Black Women Embark On Trade Mission To Senegal During Black History Month

Forest Park Mayor Butler presents Yene Mayor Mbengue with a proclamation commemorating their Sister City relationship. Pictured (L-R): GA State Rep. Burnough; First Lady of Yene, Mrs. Mbengue; Forest Park Mayor Butler; Yene Mayor Mbengue; HBCU Green Fund founder, Felicia Davis; former Virgin Islands State Senator, Donna Gregory; Palmetto Mayor Thomas-Smith; Tandeka CEO, Leticia Daniels-Jackson (front); and HBCU Green Fund Africa director, Cheikhou Thiome (back). **Photo Credit: Kelly Benton**

Forest Park, GA – The HBCU Green Fund, led by founder Felicia Davis, marked Black History Month with a week-long women’s economic development trade mission to Senegal, bringing together 22 elected officials, nonprofit leaders, and businesswomen to strengthen commercial, cultural, and humanitarian ties with the region. The delegation — which included GA State Rep. Rhonda Burnough (District 77, Clayton County), Forest Park Mayor Angelyne Butler, and Palmetto Mayor Teresa Thomas-Smith — received a warm welcome from Yene Mayor Massamba Mbengue, featuring a vibrant celebration of music, dance, and an ocean boat race, showcasing the strengthening Sister City bond between Forest Park and Yene.

“We are honored to bring this extraordinary group of women leaders to Senegal, strengthening the Sister City relationship between our communities and establishing real opportunities for collaboration,” said Davis, who established HBCU Green Fund offices in Forest Park and Yene. “We are here to open doors for business partnerships, innovation, and sharing sustainable solutions that uplift communities. Together, we can drive economic growth and prove that when women join forces, they create unstoppable momentum for a better future.”

During the festivities, Mayor Butler presented Mayor Mbengue with a proclamation reaffirming their commitment to a Sister City relationship that fosters cultural, economic, and educational exchange. The proclamation recognized the earlier visit of Mayor Mbengue to Forest Park.

A rigorous itinerary that blended cultural immersion with strategic meetings was designed for the group by HBCU Green Fund’s Africa director, Cheikhou Thiome. The delegation toured schools, health clinics, and the HBCU Green Fund English & STEM Education Center, where they donated educational materials, medical supplies, and hygiene products. They also visited historical and environmental sites, including Gorée Island’s House of Slaves and the Door of No Return, a solemn memorial to the victims of the transatlantic slave trade; The Four Paths Farm, a women-led farm; and they observed the devastating impacts of climate change, from plastic waste on beaches to severe coastal erosion threatening local villages.

“One highlight was meeting the African women who were in management positions-especially those working at the Port and Water department,” said Representative Burnough. Savannah, Georgia’s port, ranks as the 4th busiest in the United States, and in my district, the Clayton County Water Authority has won many awards. These agencies provide partnership opportunities with the port in our sister city, Yen.”

Mayor Butler adds, “As the second-largest logistics center in the Southeast, Forest Park is uniquely positioned to connect local students to hands-on training and economic opportunities both nationally and globally. The HBCU Green Fund already sends students to Senegal to exchange knowledge. Building on that foundation, I look forward to creating a reciprocal program where students from Georgia can study logistics at the Port in Yene, while students from Senegal gain experience at the Gillem Logistics Center.”

The delegation engaged in discussions with several high-level officials and business leaders, coordinated by esteemed Senegalese stateswoman and former Minister of State and Minister of Labor and Environment, Innocence Ntap Ndiaye. Officials included:

· Daouda Ngom, Minister of Environment and Ecological Transition.

· Fode Fall, Secretary General, Ministry of Environment

· Amadou Massar Sarr, President of SATS

· Fulgence de Guenon, DP World Commercial Director

· Wore Ndiaye Kandji, Technical Adviser, Ministry of Armed Forces

· Aida Diop, President, Women in Mining Senegal

· Mariama Diallo, Secretary General, Union of Employees Senegal

· Fatou Diene, Commercial Director, Africa Global Logistics

“It was purpose-affirming to engage with DP World’s representatives and explore how their billion-dollar project in Yene is creating new opportunities,” said Mayor Teresa Thomas-Smith. “With their logistics center in Palmetto, this conversation strengthened my commitment to understanding their local impact and exploring strategic collaborations to position our community as a key player in global logistics.”

