DIFFvelopment is Making History: Black History Month Edition
Awareness: Action-Oriented Economic Re-Education that Prioritizes the Black Experience
DIFFvelopment’s First-Ever Fully Sponsored Alumni Day
This past January 15, 2024—Martin Luther King Jr. Day—DIFFvelopment hosted its sixth annual Alumni Day at New Jersey Historical Society in Newark, NJ. Thanks to the generous sponsorship support from Santander Bank, DIFFvelopment was able to reignite alums’ passion for giving back to the global Black community through a philanthropically centered event, featuring an exclusive masterclass by DIFFvelopment CEO & Co-Founder, Esi Kagale Agyeman Gillo, titled, Community-Minded MLK-Inspired Visionary Leadership, a heartfelt keynote address about the Importance of Black-Led Philanthropy by Angela Moultrie, Santander Mid-Atlantic Region President, and a panel led by DIFFvelopment Board Chair, Imani Missouri, addressing philanthropic career paths, Black-led fundraising best practices, charitable giving, and volunteerism. Panel participants included Nadia Joseph, Santander VP, Director – District Executive, Courtney Cook, Santander Community Partnerships Manager, Alfred Blake, Rutgers Business School Assistant Director of Entrepreneurship Programs, and Hazel Applewhite, Ironbound Community Corporation CEO. The second half of the day gave voice to alumni from their own perspectives, beginning with an alumni keynote address by 2021 alum, Emanuel Agbavitor, on the topic of Preserving Legacy & Heritage, followed by an alumni talent showcase, where Imani Nalasha Burnett ‘17, Stephanie Dinsae ‘17, and Teri Parker ‘10, delighted fellow alums with their musical, poetic and media talents. The day ended with an explosive testimonials session where alumni had the opportunity to share their progress towards visionary leadership, moderated by DIFFvelopment CTO & Co-Founder, Peter Markeeo Gillo.
See all event photos here.
Advancement: Activated & Hungry to Effect Change
DIFFvelopment’s First-Ever Alum Board Member: Sandra Khalayi Masibayi ’19
This past fall, DIFFvelopment experienced a major milestone—a full-circle moment—as we inducted Sandra Khalayi Masibayi, 2019 flagship Consultrepreneurship program alum, into our board of directors. This is an important milestone because it not only indicates our growth as an organization but because it even more importantly indicates the growth of our alumni community. At the 2024 Annual DIFFvelopment Board Meeting, CEO & Co-Founder, Esi Kagale Agyeman Gillo proudly introduced Masibayi to the rest of the team: “This is our eighth year as an organization, and we are glad to be at the point where we can bring on a flagship program alum as a board member. Sandra participated in our 2019 Consultrepreneurship, during which she shined as a thinker, leader and all around star. She was a top performer and has remained engaged with us on personal and professional levels, and we are so happy to have her here.”
Sandra started her career at The Guardian as a Finance Analyst and recently started a new role at NJIT where she has the opportunity to live out her dream of leading work that stands at the intersection of technology and finance. She will serve as DIFFvelopment’s Treasurer for up to three years, through which, in addition to supporting financial oversight and related strategic technological development efforts, she will drive the board’s strategy to reach fundraising goals and ensure DIFFvelopment’s funds are effectively managed.
Transformation: Developing Their World DIFFerently
Reclaiming Our Roots: The Crucial Significance of Historical Self-Understanding for Black Empowerment
When we think of the concepts of reclaiming our roots and historical self-understanding, the first things that come to mind are issues of identity and connecting more deeply with who we are. The value of these processes are hard to appreciate for those who are surrounded by their history and institutions that reinforce pride in who they are.
As Black people—regardless of where we are from—we have a unique history that binds us whether we want to be bound or not. From the psychologically uplifting truth of our long period of world domination as the first modern humans on earth, to the stifling realities of Arab and European slavery and colonization that place us in the position of powerlessness that we live within today, our history gives us context for who we’ve been, who we are, and who we are capable of becoming. Void of this consciousness, we float like leaves in the wind, landing wherever the elements are most receptive to our presence—and where receptivity is not present, we assimilate with the precision of chameleons matching the branch of a tree.
