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A Q&A with Ben Jealous, former NAACP head turned tech investor

The visiting scholar discusses the social innovation class he is teaching, plus why it’s key to focus on local civil rights victories and the need to take a long view of history.
A person standing with arms crossed, in a courtyard next to a metal railing aside glass windows.
Ben Jealous, former head of the NAACP, is a visiting scholar in the Annenberg School for Communication, the School of Social Policy & Practice, and Wharton. He is teaching a class on social innovation, part of SP2’s Nonprofit Leadership program.

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    People gather around a large map placed on the floor.

    In Senegal, the ambitious Dakar Greenbelt project seeks to create an extensive network of ecological infrastructure in and around the city to sustainably address environmental concerns and enhance urban life. With support from David Gouverneur and Ellen Neises, Ph.D. candidate Rob Levinthal in the Weitzman School of Design led two courses that included a field trip to Dakar, that culminated in students presenting their visions for parts of the Greenbelt.

    (Image: Courtesy of Chaowu Li)

    From a desert to an oasis: Penn engages in ambitious greening effort in the Sahel

    Students from the Weitzman School of Design journeyed to Senegal to help with a massive ecological and infrastructural greening effort as part of their coursework. The Dakar Greenbelt aims to combat desertification and promote sustainable urban growth.

    Jan 31, 2025