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Dr. Debora Kayembe, Lord Rector of the 440 year old, University of Edinburgh, Scotland and the first person of color to occupy the position. She shared the history of her country of origin as the rape capital of the world, where five women were raped every two seconds. Debora's investigation into the killings of Blacks in her country revealed that the aim was not to kill, but to exterminate. Dr. Kayembe provided deeper insight on the strategy to employ for solutions to Black issues."I cried two days ago, do you know why I cried? I was informed by my white students that the office I work from everyday, has underneath it, one thousand, seven hundred skulls of human remains that were taken between 1600 to 1920 from colonies all over the world, as trophies" - Dr. Debora Kayembe

Dr. Nomsa Khalfani, Co-CEO of Essential Access Health and founder of Khalfani Strategy Group acknowledged the progress that was made in the past, was for the past; she highlighted the need to revisit and update with relevant current advancements. "They referred to me as a militant when I went to college, it's like I became this revolutionist... that was when I officially changed my name, how I dressed, the books I read, and how I function in the world..." - Dr. Nomsa Khalfani

Dr. Santos Ramos, an assistant Professor of Integrative Studies at Grand Valley State University is a mixed Mexican-Irish-American. His research and teaching centers on the Intersections of Latin American Studies, Intercultural Competence, and Digital Technology.He introduced the concept of Sovereignty in his work on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, while emphasizing the research necessary for historical context of policy brutality, prison industrial complex, and current protests."I'm definitely light-skinned, but I've never felt white in my whole life... a lot of it is how people treat you, especially with my name.." - Dr. Santos Ramos

Will Jawando is the Montgomery County Councilmember, attorney, activist, and community leader with a lifelong dedication to public service. He discussed the importance of black fatherhood even in the absence of the real father. He cited several examples including his relationship with President Barack Obama."I went to five schools before I was in the 8th grade and a lot of the issues were issues of race and profiling. Because I was energetic and wanted to answer questions, they said I needed to be on medication. My mother won’t allow it. And we know for example that black students are over-medicated, over-represented in special education… " - Will Jawando

Speakers include:   Dr. Francesca Fajinmi - Founder, Your Black Matters "Jackie" Dupont-Walker - President, Ward Economic Development Corporation Oba  Oladepo Towobola - King of Aluti Erin, Dari Erin of Aluti Erin in Yoruba land Prof. Jacob Gordon - Professor Emeritus, University of Kansas & President, United Nations Association - Gainsville, FL

Derek A. Perkinson, the New York State Field and Crisis Director for the National Action Network (NAN) focused on the responsibilities of Black people in driving solutions to conquer racism. He proffered some do's and don't's for families and communities.  “In our community today, we have negative music, and there is no balance to that. Calling ourselves …..….. degrading ourselves, ….. we have to make glorification of killing each other in our music not cool…” - Derek A. Perkinson  

Rodney H. Dixon, Chief Executive Officer of Street Legend shared his thoughts on hidden oppositions. He expanded on his childhood understanding of "The System" and why he embraces the mantra of "coming up with something out of nothing" while affirming that the "Wealth of the wicked is stored up for the righteous".

Chris Ramos, Senior Director of UCLA Student Finance Solutions, shared his perspectives as a mixed-race executive.  He believes the conversation extends beyond race, cultural acceptance and a sense of self-worth are natural extensions that have eluded the mainstream. He emphasized the importance of community connections and the power of travel.

Dr. Ama S. Wray, Professor at the University of California, Irvine, and a performance architect that innovates across disciplinary lines, leading with dance to enter spaces of dance, jazz music, theatre, academia, medicine, technology and activism. Dr. Wray spotlighted her multi-cultural background from the U.K, to Jamaica, United States, and Cuba as she shares her perspectives on Africans and Africans in Diaspora.

Jacquelyn Dupont-Walker, the founding president of the Ward Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) in Los Angeles and an appointee of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti as a member of the LA County Metro Board. She shared a compelling story and the influence of King Solomon Dupont.

Jacob U’Mofe Gordon, Emeritus Professor, University of Kansas; Kwame Nkrumah Endowed Chair, University of Ghana; Senior Fulbright Scholar, presented the chronology of the Black History Month Celebration in the United States.

Albert Edmund Lord III, an Emmy Award-winning creative with a slew of industry awards, and more than 35 years of experience in radio, post production, sound editing, live theater as well as independent film and video production, highlighted his work on the "Exhibits on African American Heritage Month legacy project covering 2006 to 2020".He shared his story as a mixed race, Black, White, and a Native American from Tracy to San Francisco, South Africa, and Los Angeles.

Prof. Ayodeji Ogunnaike, an assistant Professor of Africana Studies at Bowdoin College is of Nigerian descent, specifically of the Yoruba tribe. His research and teaching centers around the religious traditions of Africa and the African diaspora including Christianity, Islam, and indigenous African traditions, particularly Yoruba oriṣa worship in Nigeria and Candomblé in Brazil. He juxtaposed several African religions with the major western religions. He further elaborated on diversified oppression, emphasized how racism is akin to sin if not sin, and the counter-effectiveness of flawed tools being used to overcome racism.

