On Thursday, September 29th, President and CEO, Gabriel M. Vonleh participated in a deeply impacting
event hosted by the Amadou Diallo Foundation at Riverside Church in Harlem,
NY. Amadou Diallo was a 23 year-old college student from Liberia, that
was shot 41 times by NYC Police officers as he stood in the doorway of
his Bronx home on February 4, 1999. The event, aptly named “Heal
our Communities,” is an initiative launched by Amadou’s mother
and president of the foundation, Kadiatou Diallo, that focuses on healing
racially divided communities through education..
Mr. Vonleh, along with an esteemed group of civil rights activists, local
community leaders, and the mothers of men who have lost their lives at
the hands of police officers, gathered to commemorate Diallo’s legacy
and take part in an open panel discussion on issues of social justice,
education, health, activism, and ongoing advocacy. The forum also had
a special tribute segment entitled “Mom, I’m Going to College,”
in reverence of the final words Amadou uttered to his mother.
Panelists included:
Gabriel Vonleh, President and CEO of Morris Heights Health Center
Rueben Diaz, Jr., Bronx Borough President
Reverend Al Sharpton, National Figure and President of National Action Network
Shaun King, Social Justice Reporter for NY Daily News
Gwen Carr, mother of Eric Garner (man killed during NYPD arrest)
Graham Witherspoon, retired detective for the NYPD
Dr. Thomas A. Isekenegbe, President of Bronx Community College
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