All Soul of Nations Foundation programs aim to assist Indigenous and Black communities to explore and develop alternative relationships among people, place, space, environment, and the non-human; build trust and a sense of shared purpose among and within communities; develop new models of community organization, empowerment, and governance; expand collective imaginative capacity to envision new structures and processes for social relations; and use the expressive arts to inspire and shape alternative social, economic, and technological relations.
CONFERENCE
Friday, February 10, 2023 — 5PM
Sala d’Arme di Palazzo Vecchio, Florence Italy
Please email rsvp@soulofnations.org for free registration.
AFRO-EUROPEAN RESEARCH CONFERENCE
The Soul of Nations Foundation partnered with the U.S. State Department, the Human Rights Engagement Fund, the U.S. Consulate Florence, the Municipality of Florence, and the Recovery Plan to commission research reports from emerging scholars to impact the migrant community and African diaspora in Italy through youth-led research initiatives that focus on countering Afrophobia and increasing the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in Italy.
Three Italian Fellows, Benedicta Djumpah, Anas Mghar, and Jessica Edeme will showcase their research reports and findings for the Florentine policy minded public in community with Vice Mayor Alessia Bettini and U.S. Consul General Ragini Gupta— under the moderation of by Justin Randolph Thompson, Co-Founder of Association Black History Month Florence.
The Soul of Nations Foundation is honored to be partnering with Vice Mayor Alessia Bettini and the Municipality of Florence for the inaugural Afro-Italian Research Conference and photography exhibition entitled Siamo (We Are) in the Sala d’Arme of Palazzo Vecchio to present the work of Binta Draw and Katrina Andry.
The Municipality of Florence has an enduring vocation for international relationships and partnerships, as well as strong ties to the rest of the world. Since the 1950s, the city has opened its vision to the European, Mediterranean and world. Following this tradition, the Municipality of Florence continues to promote and organize international projects and events that help to encourage peace and mutual understanding.
Conference Agenda: pdf
Press kit: web
ADVOCACY AND RESEARCH PROGRAM—ITALY
The Advocacy and Research Program is a hybrid fellowship designed to provide opportunities for young research Fellows to identify ways of best leveraging civil society’s skills, tools, and access to investigate and monitor policy reform strategies. The objective of the Advocacy and Research Program is to empower at-risk minority communities in the policy development sector by focusing on human rights and fundamental freedoms, governance, and environmentalism. Support for the Advoacy and Research Program in Italy is provided by the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Consulate General Florence, the Municipality of Florence, BIWOC* Rising, The Recovery Plan, Associazione Culturale BHMF, and New York University.
We believe that successful advocacy, research, and inclusion program development and delivery must include all affected parties and be based on real dialogue and cooperation between government agents and local community members. Achieving this goal will require bottom-up, culturally appropriate, local engagement, rather than short term, top-down, centrally designed, and imposed models. Through the Advocacy and Research Program, research Fellows will have the opportunity to broaden their perspective of human rights and freedom by exploring methodologies of impact and effectiveness.
Global Research Fellows are tasked with devising regional working papers that help to further queer solidarity, climate justice and anti-blackness protective measures in their region. Fellows are also tasked with creating advocacy campaigns to increase the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms through outreach and by providing this information through a variety of media.
RESEARCH GRANTS
The Advocacy and Research Program will provide financial and technical resources, relevant mentoring and learning opportunities, and exposure to leadership opportunities for all subcontracted Research Fellows and volunteers. Each Research Fellow will receive grants ranging from $500 – $1,000 to complete their research work-plan and community engagement development plans. Research Fellows will also receive a training stipend.
Women, men, and non-binary change advocates will be encouraged to participate as Research Fellows for the Advocacy and Research Program. Formal education should not be a limitation to participation given the socio-economic barriers confronted by many Black and Indigenous peoples that limit access to formal educational institutions. However, applicants with undergraduate or graduate degrees, full-time working researchers, or educators with relevant work experience are highly encouraged to participate in the program.
NEEDS ASSESSMENT
The Advocacy and Research Program was devised in 2020, during the hight of the COVID-19 pandemic out of the global outcry to address social and political injustices agains Black and Indigenous people. The Soul of Nations Foundation was advised by the U.S. Department of State’s Human Rights Engagement Fund to create an international program framework to provide young change advocate with greater policy instruction and capacity. The Advocacy and Research Program currently operates in Italy, Germany, Luxembourg, and the United States.
For too long, the relationship between Black and Indigenous communities and the Western world has been characterized by inertia: the same old, paternalistic policies and the corresponding apathy and neglect. Yet, the resilience of African people continues to manifest, and today, there is a universal acceptance that change is needed for future generations. The challenge is ensuring that the direction of this change is progressive and fair. The Advocacy and Research Program can play an important role by thoroughly examining data, advocating for the rights of Indigenous and Black communities in the United States and Europe, and creating innovative models of change to counter Afrophobia, anti-Indigeneity, and encourage reform.
Successful advocacy, research, and inclusion program development and delivery must include all affected parties and be based on real dialogue and cooperation between government agents and local community members. Achieving this goal will require bottom-up, culturally appropriate, local engagement, rather than short term, top-down, centrally designed, and imposed models. Through the Advocacy and Research Program, Research Fellows will have the opportunity to broaden their perspective of human rights and freedom by exploring methodologies of impact and effectiveness.
NEWS
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The Soul of Nations Foundation respectfully acknowledges that we currently operate on the ancestral lands of the Munsee Lenape, Piscataway, and Anacostan peoples, which have not been ceded. Thank you for your commitment to Indigenous and Black communities. Please, share our organization’s work with those in your network who are just as invested in BIPOC progression as we are.