small business development administrator. In this role, he established tools to assist entrepreneurs with starting a business, COSOpenForBiz.com and Permit Partner, and led many collaborative efforts across the community’s public and private sectors. Mobolade stepped down from this position in March 2022 to officially launch his mayoral campaign.
Mobolade was born in Nigeria to two bi-vocational pastors. His father was in finance and his mother was a secondary education teacher. At age 17, he immigrated to the United States, following in the footsteps of his brother to pursue the American Dream through education. He has bachelor’s degrees in business administration and computer information systems from Bethel University (Mishawaka, Ind.) and master’s degrees in management and leadership from Indiana Wesleyan University (Marion, Ind.) and theology-intellectual leadership from the A.W. Tozer Theological Seminary, part of Simpson University (Redding, Calif.).
He lives in Colorado Springs with his wife, Abbey, a nurse and nursing educator, and their three young children.
PROFESSOR ALIOU SOW
KEYNOTE ADDRESS
Minister Of Culture And Historical Heritage Of Senegal
Professor Aliou SOW is the Minister of Culture and Historical Heritage of Senegal since September 2022. Full Professor of Universities (African Studies) of CAMES at Cheikh University Anta Diop from Dakar, UCAD, Aliou SOW holds a postgraduate doctorate in English (2006) and a doctorate in literature (2013). He is working on a thesis of single doctorate in political science at UCAD since 2021.
A journalist by training, he is from the 29th class of CESTI and holds the diploma higher education in journalism (option: television / specialty: economics), a certificate of master’s degree in information and communication sciences from CESTI / UCAD and a master II in political science (defence, security and peace) from the Faculty of Sciences legal and political aspects of UCAD and the Center for Advanced Defense and Security Studies (CHEDS) of the Senegalese Armies.
On the political and state level, Aliou SOW was elected deputy in 2001, to then become vice-president of the liberal and democratic parliamentary group (majority), first secretary of the inter-parliamentary committee of the Western Economic and Monetary Union
(CIP-UEMOA), vice-president of the Political Committee of the Assembly member of the Francophonie (APF) and President of the Business Commission foreign countries, the African Union and Senegalese outside the Assembly national from 2007 to 2008. Minister of the Republic for a decade from 2002, he was successively Minister of Youth, Youth and Employment, Minister Interior Delegate and Minister of Decentralization and Local Authorities. He left the Government in April 2012 following the change of regime to rejoin it in September 2022 as Minister of Culture and Historical Heritage.
A former leader of the pupil and student movement and youth organizations, he was president of the CEM Moustapha Ndiaye student hostel in Kaolack), president of the students from the Lycée Valdiodio Ndiaye in Kaolack, budding genius at the Lycée Taiba-ICS in Mboro, President of the Student Association of the Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences of UCAD, leader of the liberal youth of the PDS (UJTL) and vice-president of the International Federation of Liberal Youth (IFLRY) in charge of Africa. At the local level, Aliou SOW served as President of the rural council (mayor) de Ndiognik and regional councilor of Kaffrine from 2009 to 2014.
From October 2016 to September 2022, he served as High Territorial Councilor, Chairman of the Commission for Studies, Planning and Monitoring of the Evaluation of Decentralization, Development and Regional Planning Policies of the High Council of Territorial Communities (HCCT). Aliou SOW is the president of the Movement of Patriots for Development (MPD/Liggeey), a liberal and pan-Africanist political party. He is the author of eight books and around thirty scientific articles published in Senegal and abroad and study reports. He has supervised and chaired juries for several dozen dissertations by master’s and doctoral theses. He is Commander of the Order of La Francophonie and of the dialogue of cultures, of the Order of la Pléiade and international consultant.
MESSAGE FROM THE MINISTER OF CULTURE AND HISTORICAL HERITAGE, SENEGAL
Together, let’s rebuild our humanity. You have done me the honor of inviting me to give an inaugural lesson as part of the annual meeting of the African Leadership Group in this year 2023, which I accepted with very good grace for several reasons but, mainly, because of my academic career, the essential lines of coherence of which revolve around diaspora studies and the defense of human rights. Indeed, by the happiest of coincidences, my intellectual trajectory coincides, very opportunely, with the theme of this year’s meetings “Breaking down barriers and building bridges”. Bridges, we certainly need them because we have many barriers to demolish, starting with the imagination of black people in American culture, despite the immense progress made, from the dream of Martin Luther King to the election of Barack Obama to the Presidency of the United States of America in 2008.
