Contributors

Adrian Q. Labor

Curator

Adrian Q. Labor extended his interest for everything Sierra Leonean by taking up two new hobbies over time alongside his current profession as a Civil Engineer. His first hobby focused on building an online genealogy of the founding settlers of the city of Freetown. He then followed up with a second one to conduct literature research on the Icons of Sierra Leone who shaped the country’s diverse national and rich international history. Through the insights gained, he was drawn to the opportunity to create this illustrated history book series. Out of this labor of love, Adrian began a family tradition to share an article at the end of the year to his extended family in which he recounts historic connections and highlights contributions of paternal and maternal ancestors. His most recent article was about events in the 1790s that led to the establishment of Freetown. The title was “Last Christmas in Nova Scotia, America and their Hopes of Better and Brighter New Year in Sierra Leone, Africa.” This second book, “20 Women Icons of Sierra Leone Who Shaped History”, which he co-authors, remakes historic connections and highlights contributions of national ancestors of all young adults of Sierra Leonean parentage.

Akindele T.M. Decker

Curator

Akindele Decker is a poet and writer born in Sierra Leone, West Africa. His first breakthrough in poetry was at the age of 15, with his first published Poem, ‘What If’ in 1998. His poems cover topics dealing with the middle-passage, identity, and African history. In 2004, Akindele received an Editors Choice Award for outstanding achievement in Poetry from the International Library of Poetry. He conducted poetry workshops for Secondary School students in Croydon, England in 2005. In 2012, he performed “Dancing in Blue Waters” at Busboy & Poets in Washington D.C., chronicling the middle-passage of the Trans-Atlantic Slave trade. In 2016 , he worked with GWB Commission’s ONE Campaign, celebrating the diverse ancestral heritage of Sierra Leoneans. He has served as a panelist and presenter for several platforms including the American Association of State and Local History on the topic of intercultural identity; and Prince George’s African American Museum and Cultural Center on Maroon culture and the global African Diaspora. He resides in Maryland, USA with his family.

Samantha Everette

Illustrator

Samantha Everette has dedicated her life and career to art and design. She is an award winner footwear designer with over 10 years of industry experience. Samantha is a passionate photographer and illustrator. She is committed to capturing and boasting the beauty of Black people through her art and photography.

Edleen B. Elba

Editor: Women Icons Book

Edleen Elba is a Management Accountant and Human Resources practitioner. She is the Founder and Managing Director of JobSearch, one of Sierra Leone’s leading Human Resources firms. She is a certified Trainer and is passionate about developing literacy, productivity and hospitality skills in Sierra Leone’s workforce. Edleen also provides voluntary service in the health, education and civic sectors.

Dr. Aisha Fofana Ibrahim

Editor: Women Icons Book

Aisha Fofana Ibrahim is a feminist scholar and Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) advocate, based at Fourah Bay College, who has held executive and senior management positions in both academia and civil society in Sierra Leone. Dr. Ibrahim is an accomplished researcher, facilitator and mentor who designs, implements and evaluates GESI related projects for diverse institutions. She serves on the boards of both academic and civil society institutions with a diverse collection of publications. She has a Masters Degree (MA) in Communications and a PhD in English/Gender Studies from Illinois State University.