Meet the founder: Lillah Penddah, AFRO FACTS
Founder: Lillah Penddah
Company: AFROFACTS
Based in: Edmonton, AB
Lillah Penddah, Founder, AFRO FACTS, an Edmonton-based game that provides Black history education in an alternative way, is creating safe spaces and sparking important conversations around systemic racism, prejudice, and the true history of our country.
“Throughout my schooling, I noticed that I didn’t learn anything about Black history. It was interesting that there was a whole month dedicated to Black history, but I was not being taught about it. With this in mind, I took it upon myself to educate myself and my friends about Black History… This would propel the development of my game.” said Lillah.
Each year, Lillah would host a new version of the game with friends, which eventually grew to an annual production for 25+people at her house, and as a single person leading this charge, Lillah reached a point of burnout. After a 7-year hiatus from AFRO FACTS, Lillah felt the call of the word in 2020, in the midst of the pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement, and brought the game back with a new perspective: to apply her game on a larger scale to make a global impact.
As a participant in the Alberta Catalyzer’s first cohort, Lillah highlights her experiences, and how the province’s pre-accelerator program is helping evolve her game, and create a long-lasting business structure.
“To be a part of the first cohort is such an honor at the end of the day because it says that they see value in what I'm doing, in the same way, I see value in what they're doing. We mutually have a vested interest that can only lead to success.”
To learn more about AFRO FACTS, or if you would like to connect with Lillah, you can find her on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram, where she brings her love of coaching, Black history, and baking together.