The Africa-America Institute, originally named the Institute of African-American Relations, Inc., began as a student-aid group in 1953. Dr. Horace Mann Bond, then President of Lincoln University in Oxford, Pennsylvania and Professor William Leo Hansberry, then a Howard University, professor of history, came together in Washington, D.C. to form a multi-racial collective of educators and others with interest in Africa to help African students who were studying in the U.S.
In those days, African students needed help navigating the U.S. landscape— from where to get haircuts in a segregated city to how they could cover school fees and get home in times of emergency. AAI’s infrastructure helped these students excel in their higher education programs and to return home to make a difference. The Institute of African-American Relations, Inc., which became The African-American Institute in 1958, began its programs with the establishment of “Africa House” in Washington, D.C., providing accommodation for African students. In 1998, the organization became The Africa-America Institute (AAI).
From those humble beginnings, AAI has grown to an organization which had played a critical role in U.S.-Africa relations over five decades and administered education and training programs for over 23,000 alumni Africa-wide.
To learn more about key dates in AAI’s development over the past five decades visit the following pages:
1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s