The theme for the 3rd Annual Washington State Coalition of African Community Leaders was “TAKING ACTION THROUGH LEADERSHIP FOR A BETTER FUTURE.”
About 100 African community leaders from all around Washington State attended the summit which took place at Seattle City Hall on 4th Avenue.
The summit had the following guess speakers:
Mike O’Brien (former member of the Seattle City Council representing District 6 in northwest Seattle).
He spoke about Leadership, Community Work and Civic engagement.
My-Linh Thai (politician and pharmacist who serves in the Washington State House of Representatives representing the 41st district in King County).
She spoke about R88 and the Impact on People of Color
Maikele Mengesha (from the Tigrean community, Seattle and is the chair of their community center in Seattle).
He spoke about the Tigrean community in Seattle and their impact and contribution as a community in Seattle and Washington State.
Edirin Okoloko (judge at the Snohomish County Superior Court).
He spoke about our community and the need for civic engagement.
Maria Batayola (owner and principal of Jump Start, an organization for development services).
She facilitated workshop involving community leaders taking action through leadership.
Gerard Miller (homeownership Coordinator at Homestead Community Land Trust).
He spoke about the importance of home ownership by our community members as part of economic empowerment.
The summit also had the Youth Leaders discussed “Importance of Youth and Representation of GREATNESS, Culture and Heritage”
The summit was a very successful one with the support of the Seattle City Council. Overall, many things affecting African communities were discussed and solutions were proposed to be implemented by the coalition.
