The R 400 Movement is an opportunity for the African continent and the African diaspora to reconnect, reconcile, reclaim what’s been lost in 400 years, and reimagine the future. — Bishop Claude R. Alexander, Jr., President & CEO

This is a follow-up from the African Union Summit where the AU formally adopted the commemoration of 400 years of the transatlantic slave trade that will be here in Charlotte, September 26th through the 28th. The R 400 summit is an opportunity for the African continent and the African diaspora to reconnect, reconcile, reclaim what’s been lost in 400 years, and reimagine a future that’s going to take place both in a summit and the establishment of a trade hub that becomes a one stop shop, both for Africans desiring to do business in the US and people desiring to do business on the continent. The idea emerged from Charlotte. Charlotte has the Park International Trade Hub centered in the Park Expo and conference center and the ambassadors, and more importantly, the heads of state saw the benefit of that last year through a conversation about just trade, we were made aware of the 400th anniversary and immediately that started sparking thoughts of how to engage the continent and the diaspora in reconnecting and reconciling and reclaiming. And through conversations with the president of Kenya and the African Union Ambassador to the us, they saw it too. And so we were able to then go to the AU and they owned it. And so here we are.”

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