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Aba G. Blankson

@saidblankson

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Keynote Speaker
Founder
CMO @naacp
Compassion Architect
Courage is strategy. Leadership is trust.

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Engage. Make it so Number One. Tea, earl grey hot. Locutus of Borg. The prime directive. All good things …
Rest Well Patrick. Thank you for helping us boldly explore all parts of humanity and human condition. by @saidblankson

Birthday reflection. When people have asked me how I’m doing, I’ve told them about THIS moment.

Sitting at a cave in South Africa. Hard hat on, nails done, dirt on my knees, smile on my face. Nothing but net. 😊

My solo trek, literally, to the cradle of humankind was what I needed. An excavation.

I was so excited when I started my adventure, but 15 minutes in, I almost fell. Then came the whirlwind of emotions. Fear, strength, doubt, reflection, gratitude and mostly peace.

This year asked a lot of me. There were days when I climbed with confidence, days when I crawled, and days when the only thing I could do was breathe and take one more step. You know what, grit doesn’t always look like confidence. Sometimes it looks like vulnerability.

And then there were the people I met along the way. Stories and ventures. Always conversations about US, and Africa. From the politics of seeds to the push for greater representation where capital decisions are made. That’s me. That’s me because of you. Your work, wisdom and friendship have expanded my world, influencing how I think, how I lead and how I move through life.

I am grateful, I’m wiser, I’m ready. To everyone who walked part of this road with me, thank you. Let’s go. by @saidblankson

African storytellers, performers, filmmakers and recording artists, YOU ARE INVITED. The NAACP Image Awards has added ten dedicated African categories in motion picture, television & streaming, and recording. Creators from all 55 African Union member states can submit work released in 2026.

Submissions close Friday, November 13, 2026. Submit your work at naacpimageawards.net and tag the African creatives in your network who need to know!

#NAACPImageAwards #AfricanCinema #Nollywood #AfricanMusic #Afrobeats AfricanFilm by @saidblankson

Appreciating the moments at the CBC, behind the scenes and away from the main stage, when there is time to connect and continue the conversations about the tough questions facing our communities. ✨

@congressmantroycarter
@senbooker
@drbenchavisjr

#CBC #BlackLeadership #BehindTheScenes #Advocacy #NNPA by @saidblankson

Africa came to UNGA81 with a clear message: it is time to level the playing field.

In this clip, Aba G. Blankson speaks to Africa’s influence on both supply and demand—and why the continent’s role in global markets and industrial supply can no longer be treated as an afterthought. The question now is whether Africa has the representation and decision-making power to match its contribution.

Listen to the full Africa Rise & Shine interview here: https://omny.fm/shows/africa-rise-shine/africa-seeks-greater-influence-and-representation-as-leaders-wrap-up-unga81-in-new-york

#UNGA81 #AfricaOnTheRise #GlobalMarkets #AfricanLeadership #EconomicEquity by @saidblankson

Toronto, you were good to me. 🎬✨

There’s something powerful about being in spaces where stories are not only celebrated, but bought, funded, distributed, and given the opportunity to shape culture around the world.

My time at the Toronto International Film Festival was a beautiful reminder that storytelling is bigger than entertainment. It influences how we see ourselves, how we understand one another, and whose experiences become part of the global conversation.

From TIFF and the Market to connecting with brilliant creatives and changemakers, I left Toronto thinking about the stories still waiting to be told, the voices still waiting to be amplified, and the rooms we have a responsibility to keep opening.

And yes, there was a little fashion involved. 😉❤️

Until next time, Toronto.

#TIFF #TIFF2026 #TorontoInternationalFilmFestival #Storytelling #CultureRepresentation by @saidblankson

Happy Birthday to the incomparable @malinsworld Malinda Williams! 🎂✨

Some people you meet and immediately understand that their beauty goes far beyond what the world gets to see.

Malinda, your warmth, authenticity, creativity, and spirit are such a gift.

Today, I hope you’re celebrated as beautifully and generously as you deserve.

Here’s to another year of purpose, joy, new adventures, and becoming even more of who you were always meant to be.

Happy Birthday, Malinda! 🥂🤎
Aba by @saidblankson

👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 NEWS! 58th NAACP Image Awards submissions are now open.

The NAACP Image Awards honors the artists, storytellers and creators who define Black culture. Film. Television. Music. Literature. Digital. Podcasts.

🌍 And now ten new categories recognizing work from across Africa. Motion picture, television series, album, song, new artist, actors, actresses and directors.

Three things to know. Work released January 1 through December 31, 2026 is eligible. Only submitted work is reviewed. Online submissions close Friday, November 13.

If you produce, represent or distribute work in these categories, submit it. If you know someone who does, tag them.

Link in bio. by @saidblankson

POV: Akwasidae Kese in Maryland. 🇬🇭 🇺🇸

Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II at Bowie State. Governor Wes Moore, Derrick Johnson, Ambassador Victor Smith, Cheryl McKissack Daniel, and Kofi Okyere-Darko, Director of Diaspora Affairs.

In the presence of the King, every greeting, word, and idea exchanged is a reflection of our past, an expression of our present, and a foundation for our future.

@manhyiapalace_
@simply_kod @derricknaacp @govwesmoore @ambassador_victor_smith by @saidblankson

When the moment calls for kente, we do not answer quietly. Royal. Traditional. Sacred. 💕💕Congratulations @badassboz and @keelywatson

Makeup: @cmbeautygh
Dress: @akosuascheck_
Photography: @bracarlphotography
Looks: @bveystyling by @saidblankson

Saturday in DC. Mubadala Citi DC Open. Steve Harvey in the house!

Incredible to see Naomi Osaka on the court. Cool to watch Alex Eala play the match of her career, not backing down.

Takeaway. Breakthroughs rarely announce themselves. They just show up

@iamsteveharveytv @naomiosaka @alexandraeala @mubadaladcopen #WTA by @saidblankson

The first time I visited the Obama Center it was under construction and I was in a hard hat. The museum. The library, the gardens. I was overwhelmed then and the tower had no words on it yet.

The letters surrounding the top floors of the tower went up over the winter. Words taken from the speech President Obama delivered at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in 2015. “You are America. … America is not the project of any one person. The single most powerful word in our democracy is the word ‘we.’ ‘We The People.’ ‘We Shall Overcome.’ ‘Yes We Can.’ That word is owned by no one. It belongs to everyone.”

I stood in the now complete museum and campus this week, reflecting on those words and on the theme of our @naacp Convention. We The People.

Grateful not only to see this remarkable space, but to bring friends and colleagues who had never been. A visit to the Obama Presidential Center is not a tour. You stand still. You breathe. You listen. You imagine. Great institutions don’t just commemorate history, they make you feel it and challenge you to create it. by @saidblankson