Ayọ Tometi

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Human Rights Leader and Co-Founder, #BlackLivesMatter
Founder, Diaspora Rising and Former Executive Director, Black Alliance for Just Immigration
Recipient, Coretta Scott King Center Legacy Award
One of the Most Influential Women of the Century, USA Today and TIME

Global icon and historic human rights leader Ayọ (f.k.a. Opal) Tometi is one of the most influential human rights leaders of our time. For years, the award-winning advocate, strategist, and writer has used her voice to ensure that race, immigration, and gender justice remain at the forefront of global conversations. Tometi served as the Executive Director of the Black Alliance for Just Immigration for a decade, and co-founded the Black Lives Matter digital platform and chapter-based network, for which she and her fellow co-founders received numerous accolades, including a nomination for a Nobel Peace Prize. She is the Founder of Diaspora Rising, a new media and advocacy hub strengthening the bonds amongst members of the global Black family, and serves on the board of Atlantic Fellows for Racial Equity and the International Living Future Institute. She is a highly sought-after speaker for her advocacy and thought leadership, and her keynotes have had a resounding impact at venues like the Atlantic Ideas Summit, Harvard University, the Aspen Institute’s Ideas Summit, Yale University, the United Nations, and more than 100 stages internationally.

Tometi has been honored with countless awards for her groundbreaking work, including a Nobel Peace Prize nomination, International Peace Honors, the Heirs of Afrika Social Justice Award, the Amplify Africa Leadership and Policy Award, the Global Citizen Prize, and the Coretta Scott King Center Legacy Award, among many others. She was named one of TIME’s “100 Most Influential People," appeared on the “Most Influential People” lists for Forbes, Marie Claire, Glamour, and Cosmopolitan, and was named one of the most influential women of the century by USA Today and TIME. Tometi holds an Honorary PhD and was honored by the City University of New York with a scholarship in her name to support immigrant students pursuing law degrees. In addition to illuminating keynotes and conversations about social justice, racial bias in tech, and values-driven leadership, Tometi is also in demand for her insights about wellness and support along the childbearing continuum, social change & sustainability, and the future of tech.

Past Hosts Include:

Dominican University
Gustavus Adolphus College
National Education Association
Latham & Watkins LLP

The Wise Fund
African-American Community Service Agency
City of Sao Paulo

“

Ms. Tometi was a fantastic, engaging speaker. The students she met with felt inspired by her words and her passion for social justice activism. In the current sociopolitical period we are living in, having Ms. Tometi as the keynote speaker for Black History Month had an immense impact on our campus. We look forward to continuing to follow her work! - Dominican University

”

Opal Tometi on the Chauvin verdict | CNN Amanpour - Get Sharable Link

Opal Tometi on the Chauvin verdict | CNN Amanpour

Play
Now

Ayọ Tometi: What do you see in the future for BLM? | Baldwin Wallace U.

Ayọ Tometi on the shooting of Jacob Blake, the latest in a Summer of Protest, Turmoil, Trauma | TIME 100

Amplifying Black Voices Now with Ayọ Tometi | No Filter with Naomi

Ayọ Tometi: The need for black solidarity in global fight against police brutality and white supremacy | Tastemakers Africa

A Conversation with Opal Tometi | Baldwin Wallace U.

Opal Tometi Speaker Reel

Ayọ Tometi: Kids, Race, and Unity | Nick News Presents, Hosted By Alicia Keys

Opal Tometi: How Nigeria helped inspire #BlackLivesMatter | BBC Africa

Leadership, Hope, and Inspiration in the face of Painful Realities | TED

Talks & Conversations with Ayọ Tometi

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Social Justice in the U.S. and the World

Award-winning human rights leader AYỌ TOMETI is renowned for her thought leadership on race, immigration, and gender, as well as her track record of uniting communities. As a Co-Founder of Black Lives Matter and the Founder of Diaspora Rising, Tometi is a heralded as a feminist freedom fighter uniquely positioned to offer insights on the challenges and opportunities of social justice movements in the U.S. and internationally.

