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.
LUXEMBOURG FELLOWSHIP—2023
We are honored to announce our new cohort of Research Fellows and new partnership with the U.S. Embassy Luxembourg for the Advocacy and Research Program!
Together, Igor Tchappi Haman, Oumou Aidara, Jana Degrott, and Yasmine Ouirhrane will work on several research and advocacy issues to help progress the Black Luxembourgish and Black European community focusing on language based discrimination, Artificial Intelligence (AI) based discrimination, Black Women in political leadership, countering anti-Blackness in academia, and strengthening minority representation in the media– in partnership with We Belong Europe.
RESEARCH CONFERENCE
Register here.
U.S. Embassy Luxembourg, the Soul of Nations Foundation and the University of Luxembourg are pleased to invite members of the press to a presentation of findings from research and advocacy projects on the topic of “Afro-European Voices in Luxembourg: Navigating Discrimination and Promoting Inclusion” on Monday, October 16, 2023, at 11:30 AM at the Black Box – Maison des Sciences Humaines (11, Porte des Sciences, Belval).
ADVOCACY AND RESEARCH PROGRAM—LUXEMBOURG
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 Advocacy and Research Program in Luxembourg is provided by the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Embassy Luxembourg.
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 working grants 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.