Agyei Tyehimba was born and raised in the famed “Sugar Hill” section of Harlem. His parents provided him with the best of both worlds. His mother emphasized the importance of character development, education and charity, while his father developed street sense and a love for Black history and culture. Frequent visits to First World Alliance meetings, the book vendors on 125th Street, and Black Liberation Bookstore developed and sharpened his Black Liberation consciousness.

 

Mr. Tyehimba entered Syracuse University in 1986. As a Syracuse University undergraduate, Agyei - then known as Quentin Stith - became Editor-in-Chief of the Black Voice Newsletter in 1987.  As two-term President of the Student African American Society, Mr. Tyehimba published several editorials in the nationally acclaimed Daily Orange newspaper, and was featured in various local newspapers and radio and television programs. He participated in successful efforts to hire more Black faculty, and to strengthen the African American Studies Department. While his organizing efforts brought notoriety, they also earned recognition and validation; Mr. Tyehimba received the Malcolm X Award for Leadership, the Fannie Lou Hamer Award for Outstanding Service, and the Syracuse NAACP Freedom Fund Award. In the academic arena, he received the HEOP Outstanding student award, and was named in graduate school to the National Dean's List.



During his undergraduate years, Agyei Tyehimba delivered dynamic opening speeches for such notables as Nikki Giovanni, Naim Akbar, Kwame Ture, Martin Luther King III, Minister Louis Farrakhan, Dr. Betty Shabazz, and Susan Taylor. Agyei's work at Syracuse University caught the attention of student organizations at neighboring universities who began inviting him to speak about his experiences and to provide political consultation. This led Agyei to become a professional motivational speaker in 1990. His topics included student activism, racism, and the urban drug epidemic.

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The author delivered presentations at Syracuse University, Cornell University, Colgate University, Morrisville College, and a number of colleges within the State University of New York system. 

 

In 1995, Mr. Tyehimba began graduate studies at Cornell University's prestigious Africana Studies & Research Center, after being recruited by the Center's founding Director Dr. James Turner. He became President of the Africana Graduate Student Association and coordinated a student activist conference featuring Kwame Ture as the keynote speaker. Mr. Tyehimba wrote and successfully defended a thesis about the movement to create Black Studies Departments on college campuses in the 1960's. Agyei gave monthly presentations to teenagers residing in the Louis Gossett Jr. Residential Center for Youth, a detention center for troubled female teens in Lansing, New York.



Inspired by the Million Man March in 1995, Mr. Tyehimba and a number of other concerned men in Ithaca, New York founded the "October 16th Rites of Passage Program." This organization of Black men provided structured and developmental mentorship, recreational and educational activities for a cohort group of Black male teens over the course of two years. As the educational coordinator, Agyei created and facilitated activities to help the teens develop life management skills like time management, fundraising, budgeting, decision-making and career planning. By 1997, Agyei earned his Master’s Degree in Africana Studies.

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Agyei Tyehimba is a former 5th and 8th-grade Social Studies teacher in the New York City public school system. Disgusted with the chronically low-performing and failing schools, Mr. Tyehimba co-founded the Knowledge and Power Preparatory Academy (KAPPA) Middle School in the summer of 2000. Many of those original students have now graduated from college and have children themselves.



From 2003-2005, Agyei coordinated an after-school program for high school students in the Bronx, New York.  In addition to providing college application and admissions assistance, he helped students gain summer employment in the fields of their choice and developed workshops to help them develop life management skills.

 

Agyei has written 5 books. In 2002, he approached legendary kingpin Azie Faison about writing his life story. Mr. Tyehimba's goal was to steer youth away from drug dealing and other counterproductive activities. . In 2007, Simon & Schuster published their book, Game Over: The Rise and Transformation of a Harlem Hustler, which received national press and continues to be commercially successful. In 2013, Agyei wrote "The Blueprint: A BSU Handbook," teaching Black Student Union leaders on college campuses the basics of effective leadership. Agyei's book, "Truth for our Youth: A Self-Empowerment Book for Teens," (2014) provides youth with the skills, habits, and information they need to avoid life's traps and become successful. "My Two Cents: Unsolicited Writings on Racism, Politics & Culture," contains powerful essays that inform and inspire. His latest book, "Leadership: Philosophy, Ethics & Practice," provides a basic and comprehensive understanding of community organizing and grassroots leadership.



In addition to teaching, Mr. Tyehimba has provided numerous workshops to help parents understand and exercise their rights and to advocate for their children’s academic success. He has been featured on C-Span, NY1 News, Huffington Post Live, and the Biography Channel. 

 

On February 8, 2016, Agyei founded the Harlem Liberation School, a community organization teaching the Black community to "Wake up, Clean up, and Stand up," using workshops, presentations, film reviews and trainings in Black history, political education, Black consciousness, and community organizing. In May of 2016, Agyei created "Black Liberation University," a Social Media brand providing social commentary and nation-building information to the global Black community. 

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Agyei received his Bachelor's degree in sociology from Syracuse University, his Master's degree in Africana Studies from Cornell University, and a Master's degree in Afro-American Studies from The University of Massachusetts.

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Agyei is available to speak, consult or do book signings at public schools, colleges, churches, and community centers/after-school programs.