From Africa to the Americas: Celebrating Cultural Collaboration Across the Diaspora
Washington D.C.
From Africa to the Americas is an immersive journey into the heart of Washington, DC as a vibrant Black cultural enclave. We will discover the powerful collaborations between African Americans, and African and Caribbean immigrant communities, centering our journey around youth development, advocacy work, and art immersion. Students will have the opportunity to support community organizations, engage with Black students in DC, and speak with local activists and historians to understand how these diverse communities coexist and work together. This unique experience offers insights into DC's dynamic intersection of culture, art, and social activism, highlighting the unity in building a thriving, resilient, multicultural Black community in the nation's 3rd largest urban center for Black immigrants.
Meet the co-leads:
Meseret Berhane
Hi! My name is Meseret Berhane (she/they) and I'm a senior studying Psychology and African/African American Studies. I am passionate about the intersection of these two subjects and the related topic of creating more culturally competent systems of support+care for Black immigrant and migrant communities all over the world. I hail from Phoenix, Arizona by way of Eritrea, the country where my heart lies. This is my first time co-leading and participating in the Stanford ASB program so I am super stoked to be a part of this amazing community. In my free time, you can catch me watching long-form YouTube video essays/analysis videos, creating hyper-specific Spotify playlists, or watching a 2000s rom-com (my fave is 27 Dresses).
Michelle Kalu
Michelle Ekenma Kalu is a Dallas, Texas and Ohafia native in her third year at Stanford University, majoring in African and African American Studies and International Relations. Her research and art practice focuses on transnational liberation movements across the African diaspora, using photography and sartorial practices from this time period as a medium to understand identity formation in post-colonial contexts. Michelle’s interests lie in human rights advocacy and social justice as well as creative expression and community building in African diasporic communities.