Her Excellency Constância Adelina Gaspar, the African Union’s representative to the United States, will be the featured speaker at the annual fundraising breakfast and luncheon hosted by Books For Africa next week in Roseville.
The events are scheduled for Wednesday, May 13, at Midland Hills Country Club, with the breakfast beginning at 9 a.m. and the luncheon at noon.
Gaspar, a native of Angola, became the African Union’s ambassador to the U.S. in 2025. The African Union, which represents all 55 countries on the African continent, established its first diplomatic mission to the United States in Washington in 2007 as part of a broader effort to strengthen relations with the U.S. government, multilateral institutions and the African diaspora.
According to the African Union, Gaspar brings more than 15 years of experience in public international law, treaty negotiation and multilateral diplomacy within both the African Union and United Nations systems. Before her appointment in Washington, she served as officer-in-charge of the African Union Permanent Observer Mission to the United Nations in New York, where she also worked as a senior legal officer.
“We appreciate having the African Union ambassador at our Books For Africa event as she can speak for the entire continent of Africa given her position,” Patrick Plonski, executive director of Books For Africa, said in a statement. “We look forward to hearing her thoughts on educational trends across Africa, and the resulting impact on trade, economic development, and global stability.”
Founded in St. Paul in 1988, Books For Africa is the world’s largest shipper of donated textbooks and library books to the African continent. The nonprofit has sent more than 65 million books to all 55 African countries since its founding.
Last year alone, the organization shipped more than 2.8 million books valued at over $28.5 million to 36 countries across Africa—a 78% increase over the previous year—alongside more than half a million digital books distributed through computers and e-readers.
The annual fundraiser draws supporters, educators, business leaders and members of Minnesota’s African diaspora community while helping raise funds to support future book shipments and literacy initiatives across the continent, as the organization continues to expand its reach and impact.
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About Tom Gitaa, Editor-in-Chief
Born and raised in Kenya's coastal city of Mombasa, Tom is the Founder, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of Mshale which has been reporting on the news and culture of African immigrants in the United States since 1995. He has a BA in Business from Metro State University and a Public Leadership Credential from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. He was the original host of Talking Drum, the signature current affairs show on the African Broadcasting Network (ABN-America), which was available nationwide in the United States via the Dish Network satellite service. On the show, he interviewed Nobel laureates such as 2004 Nobel Peace prize winner, Professor Wangari Maathai, the first woman from Africa to win the peace prize and heads of states. Tom has served and chaired various boards including Global Minnesota (formerly Minnesota International Center), the sixth largest World Affairs Council in the United States. He has previously served as the first Black President of the Board of Directors at Books for Africa. He also serves on the board of the Minnesota Multicultural Media Consortium. He has previously served two terms on the board of the United Nations Association. An avid runner, he retired from running full marathons after turning 50 and now only focuses on training for half marathons.
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