All posts by Aisha Francis

About Aisha Francis

Aisha Francis, Ph.D., is the CEO of the Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology in Boston. A proponent of access to economic mobility, she is an enthusiastic champion for the learning opportunities her own two children are receiving in Boston's public schools. The daughter of a Dominican Republic immigrant father and mother who is a sixth-generation Nashvillian, she now resides in Boston. Aisha deeply appreciates the fortitude evident in Boston's immigrant and native communities. Her hobbies are reading, cooking, travel, and genealogy.

‘Even birds want to be free’

This photograph shows Hiram Overton (ca. 1835-1911) and his wife, Evelyn Overton (1841-1917), my great-great-great-grandparents. We opened Black History Month at Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology with a call to share personal stories highlighting our family connections to the African-American heritage we celebrate for these 28 days. I’m joining in the effort by sharing and honoring the story of Hiram and Evelyn Overton. Together they are the foundations of my maternal lineage, lovers of kin and country, survivors of slavery and institutional racism, keepers of the flame and inspiring #BlackEntrepreneurs. Continue reading ‘Even birds want to be free’