By executive order, U.S. President Joe Biden has established an advisory committee on African diaspora engagement in the country.
According to a White House statement released on Tuesday, the council would be made up of 12 people who “represent the diversity of the African diaspora from African American and African immigrant communities.”
Members will include notable figures from industry, government, sports, and the arts. The remaining members of the council will come from the fields of academics, social work, and religious organisations.
According to the statement, advisory council members would serve two-year terms without pay or reimbursement. According to the decree, political preferences won’t be taken into account when choosing council members.
As one of its top priorities, the council will aim to “strengthen cultural, social, political, and economic linkages between African communities, the worldwide African diaspora, and the United States” among other things. The United States State Department will set up the council in 180 days.
Secretary of State Anthony Blinken emphasised the significant contribution of the African diaspora in the United States during his remarks at the African and Diaspora Young Leaders Forum, which was held alongside the second-ever U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit early on Tuesday.
“The importance of the diaspora – to the past, to the present, to the future – of both African nations and the United States is why this is one of the very first events of the Africa Leaders’ Summit,” he said.
“Earlier this year, in South Africa, I had an opportunity to set out the administration’s new strategy for sub-Saharan Africa. It’s a strategy rooted in one key word – partnership – and in recognition that we can’t solve any of our shared priorities unless we work together,” he added.
Blinken also discussed the contributions that renowned African immigrants have made to American culture, such as comedian Trevor Noah, who was born in South Africa.
“The United States continues to be enriched immeasurably by the African diaspora: from the piercing comedy of Trevor Noah, who we will miss on “The Daily Show” – to the Alté of Tems, – to the speed-skating of Maame Biney.”