Remembering this news and working to bring together all the communities is a noble mission that could not leave me indifferent. I come from the country of Senghor, the first President of the Republic of Senegal, but also and above all a man of culture. With great figures from the diaspora and from Africa, they laid the foundations for a reaffirmation of Africa as the cradle of humanity, to which we all belong.
Thus, across space and time, we are all human regardless of our nationality, our religion or even our political choices and intellectual and artistic orientations.
I am therefore pleased, and I will come back to this issue at length in my inaugural lesson, to magnify the scope of our meetings this year “Breaking down barriers and building bridges”. Because, in reality, it is not only a constituent element of the American dream and the assumed diversity of the constituent communities of the nation but, more fundamentally, an invitation to dialogue between cultures, this fertile ground for the civilization of the universal is an obligatory path for a new humanism, the only guarantor of a world of peace, prosperity and development, shared by all and which centralizes the human being, whatever their color, nationality or even their religious beliefs.
I therefore invite you, with Senghor, to the banquet of the universal so that, all together, we can “Break down barriers and build bridges”.
Professor Aliou SOW Minister of Culture and Historical Heritage Senegal
MIKE JOHNSTON Mayor, City and County of Denver
Mayor Mike Johnston is a Colorado native who started his career as a school teacher in the Mississippi Delta, an experience that inspired him to write his award-winning book “In the Deep Heart’s Core.” Shortly after, he came home to Colorado to address educational inequities as a school principal, leading three different schools in the Denver metro area. Additionally, he served as a Senior Advisor to President Obama during his presidential campaign and transition. He was then elected to the Colorado State Senate serving two terms representing Northeast Denver, where he worked to get bipartisan support to pass Colorado’s version of the DREAM Act, pass major gun safety legislation, and speed the state’s transition to renewable energy. He went on to serve as the CEO of Gary Community Ventures, a local philanthropic organization, where he built broad, diverse coalitions to pass the state’s first plan for universal preschool, pass the first successful effort to fund affordable housing and homelessness statewide, and create the Dearfield Fund, an award winning organization committed to closing the Black wealth gap through access to homeownership.
As Mayor, he is committed to transforming Denver into America’s best city by delivering a city that is vibrant, affordable, and safe for everyone. Mike lives in East Denver with his wife Courtney, and their three kids, Emmet, Seamus, and Ava.
Eric Goodman has been involved in the non-profit world for nearly three decades. He’s worked with the United Way, Big Brothers/Big Sisters; Make a Wish Foundation, Children’s Hospital in Atlanta, and Firefly Autism. His enthusiasm for helping non-profits led him to become a benefit auctioneer in 2015.
Eric spent nearly 20 years as a television sports anchor including stops at CNN and Fox Sports Net in Chicago while he’s hosted a radio sports talk show in morning drive in Denver over the last 13 years. This is one reason why he’s so comfortable speaking in front of large audiences.
He’s passionate about learning and is committed to understanding your non-profit to connect with your audience to maximize your fundraising. His commitment to preparing thoroughly for each event, coupled with his energy and enthusiasm, has allowed him to raise millions of dollars for non-profits, schools, and churches.
When you work with Eric, you are taking advantage of many years of fundraising and benefit auctioneer experience and his reputation for delivering exceptional results and record fundraising galas.
