By Siddarth Tumu ’18, Middle School Editor

“Your zip code determines your life expectancy.”

On Tuesday, December 1, 2015, Dr. Antwi Akom spoke at Newark Academy as the second speaker in the 2015-2015 Global Speaker Series. Dr. Akom is an Associate Professor at San Francisco University and Co-Founder of the Institute for Sustainable Economic, Educational, and Environmental Design (I-SEEED), which focuses on building sustainable cities and schools. Speaking on the topic of race and the environment, Dr. Akom undoubtedly shook the foundations of what people perceived to be true about the functionality of race in society. Compared to previous speakers who did not necessarily speak on such controversial topics, Dr. Akom’s talk sparked a school-wide conversation, among those in agreement or dissent, about race and environment in our own society. Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of Dr. Akom’s talk is that he discussed everyday realities faced by millions of Americans that Newark Academy students are otherwise shielded from or unaware of.

I had the opportunity to sit down with Mr. Romay, popularly know as Profe, to gain further insight on Dr. Akom. Profe has been the head of the Global Speaker Series Committee for two years, arranging the visits of four speakers last year and four planned speakers this year. He first described the method by which the committee chooses speakers. The committee works from macro to micro: the members of the committee meet every year in the early summer and identify relevant topics that the school community would be intrigued and served by. After that, the committee decides on a shortlist of speakers, which is further narrowed down based on the availability and affordability of the speaker.

The committee wanted Dr. Akom to speak on two topics: the environment and race. Profe and the committee believed these topics would be relevant due to the racially charged atmosphere the United States is currently experiencing. The goal was to bring in someone who would not only address the concept of race but would also place it in a larger context, specifically that of ecological matters. While Dr. Akom made several relevant and thought-provoking statements, Profe’s biggest takeaway is that one’s zip code is the biggest determinant of life expectancy.

While there has been positive feedback and support for Dr. Akom, Profe has also heard feedback not agreeing with certain claims made by Dr. Akom. Most surprising for Profe was that people objected to the dress code of the speaker. He was wearing jeans and a shirt that read ‘Joy.’ Interesting to note, Matt Diffee, a cartoonist for the New Yorker and the fourth speaker of last year, wore jeans and cowboy boots without receiving criticism from the audience. Assigning a specific adjective to this phenomenon would be difficult, but Profe encourages the school community to be slightly more open-minded about the person speaking to them “because if we are judging people based on how they look or are dressed, it will be difficult for us to grasp and appreciate the message he or she is spreading.” Another critique Profe heard about Dr. Akom was that he was too idealistic and did not necessarily provide feasible solutions for taking action. It is important to note that speakers sometimes speak on topics that make it challenging to provide feasible solutions. For example, the subsequent global speaker spoke about global terrorism, and it would have been unreasonable to expect her to provide solutions for NA students to tackle global terrorism.

The goal and perhaps biggest challenge of the committee is to ensure that the conversation continues after the initial community reaction to the speaker. Profe thinks that it is the responsibility of the school community to foster discussion. During a breakout session, Dr. Akom stated that conversations similar to the one being held only occur about seven times in one’s lifetime. Profe wants to prove Dr. Akom wrong by fostering an environment where such conversations about race and the environment are commonplace.

Dr. Akom was undoubtedly successful in spreading his message and has fostered productive conversation in the school community, upholding the mission of the Global Speaker Series by expanding the horizon of NA students. Dr. Akom has planted the seeds of awareness and knowledge in the NA community, which will have lasting impact for many years to come.