![]() Protestors have taken to the streets to demand equal dignity, rights, freedom, justice and peace for Black Americans, spurred by one too many senseless murders. Yet, more than seven decades later, the United States of America, which played a leading role in the drafting of that milestone document, finds itself at the crossroads of a human rights crisis. These are just three articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), adopted by the United Nations in 1948. “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.” “Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.” “No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.” We are committed to building a Black women affirming space free from sexism, misogyny, and male‐centeredness.This article was first published in Sustainable Development Goals 2020, published by Witan Media on behalf of UNA-UK. To love and desire freedom and justice for ourselves is a necessary prerequisite for wanting the same for others. In affirming that Black Lives Matter, we need not qualify our position. We are unapologetically Black in our positioning. We are committed to disrupting the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure requirement by supporting each other as extended families and “villages” that collectively care for one another, and especially “our” children to the degree that mothers, parents and children are comfortable. We are committed to dismantling the patriarchal practice that requires mothers to work “double shifts” that require them to mother in private even as they participate in justice work. We are committed to making our spaces family-friendly and enable parents to fully participate with their children. We believe that all people, regardless of age, show up with capacity to lead and learn. We are committed to fostering an intergenerational and communal network free from ageism. We are guided by the fact all Black lives matter, regardless of actual or perceived sexual identity, gender identity, gender expression, economic status, ability, disability, religious beliefs or disbeliefs, immigration status or location. We are committed to being self-reflexive and doing the work required to dismantle cis-gender privilege and uplift Black trans folk, especially Black trans women who continue to be disproportionately impacted by trans-antagonistic violence. ![]() We are committed to embracing and making space for trans siblings to participate and lead. When we gather, we do so with the intention of freeing ourselves from the tight grip of heteronormative thinking or, rather, the belief that all in the world are heterosexual unless s/he or they disclose otherwise. We are committed to fostering a queer‐affirming network. We see ourselves as part of the global Black family and we are aware of the different ways we are impacted or privileged as Black folk who exist in different parts of the world. We are committed to acknowledging, respecting, and celebrating difference(s) and commonalities. We are committed to embodying and practicing justice, liberation, and peace in our engagements with one another. We are committed to practicing empathy we engage comrades with the intent to learn about and connect with their contexts. As we forge our path, we intentionally build and nurture a beloved community that is bonded together through a beautiful struggle that is restorative, not depleting. We are committed to collectively, lovingly, and courageously working vigorously for freedom and justice for Black people and, by extension, all people.
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