August 2025: Member Spotlight - Dr. Mama Nobantu Ankoanda
- Jordan Roberts
- Aug 4
- 3 min read
Born in Oakland, California and raised in San Francisco, Dr. Mama Nobantu Ankoanda has spent her life committed to education, Pan-African liberation, and intergenerational empowerment. As the mother of five adult children, grandmother of eight, and a mother figure to over 300 former students, Mama Nobantu's nurturing spirit extends far beyond her family. Her oldest son, diagnosed with Down Syndrome, has been a profound teacher of patience and calm traits that define her leadership.
Mama Nobantu holds a Doctorate in Education Leadership from Nova Southeastern University, a Master of Arts in Elementary Education from San Francisco State University, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work from the University of California at Berkeley. She began her formal teaching career in 1972 in East Palo Alto, California, affectionately known as “Little Nairobi.” With nearly 50 years of experience as an educator, principal, and founder of Afrikan Centered Community-Based institutions, her impact on African-centered education is vast and ongoing.
Her journey into activism began in 1968 as a student at UC Berkeley, where she became a Pan-Afrikan Socialist and joined the Republic of New Afrika. That same year, she studied the Poor People’s Campaign in Washington, D.C., shortly after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. After teaching for ten years in public schools, she retired at 34 and went on to co-found Shule Ya Taifa (1981), Shule Nyansa Sua (1982), and Shule Mandela Academy (1983). In 1998, she transformed Shule Mandela into a charter school, School of Wisdom and Knowledge College Preparatory Academy.
From 1998 to 2003, Mama Nobantu served as Northern California Convener for the Council of Independent Institutions (CIBI) and co-founded Sisters of Tomorrow (SOT), a rites of passage program for girls, in 1984. Today, she continues to serve as an elder with the Atlanta SOT Chapter. Her Pan-African travels are a testament to her lifelong dedication to global Black unity and cultural education. In 1969, just after graduating from UC Berkeley, she traveled to Accra, Ghana with 185 educators (including Betty Shabazz and C. Eric Lincoln) where she earned a certificate in Afrikan History and Culture.
She returned to Ghana in 1982 with her five children, and again in 2019 with 14 family members. She’s also traveled to Kemet (Egypt) with her uncle, Professor Earl Grant (a lieutenant of Malcolm X), attended the 2001 World Conference Against Racism in Durban, South Africa, and participated in the PAFM Pre-Congress in Ghana in 2018. That same year, she traveled to Nigeria with Dr. Uwa Osimiri, where she became the first woman crowned with the chieftaincy title “Nwanne Di Na Mba” in Abia State. In 2022, she continued her journey with a visit to Tanzania.
Mama Nobantu’s dissertation, A Case Study of Afrikan Centered Schools, revealed that students attending Afrikan-centered institutions had significantly higher graduation rates than those in public schools. Her research continues to inform her commitment to transformative, culturally rooted education.
In 2010, she brought the Collard Greens Cultural Festival to Metro Atlanta, a tradition that began in East Palo Alto as a fundraiser for Shule Mandela.
Her community involvement is deep and multifaceted. She is Co-Chair of the Metro-Atlanta Council of African Elders, a member of CIBI, a Lifetime Member of N’COBRA (National Coalition of Reparations in America), and serves on the boards of Kilombo Academic and Cultural Institute, ULU (Us Lifting Us), and the Knowledge Keepers Elder’s Banquet Planning Committee. She is Secretary General of the North America Region of the Pan African Federalist Movement, Co-Chair of the Reparations Committee with the Beacon Hill Black Alliance for Human Rights, and Co-Chair of the Kwanzaa Metro Atlanta Regional Association. She is also a member of Georgia Black Women Farmers, a Seasoned Woman at First Afrikan Church, and an Ifa/Lakumi practitioner.
A co-founder of the Black Sustainability Summit, Mama Nobantu currently sits on the Black Sustainability Network Board, where her wisdom continues to guide and ground our movement.
Dr. Mama Nobantu Ankoanda has received numerous awards and proclamations for her work in both California and Georgia. She firmly believes that it is the responsibility of teachers, parents, preachers, and leaders to bring out the genius of African/Black children. Her life is a living testimony to that belief! We are truly honored to highlight her this month.
Learn more about her recent work:
This only scratches the surfaces of her achievements! What beautiful coverage of a beautiful young elder.