Direct control over one’s affairs – economic, political, and cultural — counts as a matter of human rights and indicates the maturity of a nation. Despite nominal independence and acquisition of some civil liberties, Africans across the Diaspora have none of the above. Even worse, there exists several efforts to divide us, and drudge up embarrassment toward each other, our communities, and most especially the Motherland from which we originated.

It’s for these reasons that our sovereignty as African people — people of African descent with a collective Black consciousness, and yearning to build among one another — remains in jeopardy.

As the Honorable Marcus Mosiah Garvey, Malcolm X, Kwame Nkrumah, and other proponents of self-determination have expressed, our salvation will not come from without, but within the Black African family. In 2019, we have the tools necessary to achieve such a feat, arguably more so than when these men walked the Earth. However, we’re disorganized and disjointed, allowing outside actors to infiltrate and act as allies in our freedom, when that should be something for us to acquire on our own.

Toward the end of last year, myself and other members of the Pan-African Federalist Movement presented an opportunity for global African self-determination, through which neoliberal African heads of state and Black leaders throughout the Diaspora would have to acquiesce to the demands of a highly organized, resourceful people for the development of a United African States within a generation.

Half a year later, that effort continues in the D.C. metropolitan area where, in addition to a United African States, we’ve organized our people around eight goals specific to the conditions we face locally:

  1. Promoting Health and Wellness
  2. Increasing Intergenerational Communication
  3. Promoting Positive Black African Culture through Music and Arts
  4. Establishing Food Security
  5. Defending Black African People Physically, Mentally, and Spiritually
  6. Establishing an Economic System to Encourage Industry and Commerce
  7. Filling the Education Gap
  8. Establishing a System of Self-Governance

The aforementioned goals speak to the qualities of a highly organized, self-sufficient people who can do for self and successfully demand much of colonial governments — including reparations for its past crimes against humanity.

With the relatively vast resources and Black African groups in the District working in their silos, not much can be done. However, once we all join the campaign for a United African States — of which the Diaspora is included — then we can organize locally around these eight goals and help each other grow stronger collectively.

On Friday, July 19, during another edition of The AllEyesOnDC Show, we will delve deeper into the campaign for a United African States and the eight goals that we can unite around locally. Keep in mind that these are issues that Africans across the Diaspora endure daily. Together, we can serve as an example of how best to meet our needs. Hope that you’re ready to organize for our self-determination.