Community Builders Appreciation Banquet
2023 Sponsored by:
Drake University
2023 Sponsored by:
Drake University
2024 Location - TBD
Nomination application opens January 1, 2024.
Nomination application opens January 1, 2024.
2023 Keynote Speaker
Abena Sankofa Imhotep
Abena Sankofa Imhotep

Abena Sankofa Imhotep is a renowned writer, transformative thought leader, and the executive director of Sankofa Literary & Empowerment Group which creates spaces for lifelong learning that center the literature and scholarship of Black authors. She is an active advocate for education, justice, and humanitarianism.
Abena has presented human rights papers on social impact & responsibility and strategies for achieving racial justice at the Nelson Institute Global Citizen Forum, the Iowa Human Rights Research Conference, and University of Notre Dame Kroc Institute. Abena founded Sankofa Literary Academy in 2021 and currently partners with national literacy ambassador Barbershop
Books to expand access to diverse books to 10,000 Black boys across the United States.
Additionally, Abena is a board member, an International Relations major at Drake University, a TEDx speaker, and author of the beloved children's book, Omari’s Big Tree and the Mighty Djembe.
2023 Award Nominees
Award Opportunities:
- James Durham Health Practitioner of The Year Award
- Iowa Citizen of The Year Award
- Mary McLeod Bethune Education Award
- Gospel Legacy Award
- Jesse F. Taylor Advocacy Award
- Del “Saxman” Jones Blues Legacy Award
- Liberty Award