Who We Are

Amun L. Graves, BA

I have been deeply present for and involved in the consciousness raising in Seattle’s Black community. I am a proud graduate of the Applied Behavioral Science bachelor’s program at Seattle Central Community College, a college created by the Black community for the Black community. I felt there was something greater in regard to Black consciousness that required me to make more of an intercultural connection. I began to seek out knowing who I was within that greater Diasporic context. I journeyed to Haiti in this self-exploration. In Haiti, I met descendants of Danxome, the ancestral lands and kingdom of what is now known as the Benin Republic. I felt the urgency to make that leap, to make a direct connection with the Mother Land. As I began to explore the African culture and consciousness, my explorations led me journeying with Brother Richard Agbayanou and his work as educator and cultural custodian in Benin.

My sincere hopes for this movement- Intercultural Exchange Back to the Root brings awareness and choice for individuals desiring an authentic experience connecting to Ancestral, history, cultural, language, spirituality and much more…

Gerard Richard Agbayanou, MA

I was born and raised in Benin Republic. I received my Maîtrise in English Didactics at the University of Abomey Calavi (Benin Republic). I speak and write French, English and Fongbé. As an educator, I have worked in several settings.I worked as an English teacher in Benin secondary and high schools for over 8 years. I work with an African-American Pan-African group known as Resplendence Language Arts where I am both Fongbé and French instructor. We partner as Sankofa Homeschool where I teach French and Danxome history (Danxome is the former name of Benin Republic).

In 2015, I founded a Saturday School in Ouidah City. It is named« le Sens de l’Elite Africaine » ; which means a crucible where we develop in the youth the values that the African leaders of tomorrow need to embody. In addition to language, SEA trains the youth of my community in computing, artifacts, etc. to promote English language through SEA English club and get the youth trained in writing and speaking better Fongbé, the most widely spoken dialect in Benin Republic.

I have also served as the Executive Director of Titigweti English Club (TEC) in 2011. TEC is the biggest English club in Benin Republic and is located on the campus of Abomey Calavi. I headed the Debate and Discussion section of the club in 2010 before being appointed Executive Director.

I deeply enjoy providing educational and cultural tours for important historical and cultural access points in Benin.

Valerie F. Hunt, PhD

I am a scholar, activist, mentor, teacher, poet, artist, and healer whose primary applied research and practice is Building Beloved Community(ies) of Black Liberation and Black Emancipation. I earned my Bachelor of Arts degree in International Studies and Middle East Affairs from Rhodes College, a Masters’ degree in International Political Economy and Defense and Strategic Studies from the University of Southern California, a Master’s degree in Political Communication and my Doctorate in Philosophy degree in Political Science and Public Policy from the University of Washington.

My manifesto of Liberate and Emancipate the Black community is to: “Get In, Fan Out and Bring the Knowledge Back to Our People.” In my 36 year career in higher education, I have taught and mentored hundreds of students. I am Faculty Affiliate at the University of Washington both in the Center for Communication, Difference and Equity and in the Department of Political Science, and with the School of Education at Oregon State University.

I served as the Associate Vice President of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at Seattle Central Community College from 2017-2022, and am the sole tenured faculty in the bachelor’s program of Applied Behavioral Science at Seattle Central. I am a Senior Ford Fellow of the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine where for the past decade I serve primarily to increase the percentage of educators and administrators of color in the academy across the nation. I am the co-founder and President of the Center for Equitable Policy in a Changing World and I serve as Ambassador for the OpEd Project, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to increase and elevate the number of underrepresented experts in the media. I consider my Harriet Tubman, DuBois, and Garvey work as liberation of Black people through education of who we are, our history, and our connections with one another.