What happens when a country reclaims its narrative, filmmakers embrace their roots, and a generation answers the call? Welcome to a new chapter of global Black identity—unfolding right in the heart of New York City.
The streets of Manhattan will buzz with the usual flurry of diplomatic suits and security convoys during UN General Assembly week. But just blocks away from the policy debates and photo ops, something far more personal and powerful is happening. On the evening of September 25th, beneath the warm lights of the Millennium Hilton UN Plaza, a historic moment will take place.
The room will be filled with energy. Not just from heads of state and CEOs, but from storytellers, cultural architects, and visionaries with a shared purpose. Gathered to honor Spike Lee and Tonya Lewis Lee whose newly appointed roles as Thematic Ambassadors to the African Descendant Diaspora by the Government of Benin signal more than a title. They mark a return. A reconnection. A reawakening.
The Story Behind the Moment
This isn’t a flash-in-the-pan red carpet affair. It’s the continuation of a movement rooted in belonging. In July, Benin passed Law No. 2024-31, granting citizenship to Afro-descendants who can trace their ancestry to those taken from its shores during the transatlantic slave trade. It’s a bold act of recognition, but also a healing gesture that spans centuries of displacement and longing.
For Spike and Tonya Lee, this isn’t just about heritage, it’s about building something tangible for the future. Citizenship. Investment. Ownership. Legacy.Their focus in this role will include reconnecting Black Americans to their ancestral roots in Benin, promoting pathways to diaspora citizenship and cultural belonging and driving cooperative private-sector development and inclusive investment between the US, Benin and the broader diaspora.
The event, hosted by Benin’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, His Excellency Mr. Olushegun Bakari, along with YPO (Young Presidents’ Organization) leaders Boladji Agueh and Dr. Charlayne Hayling-Williams, brings together a powerhouse of Black excellence from across the globe.
“We are gathering to not only honor the past — we are building the future,” says His Excellency Mr. Olushegun Bakari, Minister of Foreign Affairs. “In Tonya and Spike Lee, we’ve found true allies — storytellers and cultural stewards whose appointment is far more than a ceremonial gesture; it is an authentic partnership, grounded in purposeful action.”
A Personal Return to the Source
Imagine Tonya Lewis Lee—eyes wide with focus, standing at the edge of history in Benin, with Spike Lee by her side. This is a place where ancestors were taken, and where their descendants are now returning with purpose. For Tonya, it’s not just symbolic. It’s deeply spiritual.
This connection was cemented during a July exploratory mission to Benin, led by National Geographic explorer Tara Roberts and organized by Boladji Agueh, a U.S.-based tech executive and member of National Geographic’s Hubbard Council. It was during this journey that Tonya experienced love at first sight. More than Benin’s culture, history, and spiritual resonance she was struck by a futuristic intensity of the ground and felt an undeniable calling to be a part of it. Tonya is now fully committed to inviting the global Black diaspora to connect, many of whom still carry ancestral ties waiting to be uncovered.
With the close guidance of His Excellency Mr. Olushegun Bakari, Benin’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tonya and Spike Lee, along with Agueh, aligned on a bold and shared vision for diasporic engagement—one that Tonya now leads with passion, clarity, and purpose.
“The storms that may have taken our brothers from Africa to here are now taking us back,” says Agueh, who also co-chaired YPO’s Building Bridges in Accra summit. “Working hand and hand with Spike and Tonya Lee, Beninese leaders and our global network, I want to be a bridge for that connection — fostering belonging through identity and reconnection, but also through cooperative economics and cross-sector innovation.”
Rebuilding the Bridge Together
The reception isn’t just a celebration. It’s the launchpad for a larger vision. The Republic of Benin is not only welcoming its descendants home—it’s inviting them to co-create a future where legacy meets leadership.
This vision includes citizenship pathways for Afro-descendants, private sector collaboration, diasporic investment, cultural tourism, and innovation hubs that stretch across the Atlantic. It’s an invitation to reconnect through art, business, health, and wellness.
As Dr. Charlayne Hayling-Williams explains, “When we reclaim our heritage and invest in one another across generations, we’re preserving more than legacy — we’re restoring the conditions for long term health and self determination, building the future our ancestors dreamed of.”
More Than a Moment; It’s a Movement
From the vibrant corridors of Harlem to the historic coasts of West Africa, the message is clear. The diaspora is not lost. It’s rising. Reconnecting. Rebuilding.
And this event, this beautifully curated evening with its rich blend of elegance, power, and purpose is only the beginning.
“Black to the Future” isn’t just a tagline. It’s a declaration. It’s what happens when narrative becomes infrastructure. When pride becomes partnership. When we realize that the future is not something to wait for—it’s something to create, together.
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