US county appoints Zambian-born activist to human rights commission
A ZAMBIAN-BORN human rights activist has been appointed to the Rockland County Human Rights Commission in the US state of New York.
Spencer Chiimbwe, who was born and raised in Kitwe’s Mindolo-Miseshi Township, most recently worked for Rockland County as a grants specialist.
Chiimbwe is an American citizen and lives in Stony Point in New York State.
According to a statement released on Tuesday, Rockland County executive Ed Day said Chiimbwe was chosen following an extensive recruitment process through multiple avenues, including online job sites and the county’s website.
“There was also input from members of the Human Rights Commission, the county legislature and other community members. Most recently, [Chiimbwe] worked for the county as a grants specialist for the American Rescue Plan Act Department, assisting local organizations and negatively impacted communities as they navigated the sometimes-complicated grant application processes,” Day said.
He added that Chiimbwe has extensive experience working across cultural lines and with extremely diverse communities.
“We are confident that his prior experience will give him a necessary advantage in his new role,” Day said, “as our human rights commissioner needs to be omnipresent throughout Rockland.”
And Chiimbwe said human rights transcend race, religion or any groups one subscribes to.
“I call upon the residents of Rockland, and all the stakeholders of human rights work in our county, to give me a chance to skilfully work with everybody in fulfilling my mandate as commissioner of human rights,” said Chiimbwe.
According to a statement, Chiimbwe comes in with a wealth of experience having worked for the ACTION Support Center, securing grants from entities like the Ford Foundation, the New York State Senate conducting legislative research and drafting policy documents, volunteering for Congresswoman Nita Lowey assisting with constituent services and connecting with community stakeholders, the United African Congress inspiring community engagement and participation around key issues like health care, domestic violence, education and empowerment.
A former student of Mukuba Boys Secondary School in Kitwe, Chiimbwe is a graduate of SUNY Empire State College with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Public Affairs, and holds a Master’s Degree in Work & Labor Policy from Northeastern University. He is currently a doctoral candidate in Law & Policy.
Chiimbwe also holds a Master Certificate in High Performance Leadership offered by the Professional Development Academy at the National Association of Counties, a Leadership Certificate by Leadership Rockland Inc. and several other facilitator certifications in advanced conflict transformation and alternatives to violence from the ACTION Support Center, Skillshare International and the Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP), USA.
By Oliver Chisenga
Kalemba