The African American Leadership Project (AALP) to hold 20th Anniversary Reunion & Relaunch

By C.C. Campbell-Rock
Contributing Writer

Founders, supporters and the public are invited to attend the 20th anniversary of the African American Leadership Project (AALP) and a “Dialogue and Discussion” about the organization, its accomplishments, and the state of New Orleans and its residents on Saturday, August 26, at the Millie Charles School of Social Work on the SUNO Campus, Lecture Hall at 6801 Press Drive.

The first plenary runs from 9 a.m. through noon. Members of the organization will present an overview of AALP’s history, the organization’s role in agenda-building, and lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina.

The second plenary session begins at 1 p.m. and ends at 4 p.m. The topics to be discussed include the “State of the City and its Communities,” “Building a Community Agenda” and “Developing a Consensus.”

The public dialogue event follows an August 25 private reception at the New Orleans African American Museum honoring the legacy of Dutch Morial, as well as bestowing community service awards to entrepreneur Jimmie Woods; entrepreneur Alvin Richard; STEM NOLA Founder and CEO Dr. Calvin Mackie; and Silverback Society Co-Founder Lloyd Dennis.

Also invited as honorees are Calcea Johnson and Ne’kiya Jackson, internationally renowned then-St. Mary’s Academy high school students, now in college, who solved the 2000-year-old Pythagorean Theorem, which had gone unsolved for 20 centuries.

The young mathematicians presented trigonometric proof of the Pythagorean Theorem earlier this year at the American Mathematical Society. “This was remarkable for two reasons – trigonometric proofs of this theorem were once thought to be impossible, and the two students were teenagers still in high school,” wrote Rajiv Sethi, a professor of economics at Barnard College at Columbia University.

The African American Leadership Project (AALP) is a network of community advocates organized in 2002-03 for the purpose of addressing the frequent question, “What is in our best interest after 25 years of Black political leadership?”

The AALP’s initial work focused on community agenda-building and consensus. Katrina changed AALP’s emphasis to the “Right of Black Citizens to Return and Rebuild” the city in an equitable way for its original and marginal citizens. AALP emerged as a leading citizen advocacy organization during the post-Katrina era. Its “Citizen Bill of Rights,” became a guiding document that influenced the direction of Katrina policy in the city.

Dr. Mtangulizi Sanyika, Dillard University professor and AALP Project Manager Emeritus, said the organization is resuming operations and “Its present interest is empowering and growing communities and preserving the local population’s history, culture, institutions, and neighborhoods.”

The late Dr. Morris F.X. Jeff Jr. and Gail Glapion, Beverly McKenna, Edith Jones, Takuma Traarka, and Dr. Mtangulizi Sanyika co-founded the AALP.

The 20th anniversary provides an opportunity for both celebration and reflection. It also allows us to revisit once again and assess what is in our best interest 45 years after the Dutch Morial years. The AALP is seeking the community’s input and ideas at this historic event concerning the needs of New Orleans residents and people’s vision for improving conditions in the city that can enhance the quality of life.

Those interested in attending the “Dialogue and Discussion,” can register online at https://form.jotform.com/232153914804049.

This article originally published in the August 21, 2023 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.