Guest Author: Esther Ama S. Ptak, Executive Director
Greetings from the African Center!
I’d like to take a moment to introduce ourselves, outline our programs, and let you know
how you might get involved with our work. Thank you for reading.
Our mission is to empower African immigrants and low-income residents through
service, education, entrepreneurship, engagement, and dialogue. Our work contributes
to bridging the service and resource gaps that confront residents of the Greater
Madison community, especially new immigrants, and we do all we can to connect them
to opportunities for community integration, family stability, and cultural exchange.
The African Center’s work is grouped under three main focus areas: community
support, community building and economic development.
Our community support programs include providing housing navigation support and
connecting families to rental assistance resources. For our youth, we organize
educational field trips and mentorship opportunities. We also ensure that our elders
receive culturally appropriate support through our older adult services. As for our
community-building initiatives, we aim to foster connection and well-being by providing
safe spaces for peer-support and knowledge sharing. We collaborate with the UW
African Studies Program to organize Africa Talks, a monthly lecture series which bridges
the gap between the university and the public, linking academic research with concrete
local community experience. Similarly, we organize recurring free health fairs through
our partnership with the UW Swallowing and Salivary Bioscience Lab. Our most recent
initiative on the community-building front is the establishment of Bantaba Support
Circles, discussion groups that increase community engagement in violence prevention
measures. Finally, in terms of economic development, we work with partners such as
Open Doors for Refugees and others to increase workforce development and financial
education opportunities for immigrants and refugees, supporting families to build a
brighter future for themselves and their children.
Immigrants add to the cultural richness of Madison, Dane County, the State of
Wisconsin and the nation. This cultural wealth can be sustained and built upon through
investment in nonprofit organizations dedicated to helping immigrant communities
thrive. Of course, the sustainability of our community is challenged by the current
administration’s decisions and actions against immigration and refugee resettlement
programs. Nevertheless, I am inspired by the Swahili philosophy of Ubuntu: I am
because we are. I am also inspired by the Akan proverb of the broom: it does not break
because the individual strands are bound together.
With these notions in mind, I encourage community members, volunteers and allies to
stand in unity to support efforts that enhance the wellbeing of immigrants and refugees.
I warmly invite you to get involved with the African Center and learn about what we do.
Visit our website https://africancentermadison.org/get-involved/ and our office at 2238
South Park Street, Madison,WI. You can also contact us via email at
[email protected]. Thank you.
Esther Ama S. Ptak, Executive Director
Email: [email protected]