Africa Day 2024 - 61 Years Anniversary Celebration

You are invited to Africa Day 2024 and the 61st Anniversary Celebration. The celebration theme will be "Celebrating African Heritage & Leveraging the African Diaspora". Africa Day is recognized each year globally on May 25. Africa Day was first held on May 25, 1963, in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa, when 32 Heads of independent African States met in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to sign the Charter creating Africa's first post-independence continental institution, The Organisation of African Unity (OAU), now the African Union (AU). The purpose of this event is to highlight the importance of Africa and its contributions to the community of nations and a roundtable conversation about the role and contribution of the African Diaspora in the Sixth Region to build Africa We Want - Agenda 2063 Africa's blueprint and master plan for transforming Africa into the global powerhouse of the future.

This event is organized by the African Diaspora Sixth Region Association of Illinois in collaboration with the Africa Global Chamber of Commerce (AGCC), Africa Group of the Consular Corps of Chicago, the Chicago City Council 49th Ward Alderwomen Maria Hadden, and Loyola University Chicago School of Social Work - CIRA. We are honored to have our Keynote Speaker, H.E. Hilda Suka-Mafudze, Permanent Representative of Africa Union to the US. Additional distinguished speakers and guests include Ambassador Dr. Sameh Abdoul-Enein, Consul General of Egypt, in Chicago; Illinois State Comptroller Susana Mendoza; Illinois State Representative Carol Ammons; Commissioner Donner Miller of Illinois Cook County Board of Commissioners, Alderwoman Maria Hadden of 49th Ward Office City of Chicago, Dr. Olivier Kamanzi, Chairman of AGCC & ADSRA, Hon. Befekadu T. Retta, Honorary Consul General of Ethiopia in Chicago, Hon. Diego Ángulo Marinez, General Vice-Consul of Colombia, Rev. Dr. Janette Wilson, Mr. James Gomez; Hon. Lionel Jean Baptiste, Judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County of Illinois; Bishop Lance Davis, Founder of Building Our Own Community, Inc., Dr. Ana V. Castillo, Founder of the Afro-Latino Historical Society, Eunice Mina Escobar, Vice-Chair of ADSRA, Mr. Oumar Telly Diallo, President of Guinea Community Association of Illinois and Iowa, Peace Udechukwu-Ezeka, and many more speakers.

The Africa Day Celebration and Town hall discussions will be moderated by two members of the ADSRA, Dr. Aissetu B. Ibrahima, Assistant Professor at Northeastern Illinois University, and Rev. Dr. Jho Roni, Founder and President of MinistryOne.