As the Creator of the I Love Being Black Cultural Movement and Apparel Line, Kumi Rauf believes in lifting as he climbs and giving back to the community by motivating others in attaining their life goals. He is an accomplished social media strategist, taking the “I Love Being Black” Facebook Fan-page from zero to over 6 million “Likes”, becoming the largest Black​-owned Facebook Fan-page in the world, edging out BET for the top spot.

Kumi is an award​-winning businessman with several recognitions under his belt, including being an officer and chair for the National Society of Black Engineers; a recipient of the Urban League Top 40 Under 40 award; awarded most successful app developer by Novacoast; and collegiate track and field athlete. He has shared his knowledge and experience with a diverse mix of audiences via radio appearances, one​on​one seminars, conferences and more.

John Clarke is an international cooperation and economic development expert. He has lived in both Europe and Latin America as a U.S. diplomat and academic. He has extensive experience organizing delegation visits for U.S. political officials, writing papers on economic and political risk in Latin America, and managing outreach with foreign government officials and economic actors.

Mr. Clarke is a magna cum laude graduate of Morehouse College, where he was elected Phi Beta Kappa. He holds a Master’s Degree from Johns Hopkins University where he studied International Economics. Mr. Clarke currently serves on the Maryland Governor’s Commission of Caribbean Affairs and was assigned to the Education and Workforce Committee.

His passion to serve people of African descent drove him to establish Avantgarde International LLC, a firm dedicated to economic empowerment through community-driven development and entrepreneurship.

Monalisa is the owner and Managing Director of Artform Factory & Artform Factory Sports a comprehensive luxury custom framing business based in Johannesburg Strijdom Park. Artform Factory specializes in framing and preservation of high-end art pieces, sports memorabilia, mirrors, photos and abstract wall decor. Monalisa is a branding enthusiast, having attained her Brand Building and Management qualifications at Vega School of Brand leadership. She is currently focused on brand communication for International Luxury brands within South African Market by maintaining brand relevance to the high-end African Market.

Monalisa is dedicated to conducting business with a purpose and believes in achieving economic development through education and contributing to skills development and community empowerment.

The Honourable Demba Hydara is a presidential advisor to the Republic of The Gambia, responsible for strategic national development priorities as well as the promotion of culture, trade, and investments. He also serves as the Republic of The Gambia’s Ambassador for Health in the Diaspora.

As the CEO of Soninkara Group, Mr Hydara leads the largest distribution of food commodities in The Gambia. Soninkara covers several industries offering financial, energy, business services, and consumer products. The group’s mission is to drive economic development and enhance investments in the import sector and manufacturing industries for the West Africa region.

Mr Hydara speaks English, Wolof, Soninke, Mandinka, and Arabic.

Eric Tentlo is a serial entrepreneur, investor, youth mentor, and marketing professional of Gabonese origin. In early 2022, he announced his candidacy to run in Gabon’s 2023 presidential elections.

Mr Tentlo spearheads social media, branding and messaging campaigns on behalf of the Pan-African Council to reach audiences across the francophone Africa.

Eric is also the owner Electro-Shop, an electronic product supplier to Gabon and the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC). He previously founded Allo Canada™, a phone company dedicated to serving Canadian customers with cheap long-distance call services for both Canada and abroad. Mr Tentlo is bilingual in French and English.

Chevy is an “artivist” – a dedicated community worker, a filmmaker and the founder of the Caribbean Creative Arts Alliance (CCAA). CCAA is an online movement that uses the creative arts to establish and implement innovative methods to advance the ideology of Caribbean integration, through the diverse cultures of the Caribbean and its diapsoras.

In 2015, Chevy represented the Caribbean in the Fellowship Progamme for People of African Descent, at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Geneva, Switzerland. Upon completing the Fellowship, he has worked with the UN in various capacities. Currently, Chevy is a PhD student at York University, Toronto, Canada in the Social and Political Thought (SPTH) program. His research focuses on the creative arts as key instrument in the advocacy for Caribbean Reparations. Drawing on the intersections of postcolonial theory and theories of Black radicalism, his research explores various forms of political, cultural, legal and economic based drives geared towards advocacy for Caribbean reparations.

