501(c)(3) · Serving the U.S. and the global Black Diaspora
Leadership for the information age.
The African American Leadership Network prepares people of color to lead. We fund research on the health issues that hit our families hardest, fight racial bias in artificial intelligence, build leaders in our neighborhoods, and work with partners across Africa.
FOCUS Life
Prostate cancer research and cannabis policy reform, led by Eugene Smith II.
TechnologyBrownTech
Fighting racial bias in AI and training the next generation of tech leaders.
CommunityLeaders at home
Leadership academies, civic engagement and economic power in communities of color.
AfricaVakers Ark
Farming, seed security and resource centers with partners in Nigeria.
Advancing the evidence in prostate cancer.
The Independent Prostate Cancer Discovery Study is a partnership of FOCUS Life Ministries and the African American Leadership Network. Prostate cancer falls hardest on Black men. The study makes sure promising findings are organized, independently tested, replicated and carried toward responsible clinical use, then published whether the results are positive or not.
Source: NCI SEER, Prostate Cancer Stat Facts, 2026 estimates.
Medicinal mushrooms
Standardized candidates tested for identity, potency, contaminants, stability and safety before prostate-cancer assay design.
Botanical & microbial
Defined herbal combinations documented by composition, preparation, dose and interaction risk, with laboratory outcomes in place of claims.
Bioelectric & acoustic
Frequency and resonance systems characterized as a measurement program at the bench level, not as a therapy.
Where the founding $500,000 goes
This is a research-funding summary for information only. It is not medical advice, and no approach described here is an approved prostate cancer treatment. Gifts are received by the African American Leadership Network, the 501(c)(3) charity of record for this campaign.
Cannabis is a governance test. We want communities of color to pass it.
Led by Eugene Smith II, our cannabis work treats the issue as public health, criminal justice, economic development and institutional capacity together. Federal rescheduling opens room for research, but decades of enforcement fell hardest on Black and Brown communities. Equity has to be built into the rules, not added later.
Cannabis policy is no longer a relic of moral debate. It’s a governance test. Success will go to those who treat it like one.Eugene Smith II, “Cannabis Governance in 2026: Policy Discipline Over Politics”
- 1Accessible capital for legacy and emerging operators
- 2Technical assistance that matches regulatory complexity
- 3Licensing frameworks that do not favor entrenched interests
- 4Measurable reinvestment tied to local economic development
AI that sees all of us fairly.
Biased algorithms already shape who gets hired, how patients are treated and how neighborhoods are policed. BrownTech is AALN’s national initiative to expose that bias, train leaders who can fix it, and make sure communities of color help write the rules for the technology of tomorrow.
To empower communities of color in the digital age, ensuring that artificial intelligence and future systems are free from racial bias and inclusive of diverse voices.
BrownTech Research Lab
Ongoing studies that expose racial bias in AI systems used in health care, hiring and policing.
Leadership Fellowship
Training 100 leaders of color in tech ethics and AI policy.
Watchdog Platform
A public reporting system where anyone can document a case of biased AI.
Community Education
Digital literacy training for more than 10,000 African Americans.
Become an AI Equity GuardianGive $25 a month to support the #BiasFreeAI campaign and the annual BrownTech Equity Summit.
Give monthlyBuilding leaders where we live.
AALN connects community, political and economic leaders across the country. We train the next generation, open doors to capital and public office, and help neighborhoods prepare for and recover from disaster.
Leadership Development
Leadership academies and youth mentorship for emerging leaders.
Economic Empowerment
Entrepreneurship workshops and access to capital for Black-owned businesses.
Civic Engagement
Policy forums and the Representation Accountability Project.
Community Collaboration
Community summits that bring churches, HBCUs and local government to one table.
Disaster Resilience
Disaster relief and recovery planning for underserved neighborhoods.
Technology & Innovation
AI education, broadband and STEM through BrownTech.
From the Diaspora, back to the land.
With our sister nonprofit, Vakers Ark One World Africa, we fight food insecurity in Nigeria through farming, seed security and sustainable infrastructure.
Farming in Nigeria
Our first goal: put 10 hectares of Nigerian farmland into production to feed families.
The SEED Initiative
Sowing Endurance, Empowerment & Development: community seed banks in the U.S. and Nigeria.
Community resource centers
High-tech community centers across the continent that run the food and seed programs.
The people behind the network.
Rahim Talley
Chairman
Preston Powell III
Executive Director
Eugene Smith II
Founder, FOCUS Life Ministries. Leads Health & Wellness and cannabis policy.
Martin Perkins, Esq.
Policy Consultant
Give today
Invest in Black leadership.
Every gift goes through PayPal and supports AALN’s work in health, technology, community and Africa. AALN is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and gifts are tax-deductible as allowed by law.
- Prostate Cancer Discovery Study
- BrownTech and #BiasFreeAI
- Leadership in our communities
- Food security in Nigeria