FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Julia Richardson
703.894.2900 ext. 104
The ACTFL 2021 Virtual Convention will kick off its three days of exceptional educational opportunities with the Opening General Session Keynoter, Omékongo Dibinga on Friday, November 19. Dibinga is a trilingual poet, TV talk show host, rapper, and professor. His writings and performances have appeared in O Magazine, as well as on TV and radio in over 150 countries. In addition to his seven books, and eight fusion music and motivational CDs, he is a professor of Inter-cultural Communication at American University, where he also serves as a faculty affiliate to the Antiracist Research & Policy Center. His life’s mission is to inspire people all across the globe to take a stand when they witness an injustice, no matter how small or large. His message of diversity and inclusion will be timely, setting just the tone for the Convention.
On Saturday, November 20, please plan to start your day with a keynote presentation by Marcia Tate, an educational consultant and former Executive Director of Professional Development for the DeKalb County School System in Decatur, Georgia. During her 30-year career with the district, she has been a classroom teacher, reading specialist, language arts coordinator, and staff development executive director. Through her workshops and best-sellers, she has inspired over 500,000 administrators, teachers, parents, and community leaders throughout the world. In her unforgettable keynote she will engage attendees with the same strategies she uses to engage her students.
The ACTFL 2021 Virtual Convention will end with a Closing General Session on Sunday, November 21 featuring Shiza Shahid, an entrepreneur, technologist, investor, and impact leader. Shahid was the co-founder and CEO of the Malala Fund, along with Nobel Prize winner Malala Yousafzai. She is a world-renowned thought leader and was named one of Time's "30 Under 30 People Changing the World". As the host of the new USA Today show “ASPIREist,” she inspires millennials to take action on the issues that matter most. She is also co-founder of Our Place, creating products and telling stories that celebrate cultural traditions and reinvest in communities through the lens of food and home-cooking. Her personal story will inspire you to make an impact in your own unique way.