Omékongo Dibinga
Transformative Dignity, Inclusion & Belonging Expert & Award-Winning Trilingual Poet & Rapper
Omékongo Dibinga
Transformative Dignity, Inclusion & Belonging Expert & Award-Winning Trilingual Poet & Rapper
Biography
Dr. Omékongo Dibinga, CSP, is the UPstander. His life’s mission is to inspire all across the globe to take a stand when they witness an injustice — no matter how small or large. A John C. Maxwell Team “Top 30 speaker,” he is an international speaker, trilingual poet (English, French, and Swahili), rapper, TV show host and professor of Intercultural Communication at American University, where he also serves as a faculty affiliate to the Antiracist Research and Policy Center. His podcast, “The UPstander’s Podcast” was rated a top 20 “must follow” social justice podcast for 2022. 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.”
Omékongo was one of five international recipients out of 750,000 to win the first-ever “CNN iReport Spirit Award.” He has received over 1 million views on CNN.com. He is a weekly contributor to SiriusXM’s Urban View, the “Roland Martin Unfiltered” show, as well as a regular contributor to “In Real Time” with Areva Martin on KBLA News in Los Angeles.
Omékongo’s writings and performances have appeared in O Magazine, as well as on TV and radio from CNN, BET and the BBC to NPR, Music Choice and Voice of America in millions of homes in over 150 countries. He has also written songs for major motion pictures and organizations such as NASA and the Enough! Project. These songs focus on discovering our common humanity and creating a community where everyone can be celebrated and not tolerated. He has spoken at the United Nations, partners with the State Department to conduct leadership trainings overseas, in part to reduce the proliferation of child soldiers and sexual trafficking. In the United States, he speaks to corporate, government and educational organizations on issues centered on leadership, antiracism, diversity, inclusion and belonging.
Omékongo’s music and writings have appeared alongside artists such as Sheryl Crow, Angelina Jolie, Norah Jones, Damien Rice, Angélique Kidjo, Don Cheadle and Yasiin Bey (formerly known as Mos Def). He has shared stages with Jane Fonda, Joaquin Phoenix, Martin Sheen, OutKast, Sonia Sanchez, The Last Poets and NFL great Aaron Rodgers. Internationally, he has shared his work in nearly 30 countries on three continents.
Omékongo has studied at Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Georgetown, Morehouse and The Fletcher School, where he earned his master’s in Law and Diplomacy. He earned his Ph.D. in International Education Policy at The University of Maryland (UMD) where his dissertation centered on the global hip-hop phenomenon and JAY-Z. At UMD, he also worked with the Southern Poverty Law Center’s “Teaching Diverse Students Initiative.” Across the country, he has worked with school districts on culturally relevant instruction including Washington, D.C., Texas, New York, Ohio, Florida, Massachusetts, Kentucky and California. He worked for four years as the lead Teaching Assistant to Dr. Michael Eric Dyson at Georgetown University. He provides leadership, educational and diversity empowerment as a consultant and motivational speaker for organizations, associations and institutions.
Omékongo has featured/lectured nationwide in venues from TEDx (four-time speaker) and Harvard to Russell Simmons’ Hip-Hop Summit and the Nuyorican Poets Café. His rap mixtape series “Bootleg” promotes positive hip-hop with remixes of songs by Tupac, The Notorious B.I.G., JAY-Z, Nas, 50 Cent and others. His 1 Million Youth Campaign has directly impacted youth across the globe to date. He has also partnered with Intel on its campaign to make their computer processors free of minerals that come from the war in the Congo and end up in our electronics products like cell phones, laptops and video game consoles.
Omékongo has published and produced seven books, eight fusion music and motivational CDs and one independent DVD. His motivational book G.R.O.W. Towards Your Greatness! 10 Steps to Living Your Best Life has received praise from great motivational speakers such as Les Brown (who wrote the foreword) and Willie Jolley. His book The UPstander’s Guide to an Outstanding Life is a life balance book for students. His latest and bestselling book Lies About Black People: How to Combat Racist Stereotypes and Why it Matters was published in 2023 (foreword by Dr. Michael Eric Dyson).
Widely regarded as one of America’s top speakers, Omékongo is inspiring, informative and insightful. He customizes his keynotes/workshops for each market, including writing custom poetry or songs for organizations upon request.