Mayor Butler noted that government agencies often discard surplus equipment and supplies. She mentioned an old Forest Park water buffalo trailer slated for disposal that could be repurposed to provide drinking water in areas without access. Others suggested partnering with nonprofits and businesses like DP World to redirect such resources to villages in need, promoting sustainability while reducing costs.

The delegation included other distinguished leaders such as former US Virgin Islands State Senator Donna A. Frett-Gregory; environmental specialist, May Adams Cornwall; Tandeka LLC CEO, Leticia Daniels Jackson; and Green is Lyf CEO, Yvonne Shade Jones, among others. Notably, no government funds were extended for any expenses on this trip.

“This trade mission marks the expansion of our Senegal operations, which already includes our annual Eco Spring Break,” adds Illai Kenney, managing director of HBCU Green Fund. “On March 6, we’re taking HBCU students to Senegal, where they’ll plant trees and clean beaches alongside local villagers. It’s about helping vulnerable communities and also an opportunity for students to give back while learning, leading, and shaping the future of global sustainability.”

HBCU Green Fund is dedicated to advancing environmental sustainability at HBCUs and their surrounding communities. Its fellows program empowers students with training, mentorship, and hands-on experience in renewable energy, urban agriculture, and sustainable transit. The West Atlanta Project focuses on climate resilience in local communities. Through its Africa Initiatives, the organization supports young climate leaders in sub-Saharan Africa, by providing microgrants and resources to develop community-based climate solutions. For more information, visit hbcugreenfund.org.

Climate Activist Felicia Davis, Unveils Global Youth Initiatives at COP28

*HBCU Green Fund delegation stops for a photo after a press conference at UN COP28 in Dubai announcing global youth initiatives and opening of Africa office in Dakar, Senegal.*

Atlanta, GA and Washington, DC – Distinguished climate activist and founder of the HBCU Green Fund, Felicia Davis, took center stage at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai, making groundbreaking announcements that underscore the organization’s commitment to global climate action and youth empowerment. In a momentous press conference, Davis announced the official opening of the HBCU Green Fund’s new Africa office in Senegal and revealed plans for the third annual Pre-COP Africa, African American Youth Climate Summit, set to take place in Dakar in June 2024.

“Establishing a significant presence in Africa positions HBCU Green Fund to give voice to people most impacted by climate change and help to cultivate innovative youth leadership,” Davis commented.

Cheikhou Thiome, HBCU Green Fund’s Africa director, adds, “Our Pre-COP29 summit will bring young leaders, activists, and innovators from the United States and across Africa together in Dakar, Senegal to engage in constructive dialogues, share insights, and ignite climate action.”

HBCU Green Fund’s Managing Director, Illai Kenney, shared insights into the organization’s extensive involvement at COP28, with eight delegates from the United States credentialed through partner Omega Institute, and network representatives from 12 African countries. Kenney emphasized the HBCU Green Fund’s dedication to empowering future leaders through supporting youth led projects in Africa and the US.

“We have a unique Eco Spring Break program that is a service-learning experience connecting HBCU students with peers in West Africa that involves hands-on environmental restoration projects. The program offers students, faculty, and alumni the chance to plant trees, dig wells, plant gardens and gain firsthand experience in addressing environmental challenges,” said Kenney.

Dr. Mustafa Santiago Ali, executive vice president, National Wildlife Federation; Hussein Kassim, Ghana project director; Sharon Gakii Mureithi, Kenya project director, and Denise Ayebare, Uganda local youth coordinator, joined Davis, Kenney, and Thiome for the press conference.

In addition to the press conference, HBCU Green Fund delegates actively contributed to multiple COP28 side events. Davis delivered a powerful keynote speech at the Uganda Pavilion emphasizing the role of youth in addressing the climate crisis. She also participated in a panel discussion with Dr. Ali at the Kenya Pavilion and Lucky Abeng, a coordinator from Nigeria, organized a conversation that included contributions from Davis and Mithika Mwenda, executive director of the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance. Davis also contributed to side events organized by young climate leaders from Zimbabwe, Burkina Faso, and Tanzania.

Another member of the delegation, Pamela Fann of Impact Energy, moderated a discussion about the energy transition with Davis as a panelist. Fann also coordinated sessions for partner organization, Harambee House/Center for Environmental Justice, featuring renowned environmental justice leader and executive director Dr. Mildred McClain.

