Blog Posts Related to the African American Community

Open For Questions: Crisis in the Horn of Africa

War, famine and drought are currently devastating 13 million people in the Horn of Africa. The worst drought the world has seen in 60 years is devastating farmlands, uprooting families and killing tens of thousands in Kenya, Ethiopia, Dijibouti and Somalia. If long-term changes are not made soon, there will be more extremism, more threat and more instability in this part of the world.

To respond to this crisis, U.S. Agency for International Development announced the FWD campaign to raise awareness across America about this worsening situation.

In a special "Open for Questions," USAID Administrator Raj Shah and Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director of the National Security Council Gayle Smith shared their knowledge, took your questions and explained how Americans can contribute. Aired live on whitehouse.gov/live, Office of Public Engagement Director John Carson moderated the conversation and took questions from the audience, as well as Twitter followers who used the hashtag #askFWD.

You can jump to see answers to specific questions posed by the audience and Twitter followers by clicking on the links below.  

Watch Open for Questions: Crisis in the Horn of Africa here.

• How is food security going to be addressed at the G8 summit?
• How can these issues be addressed when war is a common occurance in the Horn of Africa?
• Can my $10 donation to FWD make a difference? How are you working differently this time to address the long term solutions?
• What is the government strategy to address gender based violence as a part of this effort?
• What about fighting corruption in the Horn of Africa
• What long term effects will we will see in the Horn, the U.S. and the World if this crisis is avoided?
• How best can students and universities best contribute to USAID's humanitarian efforts?
• What is USAID doing to empower youth in the Horn of Africa?
• What's the best way to explain this to the average American who is worried about their own economic situation?

White House “Open for Questions” with Valerie Jarrett and Melody Barnes

Domestic Policy Council Director Melody Barnes answers an audience member’s question at the “Open for Questions” conversation at the White House on Friday, October 21, 2011. October 21, 2011. (by Office of Public Engagement)

Last week, the White House hosted an “Open for Questions” session with Senior Adviser Valerie Jarrett and Domestic Policy Council Director Melody Barnes to give an update on the American Jobs Act and to discuss the administration's “Creating Pathways to Opportunity” report.  All questions addressed on stage were filtered in from audience members and submitted on Twitter by people across the country. The Root's Cynthia Gordy moderated the 45-minute discussion, which covered questions ranging from job creation to poverty to economic improvement in urban areas. The session was streamed live by The Root and on whitehouse.gov.

To read more about the White House report on Creating Pathways to Opportunity for All Americans, please visit www.whitehouse.gov/opportunity

Watch the video of the event:

Heather Foster is the Associate Director of African American Affairs.