Bakary Tandia works as both Case Manager and Policy Advocate at African Services Committee. As a case manager, he assists clients newly diagnosed with HIV in accessing health care, housing and supportive services that enable them to regain their health and build productive lives. In this role, he facilitates a weekly support group that is culturally and linguistically appropriate for people from across the African Diaspora.

As policy advocate, Tandia works to raise awareness of public health and human rights issues in the African community and to empower newcomers to understand and protect their rights as immigrants. He has extensive experience in community organizing, coalition work and building strategic partnerships across diverse communities. He advocates on behalf of African immigrants by participating in public hearings with elected officials and policymakers and and lobbying trips to City Hall, Albany and Washington, D.C. He is a frequent media commentator and has presented at numerous local and international forums and conferences, including the historic immigration rally in New York City in 2006 and the World Conference on Racism in Durban, South Africa where he was a member of the African NGOs coordinating committee.

Originally from Mauritania, Mr. Tandia is a human rights activist in the movement against slavery and racial discrimination. Tandia strongly believes in the integration of Africa as the most viable solution for its sustainable development.

He is also the executive director of the Forum for African Immigrant Associations, and organization begun under the auspices of African Services. Iin that capacity, Tandia has been organizing community leadership training to provide African organizations with the skills they need to achieve their goals. In addition to that, he serves on the board of the New York Immigration Coalition. He was recipient of the 2005 New American Leaders Fellowship Program jointly sponsored by Coro Leadership Center and The New York Immigration Coalition and was a participant in the Hamburg-New York 2007 IntegrationXchange 2007, a program jointly sponsored through DCS by the U.S. State Department and the Koeberg Foundation, Germany.

Tandia was trained as a criminologist at the University of Abidjan, Ivory Coast and holds a BA in international criminal justice from John Jay College of Criminal justice in New York.  Tandia speaks Soninke, Pulaar and French, in addition to English.