There are so many empty, surface-level narratives that we hold on to and retell to give meaning to who we are, without truly knowing the complexities of the stories we attempt to leverage to give meaning to our lives. Without well-orchestrated efforts to learn these details, we remain insecure about who we truly are, why we are the subject of so much disparity, and how we came to become the object of universal contempt.
When one knows what their identity represents historically, it is much easier for them to understand what they represent presently. It is much easier for them to know why they are seen as they are seen. And it is much easier for them to be objective about what needs to be done for them to transcend their group’s current situation in a way that is truly authentic—inherently repudiating the need for assimilation—and prioritizing uplifting the group at large. History gives humans a sense of belonging and purpose, both within the group they are part of and within the world at large.
These are universal truths that go beyond race. However, the reality is that race has been weaponized to uplift some and deprive others. As a result, issues of history have become synonymous with issues of race—so much so that when we think of history from a White European perspective, we think of power and when we think of history from a Black African perspective, we think of powerlessness. The ability to think is a gift from God that every human has. However, when we live within the constraints of such dichotomies—as if they are absolute—we relinquish our agency to educate ourselves and others on the fuller picture.
This is why at DIFFvelopment, our mission is to re-empower the global Black community through historically centered re-education that empowers aspiring Black visionaries to develop their world differently. We achieve this in a number of unique ways that speak most effectively to the audience we have in mind. For example, through our flagship summer program, targeting college students, we expose beneficiaries to the agency they have to solve their community’s problems by exposing them to the agency our African forefathers had to prevent and minimize the problems of their day. This provides them with an objective and empowered way to look at their community’s situation. For example, when looking at the Transatlantic Slave Trade, we explore where African leaders fell short and what role they played in allowing the situation to evolve into the travesty that has culminated into the worldwide anti-Black racism and racialized disparities we see today. One example of this was highlighted by Ike Okonta (2020):
Extensive studies on firearm technology in Africa show that there were no instances in which the pre-colonial African rulers provided the necessary resources or attempted to create the economic and social conditions that would have enabled their indigenous craftsmen to produce the gun in its entirety and in the quantity needed to supply entire armies, like those of the Ashanti and Zulus. In fact, none of the purportedly wealthy and powerful African monarchs is recorded to have any active interest in the acquisition of gun technology or invested any significant resources toward the production of firearms, a critical technology they needed to defeat their invaders.
Exploring such history empowers Black people to contextualize their present and explore how they can shift the trajectory of the Black experience in the future.
Donate here and become part of our vision to create a world where Black people know their history and view themselves as part of a collective global community that is empowered and responsible for identifying, defining and solving its own socioeconomic issues through visionary entrepreneurship, wealth building and philanthropy.
Learn More About DIFFvelopment
- To get a full 360 view of our impact, check out our 2023 Annual Report!
- Check out our new organizational deck that links to overviews of all three of our programs.
Organizational Updates
Fundraising Progress
- A huge thanks to everyone who helped us raise $895 of our $2,500 goal in support of our docuseries that will showcase our community’s profound stories and transformations. The generous contributions will be instrumental in initiating the cataloging process for over 2,500 hours of impactful footage, creating a comprehensive archive of stories that matter. For those who haven’t had the chance to donate, there’s still time to make a difference. Visit our campaign page by clicking here and join us in this endeavor. Your support is building the foundation for meaningful storytelling and outreach, and we’re excited about the journey ahead. Thank you for being an integral part of our community and for making a lasting impact on our mission.
- DIFFvelopment received a $10,000 sponsorship from Santander to support its sixth annual Alumni Day featured in this impact report. Santander has been supporting DIFFvelopment through grants since 2020. We sincerely thank Santander for growing their continued support.
How You Can Support Our Efforts
- If our work resonates with you, we invite you to invest in our growth so we can empower more aspiring Black visionaries to develop their world differently through personal, generational and communal wealth building.
- Fill out our Professional Mentorship & Fundraising Collective Enrollment Form and let us know how you’d like to get involved with DIFFvelopment.