Omékongo Dibinga
Empowering global citizens, embracing global culture, inspiring global change
Biography
Omékongo Dibinga is a Les Brown Platinum Motivational Speaker, diversity educator, trilingual poet, CNN contributor, and positive rapper. He is the Founder & CEO of Free Your Mind Publishing. His Urban Music Award winning work has best been described by Nikki Giovanni as “outstanding, exciting, and new while being very old.” His book, From the Limbs of My Poetree was described by Essence Magazine as “a remarkable and insightful collection of exquisite poetry that touches sacred places within your spirit.” Internationally, he has spoken in South Africa, England, Holland, Congo-Kinshasa, Tanzania, France, Cuba, and Canada. His work has appeared on TV and radio from CNN to the BBC in millions of homes in over 200 countries. Omékongo has studied at Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Georgetown, Morehouse, and The Fletcher School, where he received his M.A. in Law & Diplomacy. He is a Ph.D. student in International Education Policy at The University of Maryland. He provides educational empowerment as a motivational speaker for organizations, associations and institutions and his work has been globally adapted for curricula in primary, secondary, and university institutions. Omékongo has shared the stage with Les Brown, Willie Jolley, Sonia Sanchez, Dennis Brutus, Black Thought, The Last Poets, OutKast, Wyclef Jean, and Jeff Johnson. He is the author of the motivational book & CD entitled “G.R.O.W. Towards Your Greatness! 10 Steps to Living Your Best Life.”
Employability
Speaker
Be an UPstander, not a BYstander!
This workshop uses the spoken word and positive hip-hop and highlights its ability to create social change. Participants build their cultural self-confidence and respect for other cultural, religious and racial groups through critical analysis of culture through the spoken word and positive hip-hop to understand the root causes of misconceptions that exist across different groups. It challenges cultural paradigms in an effort to create greater appreciation for differences. Students emerge from this workshop empowered to not only make a change in their own lives but in their communities and throughout the globe.
The Reinvention Road Map!
This session/keynote will provide you with the steps needed to bounce back from any setback, be it personal or professional. This is an interactive session where participants will be able to first probe into the circumstances that led to their setback, and then embark on 4-step reinvention road map that will keep them focused and ready to adapt to new challenges. As the saying goes, either you expand or you are expendable so come learn how to expand and G.R.O.W. towards your greatness!
Leveraging Diversity: Creating Culturally Competent Work Environments
This workshop explores the importance of achieving true cultural diversity in a corporate or governmental environment. Participants will probe deep into their own cultural biases and use them as a springboard to emerge in intense dialogue. By acknowledging their truths as it relates to experiences of racism, sexism, anti-Semitism, and more, participants will feel empowered to carry the dialogue back to their colleagues and beyond!
Cultural Competence and Elevating the Black Male
Omékongo provides workshops in the areas of cultural competence as well as issues of black male achievement. He trains educators on strategies to decrease the educational gaps that exist in our current educational environment. Using long term data which indicate that young black males are under-represented in rigorous instruction, gifted and talented programs, honors/AP courses and International Baccalaureate programs and over-represented in discipline referrals and suspension/expulsion rates, this workshop examines the societal perceptions of young black males that perpetuate racial disparities in education. Participants build their cultural competence to develop a learning environment that fosters academic success for young black males. The premise for the workshop is that if a teacher can gain the cultural competence requisite to reach her black male students, she develops the competencies needed to reach all of her students.
Alternative Forms to Media in the Misinformation Age
This workshop explores methods by which students in America and abroad can learn to diversify their information sources in order to achieve a true and balanced education and become critical thinkers. Issues such as negative representations of Africa & the Middle East, as well as people of diverse cultures and experiences are analyzed. Students will be encouraged to share their own experiences. This workshop also looks at different forms of media being created by modern-day activists to create social change, such as the spoken word. Lastly, methods by which participants can create their own media are also explored.
Literature
G.R.O.W. Towards Your Greatness! Ten Steps To Living Your Best Life
This motivational book is designed for anyone who wants to go to a higher level. Each chapter is filled with anecdotes as well as writing exercises to help you process your life. The "G.R.O.W. Model" (Give, Release, Overcome, Win) is a proven technique that will assist you in your personal as well as professional life. With each page, you’ll take the next step towards your greatness!
The UPstander's Guide to an Outstanding Life
In this book, Omekongo provides 7 key steps that all students must adopt in order to achieve greatness in their lives so that they can be the most effective while advancing their cause. Simply put, you are no good to your cause if you do not first take care of yourself. Follow these steps and you will live an outstanding life as an empowered UPstander and not a bystander in your own life!