African visitors grace Maricopa City Council

The Maricopa City Council welcomed a group of students from various African countries at their meeting Tuesday.

In collaboration with Arizona State University, the organization known as the Mandela Washington Fellowship paid a visit to the council chambers July 18 to observe and compare various aspects of local government.

Mayor Christian Price recognized the group of young women and men who are leaders in their own communities. From town treasurers to firefighters and legal professionals, Price said, the visitors not only learned about the processes and programs of Maricopa and other communities in the U.S., they also had something to teach.

“We sometimes get stuck in our little bubbles, and we think that’s the only way things happen, so sometimes it’s good to get out and see the rest of the world.”

This is the second consecutive year the organization has visited Maricopa. This year the visit fell on Nelson Mandela’s birthday.

Mandela was a South African politician and anti-apartheid revolutionary. He served as the country’s first black president from 1994-99 and died in 2013 at age 95.

The Mandela Washington Fellowship and its 500 or more members are part of President Barack Obama’s Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI). The organization’s mission is aimed at providing African Students “intensive executive leadership training, networking, and skills building … to accelerate their own career trajectories and contribute more robustly to strengthening democratic institutions, spurring economic growth, and enhancing peace and security in Africa.”