Edward Ndopu, UN SDG Advocate for Accessibility and Inclusion, on “radical humanity”

Catalyze

Humanitarian Edward Ndopu joined Catalyze co-hosts Sarah O’Carroll and Elias Guedira ’26 during his visit to the Morehead-Cain Foundation this spring. Ndopu represents accessibility and inclusion as one of the 17 official UN Advocates for the Sustainable Development Goals.
Ndopu shares about his experiences becoming the first disabled Black man to receive a master’s degree from Oxford University, his career in activism for intersectional disability justice, and advice for leaders in higher education to envision “radical inclusion” on college campuses.
Ndopu also previews his upcoming memoir, Drinking Dom Perignon Through a Straw, and talks about what it would be like to be the first disabled person to travel to space.
Edward delivered a Food for Thought talk on January 27 to an audience of Morehead-Cain Scholars and students at UNC–Chapel Hill. The breakfast and conversation series is held on Fridays at the Foundation this semester. Learn more and RSVP for upcoming events on the Morehead-Cain Network.

Music credits
The intro music is by Scott Hallyburton ’22, guitarist of the band South of the Soul.
How to listen
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The Catalyze podcast is a series by the Morehead-Cain Foundation, home of the first merit scholarship program in the United States and located at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The show is directed and produced by Sarah O’Carroll, Content Manager for Morehead-Cain.
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