Researcher, writer and activist Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman will speak Nov. 3 on the importance and future of diversity, equity and inclusion in research and academia. The talk is part of this week’s Nebraska Research Days, a celebration of research, scholarly and creative activity at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.
Registration is required for Opoku-Agyeman’s web presentation, scheduled for 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., with in-person and virtual options available. The in-person group will watch from the East Union Great Plains Room. Box lunches will be available to those registered for the in-person watch party.
Opoku-Agyeman has deep experience and expertise in diversity, equity and inclusion in academia and the workplace. She is a co-founder of The Sadie Collective, a nonprofit organization addressing the pipeline and pathway problem for Black women in economics, finance, data science and policy. She is editor of a forthcoming book, “The Black Agenda,” which features Black voices from a wide range of fields — economics, education, health, climate and technology — who address policy-oriented approaches in the fight for racial justice in America. The book is slated for publication in February.
Opoku-Agyeman speaks frequently on the roles that social justice and anti-Black racism play in paving the way for the next generation of scientists, drawing on her own experiences in higher education as she earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and as a current doctoral student studying public policy and economics at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. At the University of Maryland, she was part of the Meyerhoff Scholars Program, an initiative that aims to increase diversity among future leaders in science, technology, engineering and related fields.
Opoku-Agyeman is a highly sought-after speaker, having delivered talks to organizations like the Ford Foundation, Harvard University and Chicago Federal Reserve Bank. Her work has also been covered by major news outlets like The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, Forbes and Newsweek. In 2020, she became the youngest recipient of the CEDAW Women’s Rights Award from the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, an honor previously received by Vice President Kamala Harris and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.
