Dr. Barbara Ransby is a historian, writer, and longtime political activist. She is a Professor of History; Gender and Women's Studies; and African American Studies and Director of Social Justice Initiative at the University of Illinois in Chicago. In her newest book, Making All Black Lives Matter: Reimagining Freedom in the 21st Century, she examines the BLM movement, discussing its roots and motivations, its politics and its future as part of what she calls a new Black Freedom movement.
She believes that because BLM is the first anti-racist movement to center the importance of black feminist and queer leadership, it gives the movement a larger vision for change. Movements like such are not afraid to think outside the box and embrace creative solutions to the problems we all face. A few other similar organizations that are led by younger folx and doing the work are:
Assata's daughters which was formed in March 2015 in order to address a shortage in programming and community for women identified young Black people in Chicago.
LetUsBreathe is an alliance of artists and activists organizing through a creative lens to imagine a world without prisons and police. The Collective operates the Breathing Room space, a Black-led liberation headquarters for arts, organizing, and healing on Chicago's South Side.
But, one that I resonated most is the TheRisingMajority which recognizes the urgency for the Left and POC-led social movements to align our vision and strategies and put forward a common platform for the period ahead. This coalition seeks to develop a collective strategy and shared practice that will involve labor, youth, abolition, immigrant rights, climate change, feminist, anti-war/anti-imperialist, and economic justice forces in order to amplify our collective power and to build alignment across our movements.
These are just a few that I have heard of or learned about recently. But there are many other individuals and organizations that are quietly doing the work. They are stopping for accolades or acknowledgements. If you know of them, please share the information with us so we can bring these organizations to the attention of those who are longing to partner in this work, or for those who can benefit from the services.
My other question is - how is God calling you and I to make a different in this world? what can you and I to make this world a better place for someone? Whatever you are called to do, I ask that you also pray! Pray for our world, our country, our people, our families, for me. Pray for those who cause us pain. Pray for one another. Prayerfully, I remain your partner in justice.