Speaker Videos
TEDx: The Accidental Ambassador
Dr. Omékongo Dibinga's Hot Takes on Culture, Unity, and Education
Grow Towards Your Greatness
Welcome to Omékongo Dibinga UPstander International
My interview on the CW TV on racial equality and my new book
Check out my new book "Lies About Black People: how to combat racist stereotypes and why it matters"
Encouraging Courageous Conversation
G.R.O.W. in Up
Critical RacIST Theory (a poem)
Combatting Racial Stereotypes - Ask The Good Doctor "LIVE" - Ep 99
GRACE under pressure: John Baldoni with Dr. Omekongo Dibinga
Finding Common Ground in Uncommon Times
Climate Change Poetic Performance
Congo On the Come Up
It’s A Girl – Official Music Video
Speech Topics
Finding Common Ground in Uncommon Times
In this keynote/breakout, Omékongo explores what unites us as opposed to what divides us. We live in a society that is becoming increasingly polarized but even in our darkest moments, there are areas where we can all shine.
Participants will learn how to:
- Have difficult conversations.
- Challenge implicit biases.
- Build a community where differences are not just tolerated but celebrated!
G.R.OW. Towards Your Greatness!
In this keynote/breakout, Omékongo 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 a four-step reinvention roadmap 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. (Give, Release, Overcome and Win) towards your greatness!
Leveraging & Embracing Diversity in the Workplace
Join Omékongo as he explores the importance of achieving true cultural diversity and appreciation in a school, corporate or governmental environment. Research has shown that companies that value diversity are more productive and profitable. Participants will probe deeply into the challenges that prevent employees and leaders from having a truly inclusive work environment. By acknowledging their truths as they relate to experiences of racism, sexism, anti-Semitism and more, you will feel empowered to carry the dialogue back to your colleagues and beyond!
Cultural Appropriation or Appreciation
Do we take the culture of others for granted? Do you use the culture of others as decoration? No problem with that Pocahontas costume the kids wear at Halloween? No problem with majority cultures profiting off of the cultures of marginalized groups? Are the cultural holidays you celebrate at your company authentic or performative? Are you someone who is mindful of the dynamics of power in our society that lead to cultural appropriation in the first place? This keynote/breakout explores the challenges of cultural appropriation vs a culture of appreciation. Participants will delve deeply into the challenges of cultural appropriation from music and fashion to science and business in order to build the skillset requisite to create a community where all can be celebrated and not tolerated!
Antiracism & YOU!
Antiracism is a term that has been utilized across every strata of American society and even beyond our shores. The goal of this session by Omékongo is to go beyond the articles and books and do a deep dive into two simple questions. First: How antiracist are you really? The goal of this query is to focus on your personal journey of becoming antiracist. The second question is: How antiracist is your school or company? The goal of this question is to analyze the work your organization has conducted on its path to becoming truly antiracist. By the end of this session, participants will be able to understand if their antiracist aspirations individually or as an organization are really a moment or a movement. They’ll craft an action plan to continue on their antiracist path regardless of where they currently are in the process.
Be An UPstander, Not A BYstander!
Omékongo uses spoken word poetry and hip-hop to speak on the importance of how you can create social change. Participants build their cultural self-confidence and respect for other cultural, religious and racial groups through critical analysis to understand the root causes of misconceptions that exist across different groups. This talk challenges cultural paradigms in an effort to create a greater appreciation for differences. You’ll emerge from this keynote/breakout empowered to not only make a change in your own life but also in your community and throughout the globe!
Elevating the Black Male
This keynote/breakout by Omékongo focuses on cultural competence as well as issues of Black male achievement. Educators focus on strategies to decrease the educational gaps that exist in our current educational environment. Using long-term data that indicates 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 talk 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 teachers can gain the cultural competence requisite to reach their Black male students, they develop the competencies needed to reach all of their students!
S.E.E.D.S. Students Engaged on Every Day Success
The goal of the S.E.E.D.S. program is for students to have powerful and consistent engagement focused on overcoming obstacles. Through regularly scheduled meetings via an online platform, students will work with Dr. Omékongo.
Specifically, they will:
- Share their current challenges and triumphs.
- Engage in goal-setting practices focused on college preparation, service projects or social justice initiatives.
- Use this space as a sounding board for real challenges they are experiencing today.
- Create an action plan.
The duration of the program will be set by the schools to meet the needs of students.
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