Review
This thorough, patiently researched, and at times moving account of dedicated young people hungry for an education and those who helped them receive it will appeal to students of American history in the 1960's in particular, and anyone interested in an important turning-point in the struggle for human rights in the U.S. and in Africa.
Shachtman 's history of the American visionaries working with Kenyan Tom Mboya and the extraordinary East African men and women they brought to American colleges and universities is highlighted by the most famous beneficiary of the airlift, Barack Obama's father. Although the senior Obama's life in Kenya was problematic and ended tragically, his education at the University of Hawaii and later, Harvard, helped him become a brilliant and charismatic economist who contributed much to his home country. The fact that an airlift student fathered...
Beyond the Book
The Africa-America Institute
The work of the airlift organizers continues: The Africa-America Institute is a multi-racial, multi-ethnic, non-profit organization with headquarters in New York, and offices in Washington, South Africa, and Mozambique. Founded in 1953, AAI's mission is to promote enlightened engagement between Africa and America through education, training, and dialogue.
The Institute pursues its mission in two program areas: African Higher Education and Training (AHET) and Educational Outreach and Policy (EOP) which aim to educate Africans and educate Americans about Africa.
AAI scholarships have assisted Africans to complete college, graduate-level, and professional training in fundamental capacity-building fields including...
