Born and raised in the northeast USA, a graduate of Rutgers University (B.A. Speech Pathology and
Audiology) and The College of New Jersey (M. Ed Education), Alison found herself transported across
continents and the ocean to the coastal sub-tropical city of Douala, Cameroon where she became fluent
in French, cultivated life-long friendships and began a teaching career.
It was at The American School of Douala (ASD), that she served as an elementary classroom teacher,
middle school Language Arts and Social Studies teacher and Assistant Administrator. After 17 years of
service and a brief hiatus, she once again journeyed onto a new teaching adventure in the sandy dunes
of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Currently Alison serves as the family matriarch and executive at DX4 Solutions, LLC, a developing
logistics company. However, her greatest accomplishment is becoming a grandmother to two baby boys
born nine days apart, in December 2021.
Below are Alison’s responses to some questions posed by Ms. Allyson Brown:
1). Why is Black History Month important to all people of African descent?
BHM is not just important to all Black people, it’s important to ALL people, whether one believes in
Darwinism or Creationism, the first human beings originated in Abyssinia (Garden of Eden) or Ethiopia.
So all people are descendants of Africans. That makes the contributions of Africans, African Americans
and the African Diaspora noteworthy and relevant to all people.
Secondly, it’s ashame that a month had to be designated to begin recognizing the contribution our
people have made. Too often Europeans have pirated our technology, inventions, recipes, styles, music
and tried to pass them off as their creations. Worse than white-washing history, they have even tried to
hide certain events from history because they are so atrocious, they can’t bear to be reminded of them.
Just look at this foolish Critical Race Theory debate. Those whose ancestors committed atrocities against
us, don’t want their children to be taught their people were so horrible.
2). Who is your favorite Black personality and why?
Hmmm, that’s a tough one. I can’t say there is one specific person. I hold a deep esteem for all who have
sacrificed, rebelled, spoken up, stood up from slavery and continue today. While my generation and
those after have benefitted from the Civil Rights movement, not much has changed today. Due to
technological advances, we currently witness public lynchings that probably never stopped. We are still
fighting for our piece of the pie, for social, political justice and equality. So anybody trying bring about
real equality is my hero.
4). What advice do you have for students?
Never be afraid to ask. Ask for help, ask for clarification, it is ok not to understand. Teachers are trained
to help students access information and gain mastery of skills in many ways. If the way something was
taught the first time doesn’t make sense to you speak up and ask the teacher to say/show it in a
different way.
5). What advice do you have to educators?
Create a classroom culture where students feel secure enough to ask questions, dialog and discover
themselves. Help students to identify their strengths and their weaknesses. Help them find strategies to
minimize and/or eliminate the weaknesses. Creating a safe and secure classroom will also allow
students to feel free to share what is on their minds or what may going on outside of the class that may
be interfering with the learning process.
6). Is there anything else that would be of interest to others?
I enjoy travel, learning about other people and their cultures, especially through food, music, and
language.
Activism runs in the family. My great, great maternal grandfather Thomas E, Miller Thomas E. Miller –
Wikipedia, was
an educator, politician and political activist during the Jim crow era was one of the few African
Americans elected to Congress. He used his influence to positively impact his community and his people.
I was a participant in the 1996 Centennial Olympics, in Atlanta (as a member of the Swiss Radio & TV
crew)