Africatown is a tight-knit community just north of Mobile, Alabama. Many of its residents are the direct descendants of more than 100 Africans who were brought to America in 1860 as captives on a ship known as the Clotilda. The international slave trade had been outlawed in the United States decades earlier in 1808, but the Clotilda illegally set sail, galvanized by a bet that enslaver Timothy Meaher would not be able to do it.

Kovie Biakolo is a freelance journalist who writes about culture, identity, and the arts. Her work can be found in The New York Times, Smithsonian Magazine, TIME, among other publications. She is also the author of the forthcoming “Foremothers: 500 Years of Heroines From the African Diaspora” due in 2024/2025. Additionally, she currently serves as the Distinguished Lecturer for the Arts and Culture Reporting Program at the City University of New York where she was recently awarded a Tow Professorship for the 2022-2024 academic years.

Countries in Latin America have enjoyed periods of democratic revival and suffered from periods of democratic decline since their independence. Recent events in Peru and Brazil add to the many cases in which democracy was about to break, but it did not.

Join us as Roya Hakakian discusses her book A Beginners Guide to America: For the Immigrant and the Curious with author Carlos Eire.
At a time when America seems more divided than ever, Roya Hakakian, a naturalized immigrant shares her American experience, and tells others what it took to fall in love with America, despite its flaws. A Beginner’s Guide to America: For the Immigrant and the Curious (Knopf) exemplifies how one immigrant wishes to do her part to heal our national wounds and enable the native-born to see what they can’t see.

I Belong: Mix and Mingle edition is a fun, casual, and stress-free networking event over meaningful conversations and cocktails. Each attendee will receive one free drink voucher. The mixer will allow attendees to speak freely about their personal work experiences. Participants will explore how, although they each may be different on the surface, they share similar goals in the workplace.