Young leaders in the HBCU Green Fund delegation played a pivotal role in several youth events. Kenney, a former youth activist and the youngest speaker at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development in South Africa in 2002, spoke about cultivating young leaders at the launch of the Stone Soup for a Sustainable World Curriculum. She also organized and facilitated the HBCU Green Fund’s day-long workshop and 2024 strategy session for youth delegates. The workshop included a briefing by the founder of the Chisholm Legacy Project, Jacqui Patterson, along with her team, on the Global Afro-Descendant Climate Justice Collaborative.

In response to the overall outcome of COP28, Davis says, “A stronger commitment to phasing out fossil fuels remains a reach; however, acknowledging the need to transition away from fossil fuels is still a small step forward. Ultimately, it is action rather than rhetoric that will make the difference for vulnerable communities already impacted by climate change.” She continued, “The HBCU Green Fund’s impactful presence at COP28 reflects its commitment to global climate action, sustainability, and empowering the next generation of leaders in the fight against climate change.”

For more information on the HBCU Green Fund, Sustainable Africa Network, or the 2024 Pre-COP Africa, African American Youth Climate Summit, visit hbcugreenfund.org or check for @hbcugreenfund on social media.

HBCU Green Fund AUC Fellows plant 100 trees in Africa during Spring Break

CAPTION: HBCU Green Fund AUC Fellows join their host families for a photo during their trip to Northern Senegal to help in the fight against climate change.

ATLANTA – A group of HBCU Green Fund Atlanta University Center Fellows recently dedicated their spring break embedded in an African village on the border of Senegal and Mauritania building a tree shelter, planting trees and digging a well in their ongoing efforts to help the vulnerable communities that are most impacted by the effects of climate change, but contribute the least. The climate advocates spent a full week without Internet, TV and phone service to help mitigate the devastating effects of global warming.

The inaugural HBCU Green Fund Eco Spring Break Service-Learning Program at REDES Ecovillages connects students, faculty and alumni from Black colleges including Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse and Spelman Colleges in Atlanta, GA, with students and faculty from Cheik Ante Diop University in Dakar Senegal. With over 100 villages in Senegal and Mauritania, REDES Ecovillages helps traditional communities become ecovillages by blending deep-rooted culture with modern ecological and community-building methods. The program gives students an opportunity to help with the climate crisis and also learn innovative solutions the Africans have implemented.

“I’m so proud of these young leaders who put down their social media to live for a week with families in a rural village where electricity, water and food were extremely limited. It was a game changer for young professionals who consider themselves to be climate justice advocates,” said Felicia Davis, founder of HBCU Green Fund. “The experience provided the volunteers with a deeper understanding of climate change, food waste, plastic pollution, and the devastating impact of wasteful western habits on distant communities along with an opportunity to make a real and tangible difference.”

Davis adds, “We gain as much or more than we give, it is powerful to function as a part of nature, as a steward seeking ecological restoration and balance. With a small donation the HBCU Green Fund financed the construction of a shelter for tree saplings and a well that women farmers requested so they don’t have to walk all the way to the river and back for water.”

The Eco Spring Break Service-Learning program is one of several initiatives the HBCU Green Fund sponsors as they cultivate relationships with local communities in the U.S., Africa and throughout the African Diaspora to promote conservation, renewable energy, and sustainable agriculture and development. The group currently has ongoing projects in 14 countries in Africa, including Ghana and Tanzania, two of the countries Vice President Harris recently visited and declared climate change an “existential threat to the entire planet.”

“It was a life-changing experience,” adds Serena Echols, an HBCU Green Fund Fellow and senior environmental science major at Spelman College. “We lived with host families sleeping on the floor just as they do. Our days consisted of working on various projects to help transform the villages of the Sahel. We also learned to milk a cow or a goat and planted more than 100 trees.”

“When we returned to the U.S. and heard Vice President Harris’ call to action it reinforced our commitment to fighting for climate justice and made us feel like we were playing a personal role in the mission to address the climate crisis in Africa and around the world,” adds Echols.

Based in Washington, DC and Atlanta, the HBCU Green Fund (hbcugreenfund.org) is a non-profit, nonpartisan organization working with historically black colleges and universities in the U.S. and abroad to advance sustainability, promote student engagement in green initiatives, and train the next generation of global green leaders. The organization’s Atlanta University Center Clean Energy Fellows Program introduces students to career opportunities in the clean energy sector and connects students with Black entrepreneurs that provide training in renewable energy technologies. The HBCU Green Fund partnered the Harambee House/Citizens for Environmental Justice (HH/CFEJ) to lead a delegation of 27 persons from the United States and Africa to participate in COP27 in Egypt last November and are planning to take a delegation to to COP28 in Dubai in November of this year.