“A shared purpose for African community leaders in Sioux Falls”
Sioux Falls schools are approaching 50% diversity, yet African communities remain under-represented in the rooms where decisions are made. Our families face cultural isolation, our youth are at risk, and our seniors struggle with disconnection.
ACEN was founded to close this gap. We are a shared table for all African communities—a place where we turn our growing numbers into an organized, visible, and powerful collective voice.
Our Mission: To create unified pathways for African and communities of color to engage, lead, and thrive in Sioux Falls through leadership development, cross-cultural collaboration, and strategic community organizing.
Our Vision: A Sioux Falls where African communities are visibly united, politically represented, economically empowered, and culturally celebrated—ensuring real opportunity for the next generation.
We are currently working toward the establishment of an African Communities Center—a one-stop hub for support, resource navigation, and cultural celebration.
These are the principles that guide every action we take.
We come from many nations, but here we are one African community. We refuse to let old divisions weaken us.
Leadership is influence and action, not titles. We value those who show up and do the work.
We build credibility by being reliable and consistent—doing exactly what we say we will do.
We are building long-term structures, starting with committed people and expanding strategically.
We develop youth leadership so our children become the professionals and public leaders of tomorrow.
United for Empowerment ACEN is led by a dedicated team including Edwin M. Tarplah, Moses Idri, and John Mbanda, working alongside community leaders to ensure our professional expertise is used to uplift every family in our network.