Racial Bias in the Future of Tech & Artificial Intelligence

Global human rights champion and co-founder of #BlackLivesMatter AYỌ TOMETI is uniquely positioned to speak on the real dangers of racial bias that are inherent to artificial intelligence and encoded into algorithms, which impact all areas of life and work. With her background in research, immigration policy, and proven track record uniting communities around desired change, Tometi offers insights that have a major impact on individuals and organizations.

Intersectionality and Racial Justice

Human rights advocate AYỌ TOMETI is renowned for her thought leadership on race, immigration, and gender, and has made a groundbreaking impact with her work for social justice. As a Co-Founder of Black Lives Matter and advisor to organizations worldwide, Tometi offers insights about the intersectionality of her personal experience as well as the major movements for social justice, collective liberation, and how we can cultivate change in our workplaces and our lives.

Social Change and Sustainability

Award-winning advocate, AYỌ TOMETI is renowned for her work as a human rights leader and her thought leadership on race, immigration, gender, and sustainability. As the Founder of Diaspora Rising and through her service on the Board of Directors for the International Living Future Institute, Tometi focuses on developing compelling visions for the future that encompass the intersectional and overlapping goals of social justice and ecological restoration.

Women’s Health and Wellness: Support Along the Childbearing Continuum

Human rights leader AYỌ TOMETI has been a long-time advocate of healthcare and wellness for women and gender non-conforming people, with a focus on Black maternal healthcare. Tometi serves on the board of Mama Glow, a premiere maternity lifestyle brand and birth doula training program, and she shares her thought leadership on how we can better support those giving birth and women’s healthcare overall.

Self-Care is the Key to Wellness

Global human rights icon AYỌ TOMETI balances advocacy work, activism, and serial entrepreneurship to make a historic impact on society and the world, and she is passionate about the self-care practice that supports her work. Self-care plays a vital role in our ability to face challenges, build resilience, and cultivate supportive communities at work and in life. Tometi offers actionable strategies and powerful insights about the value self-care holds for individuals and organizations in this high-impact and inspiring talk.

Cultivating DEI to Build the World We Want

Thought leader and social entrepreneur AYỌ TOMETI has wide-ranging experience in the corporate landscape and offers key insights about how companies and organizations can cultivate strong DEI philosophies in their workplaces to build a better world. From supporting BIPOC-led businesses through corporate commitments and investment, to building transparency and equity in the workplace, Tometi offers her unique perspective and actionable strategies for leaders looking to take meaningful next steps.

Biography

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Ayọ (fka Opal) Tometi is one of the most influential human rights leaders of the century according to TIME magazine. As one of the three women co-founders of Black Lives Matter digital platform and chapter-based network, her name is etched in history. Hailed as a feminist freedom fighter, Ayọ is respected for her track record of uniting communities, and for her thought leadership on race, immigration, and gender. In 2019 she completed nearly a decade of service as the Executive Director of the Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI), the first immigrant rights organization for people of African descent in the United States. Ayọ is a trusted advisor and serves on the board of Atlantic Fellows for Racial Equity and the International Living Futures Institute. She has graced the cover of magazines because of her achievements and received numerous recognitions including an honorary PhD, being named most influential women of the century by USA Today, TIME Magazine, and Most Influential People by Forbes, Marie Claire, Glamour and Cosmopolitan magazines. Ayọ was also honored by the City University of New York (CUNY) with a scholarship in her name to support immigrant students pursuing law degrees. In 2019 she also received the Coretta Scott King Center Award and Douglass 200 Award, and is currently featured in a video installation at the Smithsonian’s National Museum for African History and Culture for her contributions in thought-leadership for the betterment of the diaspora. As the daughter of Nigerian immigrants, Ayọ has set her movement sights on an even bigger struggle: uplifting Black lives worldwide. In 2020 she founded Diaspora Rising, a new media and advocacy hub dedicated to strengthening the bonds amongst members of the global Black family. Additionally, she's focused on other social enterprises. With nearly two decades as a human rights champion, she still feels her work has only just begun.

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Ayọ Tometi

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ideal speakers for upcoming events