Location
Age
Area of FocusAbout Sokoni's Work
Sokoni Karanja is the founder of the Centers for New Horizons, a multipurpose organization operating within Chicago’s public housing developments.
Under his direction, Centers for New Horizons (CNH) has developed early-education concepts for black children, designed to provide excellence in their learning environment and sensitivity to educational needs unique to their community. The Centers’ mental health component addresses not only the needs of the children, but also of their families and extended families. CNH offers programs to help youth prepare for employment and find work, and assists families in becoming economically self-reliant, thus enhancing the quality of their lives and their contribution to the economic revitalization of their community. The economic branch of CNH operates more than 100 units of housing with plans to develop 500 new units.
Biography
Karanja has been the executive director of the Centers for New Horizons since it was founded in 1971. He was assistant dean of students (1968-69) and a lecturer in Black Studies (1969-70) at Brandeis University and a fellow at the Adlai Stevenson Institute (1970-71).
Karanja received a B.A. (1961) from Washburn University, an M.A. (1962) from the University of Denver, and an M.S.W. (1964) from Atlanta University. He holds an M.C.P. (1967) from the University of Cincinnati and a Ph.D. (1979) from Brandeis University.
Last updated January 1, 2005
Published on July 1, 1993
