Georgina Falú

Georgina Falú Pesante (born April 23, 1939) is an Afro–Puerto Rican university executive, community organizer, professor, and Pan-Africanist.

Falú was born on April 23, 1939 in Puerto Rico to María Magdalena “Malen” Pesante Santana and Juan “Juanín” Falú Zarzuela.^[1] She was one of eleven children, including Malín Falú.^[2] Juanin Falú was a civil servant who founded the League to Promote the Advancement of Blacks in Puerto Rico. Juanin's father, Pedro Falú, was the first Afro-Puerto Rican Santurce Municipal Assembly president. In 2009, Falú traced her lineage to Senegal’s Falú clan. ^[1]

Falú attended Pedro Gerónimo Goyco Elementary and Central High School, graduating in 1957. In 1961, she graduated from University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus (UPR-RP) with her BA in accounting, and went on to get an MBA from UC Berkeley (1964).^[1] She later earned her MA and Ed.D. in Higher Education Finances from Columbia University (1980-1983).^[1] She also attended the Harvard Graduate School of Business (1970).^[1][3]

In 1969, Falú married Roy A. Hollingsworth., with whom she had one son, Rey Hollingsworth Falú.^[1]

Falú began her academic career working at the UPR-RP in 1961. In 1972, she was appointed dean of the UPR-RP College of Business, making her the first Black person, woman, and youngest appointed person in the position.^[1]

Falú continued working at other academic institutions throughout the 1970's and 1980s. In 1972, Falú became the first Black person, woman, and youngest appointed UPR-RP College of Business dean. She worked at Baruch College from 1975-1976 and then became the first woman to serve as vice president of administration at Union Theological Seminary (1976-1979). She taught at SUNY-Old Westbury (1980-1995) and served as a dean of Touro College in 1986.^[1] She later worked at City College of New York as an Adjunct Professor in the Black Studies Department^[3] Falú created the country's first university course with "Afro-Latinos" in the title.^[4]

In 1984, Falú met kemetaphysician Dr. Yosef ben-Jochannan, who encouraged her to explore her African heritage.^[5]

In 1988, Falú sold her home in El Señoral, Puerto Rico and founded the Universal Business and Media School in Spanish Harlem. She was the first Afro-Puerto Rican woman to own an accredited US business school. The school ran through 2001, when it was closed as the state Department of Education was investigating it for violations.^[1][6]

In 1988, Falú also founded the Falú Foundation to serve low-income communities and engage in African diaspora history. The Falú Foundation also translates popular titles into Spanish^[1] and provides scholarships to minorities and encourages the development of minority-owned businesses,^[7] and runs technology program for the community.^[8]

In 1994, she organized the first annual Silicon Barrio conference. This conference focused on bringing more Hispanic workers into the information technology industries.^[7]

In 2005, Falú founded the AFROLAA Project (Afro-Latinos of the Americas) to help Spanish-speaking Afro-descendants learn about their African heritage. In 2014, she cofounded the Elombe Brath Foundation.^[1] She also created the upper Manhattan community's first Internet center.^[8]

Between 2015 and 2018, Falú organized the first Puerto Rican Afro-descendant Congresses.^[1] She is a member of the World African Diaspora Union and active in the African Strategic and Peace Research Group (AFSTRAG).^[5][9]

• 1974: Woman of the Year in Education, Puerto Rican Chamber of Commerce ^[1]
• 1999: Seventh Annual Women's History Month Awards Ceremony, Inner City Women's Committee^[10]
• 2014: Woman of Distinction, New York State Senate^[1]
• 2018: Featured in Latin Roots East Harlem Exhibition^[11]