On March 27, 2026, President John Dramani Mahama of Ghana will visit Philadelphia for a day built around four major stops: Lincoln University, the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia, Temple University, and a Ghana-focused pop-up opening at Brown’s ShopRite.
On this International Women’s Day 2026, we celebrate the Black women on the African continent and all over the world who are funding scholarships, building community programs, mentoring, and investing in the lives of young people.
History is often written by those who hold the pen, but the Bridge of Freedom initiative is about those who hold the memories. In a closed-door rehearsal for our upcoming event at Mother Bethel AME, our panelists gathered to prepare for what promises to be an evocative fireside conversation. What began as a logistical check-in quickly evolved into an exploration of what it means to be free in a global diaspora.
2026 is a year of “poly-crisis,” climate instability, economic fragmentation, political polarization, and weakened institutions. Old leadership playbooks are failing. However, Africa has always produced leaders who knew how to govern, organize, and endure in the face of chaos.
I attended Governor Josh Shapiro’s 2026 Budget Address at the Pennsylvania General Assembly which afforded me a firsthand look at the legislative priorities shaping our Commonwealth.
West Africa is not new to political crises; from sanctions, coups, and political impasses, the region has seen the best and worst of it. For the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the regional bloc has been at the forefront of addressing concerns faced by its member states and of finding solutions to ensure peaceful relations within the region.
As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, FunTimes Magazine, in collaboration with Lincoln University, is launching the Bridge of Freedom Oral History Initiative. Our mission is urgent: to document the untold stories of African and Caribbean co-leadership in the U.S. Civil Rights movement before they are lost to time.
For a continent of over 1.5 billion people with an estimated youth population of about 400 million with many between the ages of 15 to 35, the continuous pushback more so among the Gen Z generation, unwilling to accommodate the conditions in which their parents and older generations found acceptable and made excuses for, puts the continent in a precarious situation with an urgent need for governments across the continent to live up to the aspirations, expectations and benefits of governance for its people.
Faith and activism converged over the weekend at Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church during its 2026 “She’s My Sister” event. Founded by First Lady Dr. Ellyn Jo Waller, the “She’s My Sister” (SMS) ministry has spent nearly two decades evolving from a local awareness group into a powerhouse of advocacy and restoration for victims of human trafficking.
African women have refused to stay down. They are not only rewriting the rules but also leading nations, global trade, finance, and media.
