AroniSmart - Person of Year

Honoring Martin Luther King Jr Day in 2020

Rev Martin Luther King Jr at Selma March 1965

Monday January 20, 2020 is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Tributes to civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. is held in the Unites States nationwide. The day is usually marked by massive commemorations including march protests to remember and celebrate the national civil rights leader who was instrumental in challenging the racial caste system that delineated how millions of Americans lived their lives.

Ava DuVernay: AfroAmerica Network Woman of Year 2019

Ava DuVernay and Exonerated 5 at the Emmys in 2019

Ava DuVernay is director, producer, and screenwriter. She is known as the first Black woman to win the Best Feature Directing award at Sundance in 2012, the first Black woman to get a Best Director Golden Globe nomination, the first woman of color to direct a Oscar-nominated best picture film, and the first woman to direct a film that grossed more than $100 million domestically.

Julius Malema: AfroAmerica Network Man of Year 2019

Julius Malema condemning xenophobia in South Africa, in Sep 2019

Abiy Ahmed Ali visiting Ethiopian diaspora in the US, August 2018

Julius Malema is young. Despite his youth, he is one of the top peaceful freedom fighters in Africa. He has been the leader of those seeking and struggling for social justice and equality. He is at the forefront of rejecting any form of discrimination, racism, and prejudice in South Africa. He has dedicated his life to fighting corruption. For that, he has called for a new revolution in South Africa and in Africa in general

Abiy Ahmed Ali: AfroAmerica Network Man of Year 2018, Wins 2019 Nobel Peace Prize

Abiy Ahmed Ali visiting Ethiopian diaspora in the US, August 2018

Abiy Ahmed Ali was AfroAmerica Network Man of Year 2018 (see here). He is now the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize Winner. Under his leadership, Ethiopia has been going through an unprecedented democratic transformation. Lieutenant Colonel Abiy Ahmed Ali was selected, in April 2018, to lead Ethiopia by the ruling party, Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF).