THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of Communications
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 27, 2012

White House Highlights Nunu Kidane as a “Champion of Change” and Trailblazer in American Diaspora Communities

WASHINGTON, DC – On Monday, January 30th, the White House will honor Nunu Kidane as one of fourteen Champions of Change who are leaders in American Diaspora communities with roots in the Horn of Africa. These leaders are helping to build stronger neighborhoods in communities across the country, and are working to mobilize networks across borders to address global challenges.

The Champions of Change program was created as a part of President Obama’s Winning the Future initiative. Each week, a different sector is highlighted and groups of Champions, ranging from educators to entrepreneurs to community leaders, are recognized for the work they are doing to serve and strengthen their communities.

“These men and women are American leaders we want to celebrate,” said Deputy National Security Advisor Denis McDonough. “We commend the innovative practices, achievements and leadership these change makers bring not only to their communities around this country—but also to the development of and diplomacy with their countries of origin.”

To watch this event live, visitwww.whitehouse.gov/live at 3:00 pm ET January 30th.

Nunu Kidane is from Eritrea; she’s lived and worked in the San Francisco/Bay Area for over two decades.  Since graduating from U.C. Berkeley, she’s worked and written extensively on Africa policy developments topics related to HIV/AIDS, debt cancellation, migration, resource extraction, land rights/human rights and racial justice.  Nunu is founder and Director of Priority Africa Network (PAN) an organization that provides advocacy on Africa and working directly with diverse grassroots African communities in the Bay Area and beyond.