On Saturday, March 17^th, UPstander International Director Omekongo Dibinga will launch his annual "Be an UPstander, not a BYstander Tour." Between March 17^th and April 28^th, In addition to performing and providing keynote presentations for high school and college events, Omekongo will also provide professional development training for educators on the importance of understanding the rich diversity of their students. Omekongo will share his work on diversity appreciation and social justice in Washington DC, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Minnesotta, Maryland, and Ohio.

The tour kicks of this Saturday when Omekongo speaks to the Latin American Youth Center's Annual Conference. Some of the other stops include New York, where Omekongo will serve as a mentor to a global teen at the annual "Just Peace Summit," which is organized by the We Are Family Foundation in honor of the late champion for peace, Mattie Stepanek. In Maryland, Omekongo will be the keynote presenter at the annual "Take Back the Night" rally. The last stop on the tour will be Maryland again, where Omekongo will present the National Association of Multicultural Education (NAME) Conference on successful strategies to reach students of diverse backgrounds. 

Says Omekongo of this tour: "I am very excited to be going on tour once again. From speaking at an African business conference to Diversity Day in Pennsylvania, this tour has more diverse elements than my previous tours. I will be engaging thousands of people from all walks of life who have one thing in common: they want to be UPstanders and not bystanders to the societal ills that we face. It's going to be a great trip!"

Omekongo is an award-winning artist who uses his skills as a speaker, poet, and musician to inspire positive change across the globe. His work has been televised in over 150 countries. He was selected by CNN as one of 5 people out of 750,000 to receive the first ever "iReport Spirit Award." For more information, please visitwww.upstanderinternational.com.