Your Greatest Version Awaits You / Funmilola Fagbamila

In this presentation, award-winning playwright, artist and scholar Funmilola Fagbamila explains the necessary steps to create your most authentic and courageous self. By pulling from her greatest challenges and life lessons — from touring her one-woman stage play internationally to working as a political consultant for the president of France — Fagbamila addresses the key tools to:

• 1) step into your power in unfamiliar and intimidating spaces
• 2) engage in healthy and effective group-centered leadership
• 3) prioritize personal health for sustained well-being.

OPTIONAL PROGRAM:

Everyday Transformations: Becoming a Force for Good within the World and Within Your World

In this presentation, award-winning playwright, professor and speaker Funmilola Fagbamila addresses the critical work at the intersection of personal development and social transformation. We have all heard the unending tropes about ‘being the change you want to see in the world’. But behind the cliché is a clear and urgent call for each and every one of us to do our part in contributing to healthier, more just societies.

We are living in times that are more polarized than ever. And while division can be unsettling, it has proven to be a necessary stage in the journey toward change — not the destination. There has never been an urgent social ill that has been navigated and remedied without polarization. But in this digital age, the phenomenon has become more pronounced. We are becoming more connected and simultaneously less connected. Less space for curiosity, and no space for nuance. But in order to do the collective, collaborative work we are called to, we must create room for complexity, intellectual range, emotional intelligence and effective communication.

Prof. Fagbamila examines how we can work toward remedying some of our most pressing collective issues while committing to our own personal growth as a catalyst for change. From touring her one-woman stage play internationally, to working as a political consultant for the president of France on the committee for Franco-African relations, to contributing to the founding of the largest justice movement since US Civil Rights— Fagbamila draws from her greatest life lessons in order to address our collective call to become a force for good.  Some of the themes addressed in this presentation (CUSTOMIZABLE for your campus)

–       Contemporary and historical justice movements (racial, gender, environmental, etc)

–       Group-centered leadership

–       Finding your voice, establishing your purpose, and clarifying the vision for your life

–       Performative empathy and performative activism

–       Emotional intelligence as strategy and necessity in the transformative work toward our collective

well-being

–       Social media, comparison, confidence and self-perception

–       Mental, emotional and physical health

–       Nuance and the digital age

–       Contributing to the causes most dear to you

Presentation format options: 1) Presentation / lecture + Q&A;  or 2) Live discussion with student, faculty or staff representative — with pre-meditated discussion prompts, specifically tailored to the needs of the campus and student body.

 Funmilola Fagbamila

BIO: Funmilola Fagbamila (Pronunciation: Foo-mee-loh-luh Fog-buh-mee-luh)is professor of Pan African Studies at Cal State/Los Angeles and a founding member within the Movement for Black Lives. Funmilola has delivered keynote addresses, lectures and performances at universities across the US and Europe including Harvard, Stanford, Dartmouth, USC and UCLA School of Law, and her work has been honored by the US Congress. Her internationally touring stage play “The Intersection: Woke Black Folk” on the complexities of Black political identity has been met with critical acclaim by thinkers such as Angela Davis and Erykah Badu. It has been staged in venues across England, France, the Netherlands, the U.S. and Brazil. You can find more about Prof. Fagbamila’s work at funmilola.com.

In 2015, Funmilola was honored by the United States Congress and the Black Community, Clergy and Labor Alliance for her commendable activist scholarship and service. In 2017, Prof. Fagbamila was awarded the Inaugural Activist-in-Residence position at the Institute on Inequality and Democracy at UCLA Luskin.  And in 2018, Amplify Africa and the US Congress honored Funmilola once more with the African Excellence award in the field of education.

Funmilola’s viral poem “Black Girl Fly” has been viewed online more than 4 million times and in 2021 the TNT network collaborated with Funmilola on a national feature of this piece. Her writing, creative productions and social commentary have been featured in publications such as the Guardian, BBC, NPR, NOW THIS news, Blavity, FOXtv and Netlflix.

In 2017 Cal State/LA hosted a public dialogue between Funmilola and the Ooni of Ife, traditional ruler of the largest African kingdom — Yoruba kingdom Ile-Ife. In 2018, Funmilola and Nigerian presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore participated in a public dialogue on the state of affairs in Nigeria and the African diaspora. And in 2020 Funmilola traveled to Paris at the request of the president of France, to offer her consultation in France’ plan to address the country’s colonial history with African nations. This came to fruition after the president, Emmanuel Macron, had viewed Funmilola’s social commentary and political analysis in the popular French publication, Le Monde.

What Schools are saying:

The event was phenomenal. The students, faculty, staff, and general Merrimack community loved every minute of it. The fact that the students requested of Funmilola to stay longer to continue talking and even walked her out to the car are a testament to just how much she impacted them. I have received many rave reviews from attendees and many requests from students for her to return in some capacity to Merrimack. The talk was motivating, challenging, and thought-provoking. It created a space for Black students to feel seen and the conversation afterwards was what really stood out to me. The students truly huddled around and engaged. A fire was lit and Funmilola was that spark in that moment. It was amazing to see the thrumming of energy in the room and I wish we all had had more time together.

Thank you,

Nicole W.
Assistant Dean of Student Affairs and Unity House
Office of Multicultural Initiatives
Merrimack College

 

Funmilola was Fabulous! She was personable, empathetic, savvy, engaging, fun, and a pleasure to have on campus! She did a wonderful job curtailing her message to fit our purpose. Her message was universal and timely.  I look forward to continuing work with you as we will seek more speakers in the future for newly evolving efforts.

Thank you!
B. Lewis
Director, Student Life and Engagement
Forsyth Technical Community College Winston-Salem, NC

I think the event went very well! The format was easy to navigate and helped steer the conversation. I appreciated her ability to talk to a more conservative audience while still providing candid answers and information about what is going on in the world.

A lot of the professors were pleased with the breadth and depth of information provided and thought it was a wonderful way to end Women’s History Month!

K. Jones
Student Activities Coordinator
Central Carolina Community College

 

Soooo dope!! And my students were saying that they felt like they were really there in person! They stated they never engaged or felt that engaged in a zoom session before! Please thank your team they were excellent!!! You’re amazing.

~Dr. A. Moore, Sacramento State University

Category : Artist with multiple talks &Blog &Funmilola Fagbamila &Gender Issues &Inclusion DEI &Leadership, Success & Motivational &Speakers &Women's History Month