The African Public Affairs Committee (AfriPAC) is set to host its first Houston African Community Fair on Aug. 3 from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Alief Community Center. This event promises to be a vibrant celebration of Houston’s diverse African communities, fostering civic engagement and cultural unity.
AfriPAC’s founder, Nneka Achapu, shared insights about the event and the organization’s broader mission. Achapu, a second-generation immigrant from Nigeria, highlighted the challenges African immigrants face in the U.S. and the inspiration behind AfriPAC.
“As an African immigrant, I faced various challenges and felt that some of these needs needed to be addressed,” she said. “I realized that the African diaspora and the African community weren’t very represented in certain spaces. This lack of representation was due to our low civic engagement.”
Her vision for AfriPAC is to inform and educate people about the importance of civic engagement and to organize and mobilize the African community in the U.S.
One of the key features of the fair is its focus on civic engagement. AfriPAC, a non-partisan organization, aims to increase voter participation and awareness among African diaspora communities.
“We are involved in Get Out the Vote efforts, naturalization efforts to increase the pool of African diaspora voters, and policy briefings on issues that matter to us as an African community living here in the U.S.,” Achapu said.
The fair will offer on-site free naturalization legal services, voter registration information, and a panel discussion titled “State of the African Diaspora in Texas and Houston,” featuring Dr. Kevin Thomas from the University of Texas Institute for Urban Policy Research and Analysis.
Achapu stressed the importance of recognizing the contributions of Africans in the U.S. and advocating for their rights. She recalled African medical personnel, including her own family members, significant role during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We had a lot of medical personnel from the Texas Medical Center, my mom included, my brother included, who were part of the medical staff but never got the recognition as Africans who contributed to the prevention and management of COVID,” she said.
The Houston African Community Fair is the first of its kind, aiming to gather resources for the community while celebrating African culture. “We are having not just legal consultations, but we also have actual African cultural organizations that will share information about their activities,” Achapu said.
She also highlighted the need for governmental entities to consider African diaspora communities in their planning.
“A lot of funding for language access within Harris County does not include African languages. When you’re looking at the resources, you’ll find resources in Spanish and Vietnamese, but rarely in any African languages,” she pointed out.
Achapu hopes to raise awareness about the presence and needs of the African community, advocating for better outreach and support at all levels of government.
Beyond the community fair, AfriPAC has several ongoing initiatives. The organization hosts lectures, panel discussions, and networking events throughout the year. Achapu encouraged community members to attend the fair and sign up to volunteer for future events.
“We have several events happening throughout the year, and joining or becoming part of the group will open the door for volunteers,” she said.
