As I Run Toward Africa is Molefi Kete Asante's memoir of his extraordinary life. He takes the reader on a journey from the American South to the homes of kings in Africa. Born into a family of 16 children living in a two bedroom shack, Asante rose to become director of UCLA's Centre for Afro American Studies, editor of the Journal of Black Studies and university professor by the age of 30. The government of Ghana designated Asante as a traditional king in 1996. Asante recounts his meetings with personalities such as Wole Soyinka, Cornel West and others. This is an uplifting real-life story about hope and empowerment.