Dr. Sekou Haki Kamau Afrika
Dr. Sekou Haki Kamau Afrika, also known as Dr. Julius Davis, is a Pan-African educator, scholar, author, and educational leader who serves as the Founder and Chief Educational Executive Officer of The Black Male Educator Classroom LLC. Through his leadership, scholarship, mentoring, and professional learning work, Dr. Afrika focuses on the educational experiences, development, and liberation of Black boys and men, as well as Black male educators, teacher leaders, school leaders, and educational executives. His work spans the disciplines of education, mathematics, and STEA³M education, with the A³ representing arts, agriculture, and athletics, and is grounded in Black liberation, culturally relevant pedagogy, leadership development, African-centered education, and the collective uplift of Black communities globally.
Dr. Afrika’s scholarship examines Black boys’ and Black men’s experiences and achievement in education, mathematics, and STEA³M education, as well as the professional experiences, leadership development, and praxis of Black male educators and teacher leaders across these disciplines. His work also explores critical race theory in mathematics education, Black liberation in education, mathematics education, and STEA³M education, African-centered education, and the preparation of educators and leaders committed to the academic, cultural, social, and political development of Black children and communities.
In addition to his leadership through The Black Male Educator Classroom LLC, Dr. Afrika serves as the University System of Maryland Wilson H. Elkins Professor of Mathematics Education at Bowie State University in the Department of Teaching, Learning, and Professional Development within the College of Education. He is also the former Founding Executive Director of the Center for Research and Mentoring of Black Male Students and Teachers at Bowie State University, where he helped lead initiatives focused on research, mentoring, leadership development, and educational success for Black male students and educators.
He is the author of more than forty-five scholarly publications, including two influential books. He is the lead editor of Critical Race Theory in Mathematics Education (Routledge, 2019) and co-author of Black Males Matter: A Blueprint for Creating School and Classroom Environments to Support their Academic and Social Development (Information Age Publishing, 2021). His scholarship has contributed to national and international conversations surrounding Black male education, African-centered education, teacher leadership, educational transformation, culturally grounded pedagogy, and mathematics and STEA³M education.
Dr. Afrika’s work has been supported by nearly $10 million in grants and contracts funded by organizations including the National Science Foundation, the United States Department of Education, and the Maryland State Department of Education. He previously served as Lead Principal Investigator of the $3.9 million NSF-funded project Racial Equity: From Black Boys to Men in STEM Education Intervention and Critical Race Mixed Methods Research, and also led an NSF EAGER award examining how STEM mentoring programs influence the engineering interests of Black middle school males. In addition, he has served as a research mentor, advisor, evaluator, and leadership partner on projects totaling more than $30 million.
Dr. Afrika taught mathematics in Baltimore, including in the very schools he attended as a student. His experiences as a Black male student, mathematics teacher, mentor, educational leader, husband, and father deeply shaped his commitment to transforming educational opportunities and outcomes for Black boys and men. He earned his Ed.D. in Mathematics Education from Morgan State University and his B.S. in Mathematics and Secondary Education from Lincoln University. He completed postdoctoral training at the University of Maryland, College Park’s Center for Mathematics Education.
Dr. Afrika has been married to his wife, Monkoum Tchie Afrika, for more than fifteen years, and together they are the proud parents of four children: Sekou, Hakika, Haki, and Kamau. Their family’s commitment to African-centered education is both personal and scholarly, as their children attend African-centered schools and their lives reflect a deep commitment to Black educational self-determination, cultural grounding, and Nationbuilding. Through his scholarship, leadership, mentorship, and community engagement, Dr. Afrika continues to support the development of Black students, Black male educators, teacher leaders, school leaders, and educational executives committed to educational transformation and the advancement of Black communities worldwide.