The Black Land and Liberation Initiative is a proactive response to the scale, pace and intensity of systemic social inequity and ecological erosion. These systems are rooted in the theft of indigenous land and indigenous labor, the latter of which was particularly extracted from peoples of African descent. Liberation requires healing, transformation, justice, and building more power than many of us have imagined having. Our kind of liberation is centered in abolition, self-determination, and reciprocal relationships with each other and the land. These values, this moment, and our politic point us toward reparations, Black and Indigenous stewardship solidarity, and land liberation.
BLLI incubation of Black land projects is guided by these values:
- Cooperation and Interdependence – We strive to cultivate stronger relationships, greater coordination, and more unity amongst organizing and amongst all people. Relationships are key, and are our most powerful currency.
- Self-determination, Autonomy and Sovereignty with accountability to the collective
- Whole beingness – We invite the whole of each person – all identities and all relationships they are accountable to, to be represented rather than asking folks to choose.
- Healing with Land, showing up to support and be in fellowship and collaboration across land spaces and being led by people and beings on the ground.
- Valuing Land Stewardship – In working with land stewards,they must be resourced for their labor on the land
- Decolonization, which requires deep relationships, practice, healing, and learning from the land, youth and elders.
- Re-indigenization which includes celebration, grieving, rituals and practices rooted in ancestral wisdom and land wisdom, reciprocity, and valuing each other and all beings.
- Combating Burnout – healing, slowing down, restoration,
- Unlearning dominant culture – We are in a process of unlearning the oppressive elements of dominant culture and are committed to a practice of eliminating them from ourselves, organizing spaces, and communities.