8th Annual Building Power Conference: Building Power Toward Collective Liberation

The mission of Building Power is to center community knowledge in the fight against white extremism. Often in academic spaces, we do not learn from the activists, community leaders and organizers doing the work in our communities. We want to flip this narrative and provide a space for community leaders to be the teachers, and for students to engage in this type of learning in an accessible way. 

This past year, the world has become more aware of the ongoing struggles of many, including Congo, Sudan, and Palestine. Although we are not there, there is a sense of urgency and responsibility for us to also advocate for the liberation of these people in addition to our own selves. We recognize how these struggles that are happening across the world are happening parallel here. Dr. King said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” Black freedom struggles in the United States have always had global dimensions and a deep impact on others across the world.

For the purposes of Building Power, we will be using the following definition of collective liberation from the Center of Racial Justice in Education: Collective liberation acknowledges that multiple oppressions exist, and that we work in solidarity to undo oppression in ourselves, our families, our communities, and our institutions, in order to achieve a world that is truly free. Black Radical Healing Pathways chose this topic for this year’s Building power because we wanted to explore the meaning of ujima (collective work and responsibility) in current day contexts and liberation movements. 

While we talk about global struggles, it is imperative to remember that we have multiple liberation movements happening on US soil today that also require collective liberation. As we work within these movements, having the knowledge of global struggles allows us to be more intentional in our work and advocacy. Keeping the essence of Building Power’s mission in mind, we plan on inviting speakers who have diverse experiences in multiple liberation movement spaces with impacts here and abroad.