Platform
1 - Education
Education is essential to an individual’s development. Everyone deserves the right to a decent, balanced education that is culturally relevant, accurate, and preparatory for economic empowerment. The Public Education System in the United States fails miserably at providing us with those tools necessary for success and so it is up to us to educate ourselves. Voices of Liberation recognizes the difference between schooling and education. True education is not offered to us in the schools and institutions we attend, however, schooling is necessary for us to complete in order to gain access to the resources that will help us to better our communities.
2 - Media
Voices of Liberation is well aware of the media’s profound influence on the public in today’s society. Media is a tool. So far, the enemy has used this tool to stereotypically misrepresent our people and paint a false image of the real world. We must use this tool to tell the real story and raise the consciousness of our people.
3 - Police
The police are an occupying force in our communities. They are no friend to us and they are not to be trusted. The first police in the nation were trained to act as kidnappers and slave catchers and even today they specifically target people of color. Know your enemy.
4 - Immigration
No human being is illegal. Artificial borders and lines should not dictate where a person is designated to live. Voices of Liberation strongly opposes unjust immigration and deportation laws.
5 - Reparations / Social Justice
The United States was founded on injustice. We cannot forget that it was built on stolen land with stolen labor. There is no justice as long as we continue to live on stolen land. The United States owes the descendants of those stolen from Africa for their forced contribution to the development of this country.
6 - War and Imperialism
Voices of Liberation is against the use of war as a means to spread imperialism. Imperialism is an act by any neo-colonial power or structure that uses its military/economic/social/political force to exploit and profit at the expense of indigenous nations. We strongly oppose all wars created in the name of imperialism.
7 - Unity
The only way we are to survive and win is through unity. We need to remain united; division is our enemy’s greatest weapon against us.
8 - Youth Violence
We demand an immediate end to the self-destructive phenomenon of violence within our communities. We cannot afford to lose any more of our peers to street violence. Black, Latino, Cape Verdean, Caribbean, Asian, we have all lost someone and enough is enough. We cannot continue to kill each other if we are to survive and thrive.
9 - Self Defense
Everyone has a right to defend themselves, our people are no exception. If we are attacked, we react. There is no other way to survive.
10 - Peace
Peace is something we all would like to see in the world, however, peace cannot exist without justice. As long as there is no justice in the world there will be no peace. Justice includes equal rights, equal access to resources and opportunities.
11 - Basic Human Rights
Everyone deserves access to the basic resources that everybody needs: healthcare, food, clothes, shelter and education.
12 - Self-Sufficiency
Voices of Liberation believes in the power of our communities to reclaim control of our lives, resources, and neighborhoods by becoming independent from the institutions and industries that continue to marginalize and harm us.
Education is essential to an individual’s development. Everyone deserves the right to a decent, balanced education that is culturally relevant, accurate, and preparatory for economic empowerment. The Public Education System in the United States fails miserably at providing us with those tools necessary for success and so it is up to us to educate ourselves. Voices of Liberation recognizes the difference between schooling and education. True education is not offered to us in the schools and institutions we attend, however, schooling is necessary for us to complete in order to gain access to the resources that will help us to better our communities.
2 - Media
Voices of Liberation is well aware of the media’s profound influence on the public in today’s society. Media is a tool. So far, the enemy has used this tool to stereotypically misrepresent our people and paint a false image of the real world. We must use this tool to tell the real story and raise the consciousness of our people.
3 - Police
The police are an occupying force in our communities. They are no friend to us and they are not to be trusted. The first police in the nation were trained to act as kidnappers and slave catchers and even today they specifically target people of color. Know your enemy.
4 - Immigration
No human being is illegal. Artificial borders and lines should not dictate where a person is designated to live. Voices of Liberation strongly opposes unjust immigration and deportation laws.
5 - Reparations / Social Justice
The United States was founded on injustice. We cannot forget that it was built on stolen land with stolen labor. There is no justice as long as we continue to live on stolen land. The United States owes the descendants of those stolen from Africa for their forced contribution to the development of this country.
6 - War and Imperialism
Voices of Liberation is against the use of war as a means to spread imperialism. Imperialism is an act by any neo-colonial power or structure that uses its military/economic/social/political force to exploit and profit at the expense of indigenous nations. We strongly oppose all wars created in the name of imperialism.
7 - Unity
The only way we are to survive and win is through unity. We need to remain united; division is our enemy’s greatest weapon against us.
8 - Youth Violence
We demand an immediate end to the self-destructive phenomenon of violence within our communities. We cannot afford to lose any more of our peers to street violence. Black, Latino, Cape Verdean, Caribbean, Asian, we have all lost someone and enough is enough. We cannot continue to kill each other if we are to survive and thrive.
9 - Self Defense
Everyone has a right to defend themselves, our people are no exception. If we are attacked, we react. There is no other way to survive.
10 - Peace
Peace is something we all would like to see in the world, however, peace cannot exist without justice. As long as there is no justice in the world there will be no peace. Justice includes equal rights, equal access to resources and opportunities.
11 - Basic Human Rights
Everyone deserves access to the basic resources that everybody needs: healthcare, food, clothes, shelter and education.
12 - Self-Sufficiency
Voices of Liberation believes in the power of our communities to reclaim control of our lives, resources, and neighborhoods by becoming independent from the institutions and industries that continue to marginalize and harm us.
generalizations only work against any movement. To assume that the police are no friend is to assume that they are useless and each officer that joins the force joins only to be counterproductive to the safety of the communities that they protect. I urge your movement to not see officers as one person with one idea but to instead enlighten them to your cause and strive to bring the police and community rather than making the divide larger by making such generalizations.