Friends of the African Union

We, the African Diaspora in the USA, can be a change Africa needs – now .

FAU Illinois State Chapter

Illinois (Listeni/ˌɪlᵻˈnɔɪ/ il-i-noy) is a state in the midwestern region of the United States, achieving statehood in 1818. It is the 5th most populous state and 25th largest state in terms of land area, and is often noted as a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal, timber, and petroleum in the south, Illinois has a diverse economic base and is a major transportation hub. The Port of Chicago connects the state to other global ports from the Great Lakes, via the Saint Lawrence Seaway, to the Atlantic Ocean, as well as the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River, via the Illinois River. For decades, O’Hare International Airport has been ranked as one of the world’s busiest airports. Illinois has long had a reputation as a bellwether both in social and cultural terms and politics.

The Great Migration from the South established a large community of African Americans in Chicago, who created the city’s famous jazz and blues cultures.

Currently there is one  FAU Chapter in Illinois

FAU Chicago (2014)

Three U.S. presidents have been elected while living in Illinois: Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, and Barack Obama. Additionally, Ronald Reagan, whose political career was based in California, was the only U.S. president born and raised in Illinois.  The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is located in the state capital of Springfield, and the Barack Obama Presidential Center will be completed in Chicago by 2020.

barack-obama-center

The Barack Obama Presidential Center is the planned presidential library of Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States and the first African American. The center will be hosted by the University of Chicago, and will be located in Jackson Park on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois. Once completed, it will become the 14th site in the National Archives and Records Administration‘s presidential library system. The nonprofit Barack Obama Foundation was set up to oversee the creation of the Center and the building of its site.

As a native Chicagoan and resident of the South Side, this project is deeply meaningful to me and I could not be more excited.  Dina Griffin, President