Dr. Marketus Presswood is an Historian with specialization in the socio-cultural interactions of the Chinese, Africans, and Africans in Diaspora. Dr. Presswood juxtaposed China and the U.S. on the subject of racism. He discussed: the role of China and the U.S. on the global order for Africa and Black Diaspora and emphasized the urgency of establishing the "United African States". "At the same time, I saw friends, and friends of friends, who didn't have the same support system, and they fell by the wayside.  For me now, when I think about some of my classmates who were brilliant students - I had one classmate who was a great mathematician - much smarter than me in that regard. I remember a few years back when I was in Chicago, I ran into him on the street. You can tell that he was homeless. And I just thought - what a waste of so much talent and genius. This is the problem - my critique of America is that, how much do we lose because we fail to nurture every segment ..." - Dr. Marketus Presswood

Dr. Irène Y. Kilubi, an Expert Advisor to the European Commission on Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Digitalization, spoke to us from Germany. Irene shared her experiences as one of the first Black families to relocate to Germany from the Democratic Republic of Congo, and how she transitioned from the status quo to her current trajectory."Many were also jealous, other immigrants like people from Russia, from Poland, and from Turkey. So I faced more racism from non-German people than from German people. It's like minorities humiliating other minorities." - Dr. Irène Y. Kilubi

Four speakers from the Inaugural Pan-African Youth (PAY) Summit.Prof. Babacar Kante - President of the National Political Dialogue  Commission in Senegal, former Vice-President of the Constitutional Council/Court of Senegal, and an expert in Constitutional law and political science, will speak on Ethics and Power.   Prof. Ivelaw Lloyd Griffith, Senior Associate with the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC, former Vice Chancellor of the University of Guyana, President of Fort Valley State University in Georgia, Provost of universities in Virginia and New York and Dean at Florida International University spoke on Security, Political Economy of Drugs, Crime, and its impact on the Sovereignty of a Nation.   Darcy Bourne, a 20-year-old Sophomore with a joint major in Sociology and French at Duke University in North Carolina, spoke on the Perspectives of Youth in Diaspora.   Dr. Alexandria Williams , an Internal Medicine Physician at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, spoke on Ethics. 

Four of the speakers from the Inaugural Pan-African Youth (PAY) Summit.Dr. Jasmine L. Blanks-Jones, a dynamic theatre nonprofit leader, award-wining educator, who holds a dual PhD in Education and Africana Studies from the University of Pennsylvania, speaking on Pan-Africanism.Paulinarh Bolatito Ogunleye is 21 years old. The first female President of the Faculty of Arts Student Union at the University of Lagos, Nigeria, and the longest seating president of the same body. She will speak on the Perspectives of Youth in Africa.Prof. Seth N. Asumah, the State University of New York Distinguished Teaching Professor, Chair, and Professor of Africana Studies, and Professor of Political Science, speaking on Effective Mobilization for Political Success.Hon. Allyson Maynard-Gibson QC, former Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs of The Commonwealth of Bahamas, an advocate for people centered justice, diversity, and the rights of women and children and an expert in governance, restructuring and rebranding of organizations, speaking on Ethics and Leadership. 

Rev. Dr. Sharpton, founder and President of the National Action Network (NAN), a not-for-profit civil rights organization formed in 1991 with over 100 chapters nationwide, including a Washington, DC Bureau and regional offices across the US, was our Keynote Speaker for the Inaugural Pan African Youth (PAY) Summit, held on November 13th, 2021. As one of the nation’s most-renowned civil rights leaders, Rev. Al Sharpton has been praised by President Barack Obama as "the voice of the voiceless and a champion for the downtrodden”. Rev. Al Sharpton also hosts a daily radio show “Keepin’ it Real w/ Rev. Al Sharpton”, a national cable news television show titled “Politics Nation” and he is an established author. This is the Keynote Address.

Cheryl Contee, Chief Innovation Officer at The Impact Seat expressed the reality that your ideal career might not exist today. While she described how you can create the vision of the "new you", she provided scores of investors with interests in minority founders. "They found that they were able to really get people all the way through their systems except when it comes to writing the check. They told me that it takes them on average, seven introductions to angel investors to get a white female founder funded. It takes 50 on average, five zero, introductions to get a Black female founder funded." - Cheryl Contee

Percy Hintzen Ph.D., Professor Emeritus at UC Berkeley and currently Professor of Global and Sociocultural Studies in the School of International and Public Affairs at Florida International University shared his experiences and expertise of White and Black relations from the Caribbeans to Africa, Asia, Europe, and the rest of Americas. He highlighted the problems faced by indigenous Black countries, the advent of Europeanized Africans,  correlation between language and power, and the solution to the global colonized world."We consider them as foreigners, but at the same time, they were the ones who exercised control over every aspect of our lives. And it was very violent. They had the privilege of power and they exercised authority over us in a very violent way" - Percy Hintzen Ph.D.,