Mission:
BLM-South Bend seeks social, economic, environmental, political, and legal justice for all people of the African Diaspora in Northern Indiana and Southern Michigan, the area known as the Michiana region. We believe that no one is free until Black people are free, because Black people have been personally and systematically deprived of power and it is our duty to reclaim it for ourselves.
In doing so, everyone is liberated from systems of oppressive domination. The organization's area of operation corresponds to the watershed lands of the Kankakee River (“land open to view”) and the watershed lands of the St. Seven Pillars:
BLM-South Bend is grounded in seven (7) pillars that guide its actions and commitments, and express the fulfilment of its mission. These pillars intersect with each other and are in no particular order of importance:
- Housing: Racism and legal discrimination have deprived and continue to deprive Black and Brown people of equitable housing. With housing being a major source of wealth, we are committed to a homeownership pipeline that will reclaim this wealth for our communities. Trauma-Informed Care: The Organization supports trauma-informed community practices and policies. We will be a sanctuary for healing and development for everyone regardless of race, gender, or sexual orientation.
- Economic Empowerment: Economic empowerment is crucial for the current and future development of the organization and the community. We believe that striving for Black and Brown people requires individuals and the collective to have strong economic resources, access to opportunity, and engagement.
- Environmental Justice: Poor air, water, housing, and ground contamination are significant sources of injustice in our neighborhoods that have a serious impact on our community members’ health. We seek fair treatment of our environment and the right to health for everyone living in our community.
- Education: The current primary and secondary school system continues to disenfranchise Black and Brown children, often tracking them towards prison or to be docile cogs in the capitalist machine. We aim to disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline and will fight for justice in educational curriculum, class management, and discipline strategies. We will nurture growth and advancement through internships and other enrichment opportunities.
- Police Accountability: Since its inception, policing institutions in the United States have deployed interpersonal and structural violence against people of the African Diaspora in a severely disproportionate manner. We work to dismantle and transform oppressive structures and institutions, as well as redirect resources in a manner that provides safety and justice to individuals and our communities as a whole.
- Black Empowerment: Resource acquisition and capacity-building is essential for uplifting Afro-descendent peoples. This includes 1) critical and focused study about national and local political processes, 2) developing skills to help the people reclaim resources powerholders historically and currently deprive them of, and 3) developing the skills to effectively utilize acquired resources.
- Trauma-Informed Care: Structural racism, oppression, and domination creates intergenerational external and internal stressors that destroy our community's capacity. We commit to disrupting these cycles by centering trauma and working towards personal, interpersonal, and community-based healing.
