Seeking
Justice.
Government policies have the potential to enrich people’s lives materially as well as encourage their participation as citizens. They also have tremendous power to worsen people’s lives materially as well as discourage their participation as citizens. Freedmen was the term used to identify America’s emancipated slaves and their descendants after chattel slavery was abolished in the United States following the Civil War. America’s Freedmen were supposed to be Freemen entitled to all of the personal, political, and civil rights granted to our country’s citizens. Yet, America repeatedly used race to deny its newest Freemen the full scope of these benefits conferred with citizenship, including equal access to participate in economic opportunities. The U.S. government intentionally enacted wealth-building policies designed to exclude the Freedmen. This is the history of America’s chattel slaves and their descendants, and it will take remedies limited specifically to this group to begin to repair the injuries that now span across multiple generations.
The Freeman Initiative was conceived after both reviewing a growing body of data that corroborated Black Americans, specifically descendants of American chattel slavery, experienced disproportionately negative outcomes in nearly every socioeconomic status measurement, and hearing the collective outcry against their plight under the increasing awareness of how systemic racism perpetuates generational oppression and poverty within this group of people. Whether we are talking about the racial wealth gap, government surveillance and profiling, incarceration, housing discrimination, property evaluation, voting suppression, employment, healthcare, drug arrests, immigration policies enforcement, or environmental planning and pollution, systemic racism plays a part in nearly every aspect of Black life in America. Social justice movements and increasing advocacy for education, policies, and legislation to fix the injuries inflicted by government sanctioned inequities and unjust treatment have never been needed more than now.
What is the
Freeman Initiative?
We are a non-partisan U.S.-based social justice education organization focused on dismantling institutions and systems that perpetuate race-based oppression and poverty, especially for the most marginalized of our country, namely Black Americans. In addition to implementing programs and campaigns in our focus areas, we aim to provide training, educational materials, and toolkits designed to foster advocacy for transformative social changes in America that will benefit us all collectively.
Join us in this mission. Become a member or donate now to help disrupt inequalities in America and create a society in which all people can indeed have the same opportunities promised with U.S. citizenship.
Our Mission
The Freeman Initiative’s primary mission is to help dismantle institutions and systems that perpetuate race-based oppression and poverty. We provide training, programs, and toolkits designed to foster transformative policy and social changes in America. The Freeman Initiative also provides support to organizations, programs, initiatives, and individuals working to secure the political, educational, environmental, social, and economic rights and redress of Black people and to eliminate race-based discrimination. Activate your membership or donate now to help disrupt inequalities in America and create a real equal opportunity society.
Our Vision
The Freeman Initiative envisions a fair and inclusive society that not only understands disparities and why they exist but is committed to implementing transformative solutions that impact multiple systems for equitable outcomes. We also envision reparations and another redress for descendants of American chattel slavery.