“Owning Our Past, Creating Our Future.”
Welcome to the 17th year of the IFAAA!
The Idaho Falls African American Alliance is committed to initiating dialogue and providing resources that contribute to the educational, economic, and cultural growth & development of our community.
The IFAAA promotes understanding and respect among all races.
-Founder Dave Snell
The 17th Annual IFAAA MLK Banquet is here!!! On Jan. 19th, 2024 *6-9 PM
Limited seating available!!! For Reservations Call: ☎️ (208)-521-0730
For questions or more event information Call: ☎️ (208)-569-6768
The 17th Annual IFAAA MLK Banquet is here!!! On Jan. 19th, 2024 *6-9 PM Limited seating available!!! For Reservations Call: ☎️ (208)-521-0730 For questions or more event information Call: ☎️ (208)-569-6768
Events
17th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. IFAAA Banquet
Keynote Speaker
DR. SYDNEY FREEMAN JR.
Ph.D., CFD, COI,
Professor in Leadership and Counseling Department
At The University of Idaho
January 19th, 2024
Mountain America Center
Idaho Falls, ID 6-9 PM
Owning our past, Creating our Future.
Dr. Sydney Freeman, Jr. isn't just a full professor at the University of Idaho; he's a true trailblazer boasting the prestigious title of Fellow of the Royal Historical Society from the UK. Dubbed a 'Memory Keeper' by the Africatown Heritage House in Alabama. Dr. Freeman's leadership has propelled the University of Idaho's Black History Research Lab to National acclaim, earning commendations from the US Senate and Idaho's Governor. He's a much sought-after speaker, gracing stages from Harvard to Oxford, and stretching as far as Jerusalem and Saigon.
Dr. Freeman was honored as one of the Accomplished Under 40 award recipients for 2020 by the Idaho Business Review. In 2021, Dr. Freeman gave and received the Barbara Townsend Lecture and Award from the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE).
He is the founding director of the University’s Black History Research Lab and the recipient of the 2022 Carlos J. Vallejo Memorial Award for Exemplary Scholarship, awarded by the Multicultural/Multiethnic Education: theory, research and practice group within the American Educational Research Association (AERA). This past April he was named one of the "Stellar 40 under 40” alumni of Oakwood University. In June, he received the 2023 McInness/Ryan Mid-Career Leadership Award from the American Association of University Administrators.
In November, 2023 Dr. Freeman was awarded a prestigious honor from The Moscow Human Rights Commission as the recipient of the 2023 Ismat Ara and Abdul Mannan Sheikh Community Unity Award. Dr. Freeman’s name was engraved on a central plaque housed in the Moscow, Idaho City Hall as well as a commemorative rock plaque in East City Park.
Also an accomplished author Dr. Freeman and Brody Grasper Co-Authored a groundbreaking work together: “The Seminal History and Prospective Future of Blacks at the University of Idaho.” Brody Gasper and Sydney Freeman Jr. Co-authored this groundbreaking text that chronicles the contributions of Blacks at U of I starting in the late 1890's when Idaho's first Black graduate, Jennie Eva Hughes, began matriculating here. Find the book here.
Order Your Tickets!!!
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 17th Annual IFAAA Banquet Keynote Speaker - Dr. Sydney Freeman Jr.
Professor in Leadership and Counseling Department University of Idaho.
Friday, January 19, 2024 @6-9PM
Location: Mountain America Center 1690 Event Center Dr. Idaho Falls, 83402
Buffett Dinner included *Please print and bring your receipt, or bring a digital version with you on January 19th.
EVENT TICKETS
2024 MLK Banquet 1/19/2024
Online Tickets
Limited Seats for Reservation Call: (208)-521-0730
For More Information or Questions call: (208)-569-6768
Taking place at the
Mountain America Center!
We are proud to announce that we will be hosting the 17th Annual IFAAA MLK Jr. Banquet at the incredible Mountain America Center.
WE’LL SEE YOU THERE!
Scroll Our 2024 Sponsorships & Partners
Meet Some Of Our Past Speakers
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Marvin Lewis
FORMER NFL HEAD COACH OF THE CINCINNATI BENGALS AND IDAHO STATE HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE (2001)
Marvin Lewis now works as a Special Advisor for Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona. Holding a Master’s Degree in Athletic Administration from Idaho State University, he also got his first coaching job at Idaho State (1981-84) where he previously played on their football team (1978-80).
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Daniel "Fuzz" Walker
F-22 RAPTOR PILOT COMMANDER FOR THE U.S. AIR FORCE AND GREAT-NEPHEW OF TUSKEGEE AIRMAN, 2ND- LT. SCALES.
Major Daniel 'Fuzz" Walker is an F-22 Raptor Mission Commander with over 700 hours of combined training and combat flight time. READ MORE
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Dr. Mareena Robinson-Snowden
FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMAN TO RECEIVE A PH.D. IN NUCLEAR ENERGY FROM MIT
Mareena Robinson Snowden, Ph.D. is a senior engineer in the National Security Analysis Department at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. Her current research portfolio includes future nuclear weapon systems, nuclear crisis issues, and new technology for surface warfare. Prior to joining JHU APL, Mareena was a Stanton Nuclear Security Fellow with the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where her research focused on nuclear arms control verification, nonproliferation, and modernization. READ MORE