AFRICAN LEADERSHIP GROUP TEAM
PAPA DIA Founder and Executive Director
LORI COLLIER Director of Operations & Professional Event Planner
OUSMAN BA Education Program Coordinator
ELISHA ROBLES Events Coordinator
BRIANA ROREX Office Administrator/ Coordinator
AFRIK IMPACT & FUNDRAISING COMMITTEE
PAPA DIA Founder and Executive Director
LORI COLLIER Director of Operations & Professional Event Planner
TYLER SANDBERG Founder and Owner, Timor Strategies
JASON GAULDEN Partner, Oak Rose Group
YOUTH EMPOWERMENT COMMITTEE
OUSMAN BA Committee Chair, Education Program Coordinator
KATHE TRAORE Committee Member
ELIZABETH WAMUKOYA Committee Member
AMADOU DIENG Committee Member
BREAKING BARRIERS COMMITTEE
PAPA DIA Committee Chair. Founder & Executive Director, ALG
UGO AKIRI Founder, Caring Sisters Initiative & Rehab Project, Committee Member
MOSES NSUBUGA Flight Simulator, Technician, United Airlines, Committee Member
ALPHONSE NEMBOT Mathematics Instructor, CEC Charter School Network, Committee Member
DR. H. MALCOLM NEWTON Director of Strategic Partnerships, Committee Member
JALEEL AWINI Retirement Plan Advisor, Empower, Committee Member
DANI NEWSUM Director of Strategic Partnerships, Cobalt Committee Member
LATERRELL BRADFORD Yoga Instructor, Mentor
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT & ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY COMMITTEE
KWAME WARNER Committee Chair, Business Strategy Specialist, CrossPurpose
SOLOMON MUWANGA Vice President, Commercial Banking, MidWestOne Bank, Committee Member
WILLIAM TUCKER CPA, Hanson & Co.
TAYO OKUNADE Business & Employment Attorney, OKUNADE LLP, Committee Member
JUSTIN GILMORE Project Manager, Director of Business Development, Gilmore Construction Corporation, Committee Member
ORMAN “LEE” TOKO Business & Employment Attorney, OKUNADE LLP, Committee Member
DR. JAMAL BOWEN Educator & Business Owner, Empowering Community Entrepreneurs (ECE), Committee Member
PARENT ENGAGEMENT COMMITTEE
DR. ANNE KEKE Committee Chair | APS Board of Education
SELMA HAMED Senior Finance Coordinator, International Rescue Committee, Committee Member
DR. JAMAL BOWEN Educator & Business Owner, Empowering Community Entrepreneurs (ECE), Committee Member
OUSMAN BA Education Program Coordinator, Committee Member
SETIN DANSU Community Leader, Committee Member
SELAM GHIDEY Community Leader, Committee Member
BECKY HOGAN Edge Consulting Services, Committee Member
KADI KOUYATE Community Leader, Committee Member
TATENDA BLESSING Stedman Elementary School Teacher, Founder of Montessori on Wheels, Committee Member
VIVIAN MENSAH Cofounder of Diversifying Our Communities, Committee Member
HEALTH & WELLNESS COMMITTEE
TUTORING COMMITTEE
YANEASH DONALDSON Committee Chair, Educator & Mathematics Tutor
OUSMAN BA Education Program Coordinator
ABDUL PESSIMA Committee Chair, Chaplain, Suntree Hospice
MEDHANET GELAW Registered Nurse, Committee Member
PASCALE ADOU Certified Nurse Aide, Committee Member
ELIZABETH MUNOZ CDC Foundation Program Manager, 365 Health, Committee Member
ANNE ATTOUAH Community Education, Navigation & Outreach, Committee Member
VERA GARYEAZON Caregiver, Committee Member
JUSU SAWI Mortgage Closing Specialist, Committee Member
SUSAN LEVINE Retired Dentist, Committee Member
HOMEOWNERSHIP & FINANCIAL COMMITTEE
BEATRIZ GONZALEZ Committee Chair, VP, Community Lending & Diverse Markets Business Development Officer, Bank of the West
ADEDOTUN (DOE-TUNE)
OLADINNI, Banking Officer, First Bank, Committee Member
GEORGE OWUSU Broker/Owner, Owusu Realty, Committee Member
NS SUELIMAN Sign of a Kind, Committee Member
LAURA GARCIA VILLALPANDO America’s Financial, Wellbeing Coach, Operation Hope, Committee Member
DAVID BABINEAUX Realtor, Coldwell Banker Realty, Committee Member
LEADERSHIP AFRICA COMMITTEE
FESEHAYE ABRHALEY Committee Chair, Senior Systems Engineer, Lockheed Martin
OMAR MONTGOMERY Director of Equity, Culture and Community Engagement for Cherry Creek School District, Committee Member
REILLY PHARO CARTER RPC Consulting, Committee Member
LISA NEAL GRAVES Senior Technical Executive and Thought Leader, Committee Member
VINCENT OMEGBA Minister, V.P. International Collaboration, Consensys Group LLC, Committee Member
LATERRELL BRADFORD Yoga Instructor, Mentor, Business Owner, Committee Member
EVANS MENSAH Author, and Cofounder of Diversifying Our Communities, Committee Member
DR. DERRICK HUDSON Teaching Associate Professor in (HASS), School of Mines, Committee Member
LEGAL COMMITTEE
PUBLIC SPEAKING COMMITTEE
MADIAMA MBAYE Committee Chair & Instructor
OUSMAN BA ALG Education Program Coordinator, Committee Member
TUNEISHIA HARRIS Manager, African Service Center, Committee Member
TAYO OKUNADE Committee Chair, Business & Employment Attorney, Okunade LLP
DANIEL OKWENA Immigration Attorney, Okwena Immigration, LLC, Committee Member
MCKENNA NEWSUMSCHOENBERG Immigration Attorney, Committee Member
WOMEN EMPOWERMENT COMMITTEE
BETH ABATE Committee Chair, Community Member
LATERRELL BRADFORD Yoga Instructor, Mentor, Committee Member
TONYA COOPER Committee Co-chair, Employee Relations Specialist, City of Aurora
ANNE ATTOUAH Community Education, Navigation & Outreach, Committee Member
TATENDA BLESSING Stedman Elementary School Teacher, Founder of Montessori on Wheels, Committee Member
TUNEISHIA HARRIS Manager, African Service Center, Committee Member
NDEYE NDAO Community Engagement Specialist, International Rescue Committee, Committee Member
Thank you for attending our 8th Annual Afrik Impact 2023 Celebration!
FUNDERS, SPONSORS AND DONORS
On behalf of the African Leadership Group, we thank you for your generous support. Your sponsorship, donations, and funding are greatly appreciated and important to our success. With your generosity, our programs and services offered to the community continue to grow
WE APPRECIATE YOU!
AFRIK IMPACT CELEBRATION WEEK PARTICIPANTS
To all the Sponsors, Emcees/ Mr, Speakers, Panelists, Exhibitors, Elected Officials, Business Pitch Judges, Business Pitch Finalists, International Guests, Guests from Out of State, Community Leaders, Entertainers, Dance Performers, Afrik Impact Guests, Transportation and the entire Community at large; we are thrilled and can’t thank you enough for being a part of our special Afrik Impact week-long celebration.
WE APPRECIATE YOU!
SPECIAL THANKS
Denver Botanic Gardens
ALG’s Graphic Designer, Program Books Design | Kolorgraphix, Jody Gilbert
Videographer & Photographer | M&B LLC Enterprises | Madiama Mbaye
Photographer | Snap Shots Photography | James Rowe
Online Registration Tool | Spotlight Colorado | Kenton Kuhn
Printing Services | Turbo Press Inc. | Travis Traver
Breaking Barriers Communities’ Project - All Affinity Groups
Catering | Roots - The Gourmet Kitchen
TV Networks: 9News, TheDenverChannel 7, CBS News Colorado Channel 4 Colorado Public Radio
Lacy’s Chair Cover Rentals, LLC
Cloud 9 String Quartet
Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities
Minister of Culture and Historical Heritage of Senegal, Prof. Aliou SOW
Baaba Maal, Senegalese singer and guitarist
Massamba Diop, the Talking Drummer in Black Panther
Oumou Sy, Senegalese Fashion Designer
Goodman Global Consulting & Events | Auctioneer ProductAV | Audio Visual
The Collier Family
Cherry Reynolds
African Leadership Group Staff Members
ALG’S AMAZING VOLUNTEERS!
AMAZING STAFF, BOARD OF DIRECTORS, COMMITTEE MEMBERS & VOLUNTEERS
Thank you very much to our amazing staff, Board of Directors, committee members and volunteers for making this event happen! You are indeed the reason for our everyday success. You all performed with excellence, and this event could not have happened without the wonderful people like you. Each and every one of you is greatly appreciated! Job well done!
You can reach out to us on our website: www.usalg.org
WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU NEXT YEAR FOR OUR 2024 AFRIK IMPACT FUNDRAISING CELEBRATION!
Thank You!
