Viola Davis has been announced among the first members of President Joe Biden’s Advisory Council on African Diaspora Engagement. Davis will advise Washington on improving relationships with African communities.
Washington seeks to boost the region’s reputation and counter China and Russia’s increasing influence in the region.
Biden announced his intention to establish the council in December last year during the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit, which aimed to deepen Washington’s ties with the continent.
Among other issues, the council will advise the president on strengthening relations between African communities and the United States, improving trade and investment and building educational exchanges and others, Judd Devermont, the National Security Council’s senior director for African Affairs, told the media.
Silvester Beaman, the Bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church who pronounced the benediction at Biden’s inauguration in 2021 will chair the council.
Other members include Almaz Negash, founder of the African Diaspora Network; Patrick Gaspard, the president and CEO of the Centre for American Progress think tank; C.D. Glin, president of the PepsiCo Foundation and global head of social impact for PepsiCo.
Earlier in the year, Davis won a Grammy for the audio recording of her memoir “Finding Me,” ushering her into the EGOT Winners Hall of fame with an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony award.
The United States aims to improve its image for a better partnership with African countries as China has pushed to expand its influence by funding infrastructure projects on the continent and elsewhere.
The Kremlin held its first Africa summit in 2019 and since sending troops to Ukraine has been promoting its business and influence in Africa where its Wagner mercenary group is supporting African troops to battle insurgencies.