Peterson Saint Jean is a youth leader, social communicator, trainer, and social activist who strives to mobilise Haitians through his foundation FLAM – Fondasyon Les Autres M’intéressent (Translation: The I Care For Others Foundation) supporting initiatives such as civic participation, personal development, technology and entrepreneurship. He’s a firm believer that a different type of Haiti is possible.

As a young entrepreneur in photography and digital services, Mr Saint Jean has a start-up consultancy focused on advertising and marketing.

Prior to being elected to Colombia’s Congress, Cha Dorina Hernández was a teacher, craftswoman and ethno-educational leader. With over 83,000 votes, she was the first Palenquera (Afro-Colombian ethnic group) woman to reach the House of Representatives.

Since her adolescence, and for more than four decades, Cha Dorina Hernández has fought to preserve the Palenque culture in Colombia. Through her work as an educator and social leader in her community, she was recognised for her work during the Drum Festival and Cultural Expressions of Palenque, and contributed to UNESCO’s declaration of the municipality as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2005.

Cha was one of the original leaders to form the organization Procesos de Comunidades Negras (PCN), a group instrumental in protecting the human and land rights of the Afro-Colombian population.

Rogério Siqueira is a politician, broadcaster, journalist, cultural producer and human rights activist. He holds extensive experience in public relations and developing political platforms, having worked both in the cities of Brasilia and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Rogério began his career in radio programming on Band FM Radio in the city of Campos-RJ. At age 21 he quickly ascended to the role of press manager for the Legislative Assembly of the State of Rio de Janeiro (ALERJ), where he stayed for seven years, there he divided his time in managing Public Relations and parliamentary activities. At ALERJ, he divided his time between managing public relations and parliamentary activities, while assisting parliamentarians in large projects such as: the Special Commission for the Legacy of Sports Mega-Events (2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil, 2016 Olympic Games, Military World Games and Paralympic Games), Public Hearing Debate on combating crack/cocaine consumption, Parliamentary Committee on Survey (CPI) of the Rio Mountain Region Tragedy, State Budget Commission, among others.

In 2019 Rogério took office as the Superintendent of Racial Equality in Campos. As Ambassador of the Pan-African Council to Brazil since that same year, he spearheaded support for the entrepreneurial initiatives of Afro-Brazilians with the aim of empowering communities socioeconomically and generating business for Brazil’s Black population. Rogério has also successfully negotiated a bilateral agreement between the Angolan Government and Brazil’s UENF University in an unprecedented student exchange programme for people of African descent to start in 2020. The programme is currently expanding its reach to Colombian and Caribbean universities.

Silvana Thebas Nistaldo was born in the State of Rio de Janeiro, of Angolan and Congolese descent and graduated in Social Communication and Business Management. She has worked for several institutions including the Embassy of Nicaragua to Brazil, the Consulates of Angola, Cape Verde, and DRC to Brazil where she developed numerous projects related to social responsibility, cultural expression, skills training, professional development, entrepreneurship.

Silvana also worked with the Rio de Janeiro City Council to pass several policies and bills to the benefit of African communities resident in Rio de Janeiro, such as a bill that recognises May 25th as Heritage Day in Rio de Janeiro and the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the African Union maintaining diplomatic relations with Brazil.

She has received honourable mentions for her service to the African community resident in the State of Rio de Janeiro and for her role in the dissemination of African culture.

Silvana is currently based in Luanda, Angola and spearheads a number of projects aimed at attracting investments to social welfare programmes, the preservation of cultural practices and identity, the diffusion of African art, economic empowerment, the fight against hunger, as well as food security initiatives for the African continent.

Abdihakim Othman has over 15 years of experience working in the private and development sector with a vast understanding of the project management cycle.

Currently, Mr Othman supports and manages TVET program teams, leading the process of assessing local community collaboration and identifying new partners, by designing and developing community-related livelihood activities with Shaqodoon Organization in Somali/Somaliland and Kenya.

In the past, he worked with an investment company in Dubai, where he developed sales and marketing strategies that ensure business growth within the financial services sector. Abdihakim is also the Business Development/Partnership Director for Caafisom and is responsible for the growth of Caafisom by bringing new processes and strategies that ensure business growth. Abdihakim is also the Co-Founder of Geezi Trading and Franksom, a company that exports Somaliland/Puntland natural resins to European markets. His technical knowledge and 8+ years of experience in Somalia and Somaliland’s harsh market are commendable.