Person of Year

Monday January 20, 2020 is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Tributes to civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.  are 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 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 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 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).

January 21, 2019 is Martin Luther King Jr Day. Tributes to civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. will be held in the Unites States nationwide,. The day will be  marked by massive marches,  protests, and statements from various groups, politicians, activists, and individuals. As we celebrate, let us listen to the 1964 song by Sam Cooke:  A Change Is Gonna Come.

Africa has some of the most ruthless, repressive, and corrupt dictators in the World. The most notorious took power following an armed rebellion, claiming to fight against repressive regimes and promising democracy.

Who would have thought in their youth, during the armed struggle, and in their early years of power, that these so called "revolutionary" leaders  would turn into ones of the worst dictators in the World?

Stacey Abrams may be mostly known for her unsuccessful Democratic bid to become governor of Georgia in 2018. She was narrowly defeated, almost becoming the first black to be elected governor of Georgia, and the first black woman anywhere in the United States.

Ethiopia is going through an unprecedented democratic transformation and an unusual man is leading it. The man is Ethiopia's new prime minister Lieutenant Colonel Abiy Ahmed Ali who was selected, in April 2018, to lead by the ruling party, Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF).

Tributes to civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. were held in  the Unites States  nationwide, on Monday January 15, 2018. The day was marked by massive marches,  protests, and statements from various groups, politicians, activists, and individuals.  The focus of protests ranged from condemning controversial policies, to the treatment of minorities and people of color,   and to statements by policitians, especially the recent alleged statements by President Trump, referring to African countries, Haiti and El Salvador as "shitholes." On #MLKDay, we must recommit ourselves to fighting for the causes that defined his life and work — including voting rights, police and community relations, our criminal justice system, and economic opportunity," tweeted US Senator Kamara Harris, from California, who is rumored to be considering a run in 2020 Presidential  elections,. 

Colin Rand Kaepernick charitable initiatives have helped feed incarcerated men. His civil rights and social justice activism has won him worldwide recognition and multiple awards, including Sports Illustrated Muhammad Ali Legacy Award. Colin Kaepernick's social justice stand came to national attention and world stage when in 2016 he began protesting racial injustice in the United States by not standing while the United States national anthem was being played before the start of NFL games. 

Diane Rwigara is 35-year old Rwandan woman who dared to challenge one of the most notorious African dictators, General Paul Kagame, by running in presidential elections. As predicted, she was barred from standing in the elections. That was not the end of it.

 Ieshia Evans was a nurse from Pennsylvania when she decided to join protestors in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on July 9, 2016. The hundreds, maybe thousands of protestors were gathered throughout the city to demand justice for well-documented cases of minorities killed by the police. Among those minorities, and the latest prominent cases, were Alton Sterling, killed in Baton Rouge and Philando Castile killed in Minnesota by police officers. Just two days earlier, the US nation had been shocked by a senseless murder of five police officers in Dallas, Texas.

Asked about why she travelled to Baton Rouge by La Guardian, Ieshia Evans said: