SOE 2023
Africa, the Global Climate Crisis, and Reparations
AAI’s 8th annual State of Education on Africa conference on “Africa, the Global Climate Crisis, and Reparations” took place virtually on Friday, January 20th, 2023. Following the conference theme, our speakers discussed the interconnections between reparations and the climate crisis in Africa and the world at large, and set stage for people of all ages and backgrounds to simultaneously draw lessons from world history and pursue practical approaches to achieving climate justice and repair.
Virtual Conference
January 20, 2023
Watch the Conference
Conference Speakers
OPENING REMARKS
Kofi Appenteng
President, AAI
Mora Mclean
President emerita, Program Advisor, AAI
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
To meet the necessary challenge of transforming K-12 education we must better serve historically marginalized students — exposing them to topical subjects such as climate change and reparations in ways that increase both their knowledge and achievement.
Dorinda Carter Andrews, Ed.D.
Chairperson and Professor, College of Education, Michigan State University
Human Survival and Climate Change: Lessons from Africa’s Deep Past
Early human beings in the geographical space that we now refer to as “Africa” confronted different versions of climate change by embracing cooperation — as both a mode of survival and cultural value.
Shayla Monroe, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Scholar, University of California Santa Barbara
Author Book Talk – Crossing the Stream
A starred Kirkus review described Crossing the Stream as a “richly textured contemporary story set in Ghana [that] highlights timely issues around the environment and exploitation of the poor…an immersive reading experience.”
Elizabeth-Irene Baitie
Children’s Book Author and Clinical Biochemist
Brenda Randolph
Founder, Africa Access and Children’s Africana Book Awards
The Climate Crisis, The Black World, and Reparations
Acquiring an understanding of how climate justice and colonialism intersect is critical before we can envision solutions to human-induced climate change and stem the global climate crisis.
Olùfémi Tàìwó, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Philosophy, Georgetown University
AAI K-12 Education Program Partnerships in Michigan
Michigan educators describe how AAI has helped to support their work with students as part of an ongoing program partnership. The connections between student achievement and teaching that centers Africa and its diaspora will be explored.
Letha Hopkins-Powell, Ed.D.
Principal, Walt Whitman Elementary School, Pontiac, Michigan
Lindsay Helfman
History Teacher, Marygrove High School, Detroit, Michigan
Olivia Lynch, Ed.D.
AAI Senior Education Program Advisor