LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — A professional networking event aimed at young adults of African backgrounds is happening Saturday in Lexington.
The 4th annual AfroLex Conference is free and open to anyone. Breakfast and lunch will be served. Register here: AfroLex Conference 2024 Tickets, Sat, Oct 26, 2024 at 10:00 AM | Eventbrite
The event has expanded each year, according to event organizers like Elisha Mutayongwa, the executive director of the Marafiki Center. He expects around 100 people to attend this year.
Immigrants of African descent are one of the largest groups in Lexington, and Swahili is now the third most spoken language in the city.
"We have our norms, our cultural norms that we're used to," said Mutayongwa. "And most of the time we gather for funerals and other things. So we talked about what can we do to uplift our community, but also what we can do to elevate our resources and share those connections between ourselves."
He says this year's event will focus on civic engagement in what is a critical election year for the United States. Attendees will hear from a wide variety of speakers and learn about politics both here and in their home countries.
Mutayongwa says the conference was his brother Chui's idea. He's continued planning the event in his honor, after Chui died in 2020.
