PAGE 2

AdoptionDHS, Council on Black Minnesotans and partners promote adoption

PAGE 3

BusinessA how-to checklist: Returning to work?

UCarePatricia Ball, Jamie Carsello, and Jeri Peters named to UCare vice president positions

PAGE 10

Insight 2 HealthCVS move to stop tobacco sales is good news for people of color

PAGE 11

Noted child therapist and Pan-Africanist, Dr. Umar Johnson was scheduled to talk at 6 p.m. at the Minneapolis Urban League, but his lecture did not begin until about 6:45 p.m. The late start was not Johnson’s fault. The room inside the lower level of the Urban League was set to seat maybe 150 people – an impressive number – yet double that showed up. Once the organizers were able to accommodate the overfl ow crowd Johnson got down to business … the business of saving African-American children from what he said are racist policies in America’s schools designed to miseducate, mistreat, misdiagnose and mislabel children of color. “I’m not a member of the Black bourgeoisie so I’m not going to explain away racism,

Economic empowerment is the next phase of the Civil Rights Movement, according to the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr., who hosted the 17th annual Rainbow PUSH Wall Street Project Economic Summit Feb. 11 – 13 in New York. The summit, “50 Years After the Civil Rights Act: The Unfi nished Agenda for Economic Justice,”

focused on the decline in Black-owned businesses, home foreclosures and unemployment. The summit brought the nation’s political, corporate, entrepreneurial and industry leaders to Wall Street to discuss the economic concerns distinctive to African-Americans and Latino communities. Jackson said though outwardly it may appear that African-Americans have made great strides, economically, as a whole, the community is struggling and

fair business practice laws are having little effect. “An unenforced law is not a law at all,” said Jackson, saying that companies such as Google, Apple and other giant corporations are not contracting with their share of minority fi rms. “Look at the Super Bowl. In 48 years of the Super Bowl, only one ad campaign was created by a Black fi rm. We’ve been locked out and we’re not

In December 2013, the United Nations declared 2015-2024 as the International Decade of Afrodescendants.1 Despite

the growing recognition of our importance as citizens in our respective countries, Afrolatin@s continue to battle for inclusion, autonomy, rights and justice. The Afrolatin@ Project (ALP) will continue to champion the Afrodescendant struggle for

human rights by using digital tools to preserve the culture and history of Afrodescendants, increase our visibility, and improve our access as citizens no matter where we reside. Afrodescendant communities will benefi t greatly if we integrate

information and communications technology (ICT) more successfully into our agendas and strategies. Today’s research shows that web-based and digital

En diciembre del 2013, las Naciones Unidas declaró 2015-2024 como la DécadaInternacional de los

Afrodescendientes.1 A pesar del creciente reconocimiento de nuestra importancia como ciudadanos en nuestros respectivos países, Afrolatin@s continúan luchando por inclusión, autonomía, derechos y justicia. El Proyecto Afrolatin@ (ALP)

continuará defendiendo la lucha de los afrodescendientes por derechos humanos mediante el uso de herramientas digitales para preservar la cultura y la historia de los afrodescendientes, aumentar nuestra visibilidad y mejorar nuestro acceso como ciudadanos

sin importar donde residamos. Las comunidades afrodescendientes se benefi ciarán en gran medida si integramos con mas éxito las tecnologías de

Dr. Umar Johnson on the business of saving Black children: Schools miseducate, mistreat and mislabel

Economic justice is unfi nished agenda

Developing digital agendas and strategies for the Decade of Afrodescendants and beyond

Desarrollando agendas y estrategias digitales para la Década de Afrodescendientes y más allá

By Harry Colbert, Jr.Contributing Writer

By Harry Colbert, Jr.Contributing Writer

Ed. Note: This is cross-posted from the Huffi ngton Post

In the fall of 1870, a handful of students made their way through the northwest quadrant of the nation’s capital, and through the doors of D.C.’s “Preparatory High School for Colored Youth,” the country’s fi rst public high school for African American children. There, in the shadow of the American Civil War, and dawned with the spark of reconstruction, a converted basement-turned-classroom in the lower fl oor of Fifteenth Street Presbyterian Church bore the

Champion of African American History: Carter G. WoodsonBy Valerie Jarrett

By Amilcar Priestley

Por Amilcar Priestley

AFRO TURN TO 2

JACKSON TURN TO 10 WOODSON TURN TO 10

AFRO A SU VEZ A 4

Carter G. Woodson

Harry Colbert, Jr.Dr. Umar Johnson

Jesse Jackson, Sr.

JOHNSON TURN TO 10

AfroDescendientes

Ronald K. BrownMORE ON PAGE 5

Vol. 41 No. 8 • The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.comFebruary 17 - February 23, 2014

insightnews.com Insight News • February 17 - February 23, 2014February 17 - February 23, 2014 • Page 2

During Black History Month, February, the Minnesota Department of Human Services, the Council on Black Minnesotans, and several nonprofi t and community organizations are working together to encourage families to adopt children waiting in the foster care system, particularly African-American children who are disproportionately represented in the child welfare system. Throughout February adoption-specifi c events include: The Minnesota Heart Gallery is featuring foster children in need of adoptive families in its large lobby display at the East Side Neighborhood Services Building, 1700 Second St. NE, Minneapolis. The Heart Gallery is a community outreach program of Ampersand Families, which raises awareness about older youth waiting in the foster care system and helps recruit adoptive families for these youth. Hennepin County, HOPE

Adoption and Family Services, and MN ADOPT adoption experts will present on foster care and adoption, and staff an information table Feb. 22 at the Greater Friendship Missionary Baptist Church’s Empowerment through Education’s Ninth Annual African Heritage Month Observance in Minneapolis. More information is on the church’s website. The MN ADOPT website is featuring African-American youth and sibling groups waiting for adoptive families. MN ADOPT, an adoption service array provided by the Minnesota Adoption Resource Network under grant contract with the Minnesota Department of Human Services, manages the State Adoption Exchange and information on Minnesota’s waiting children. It also supports and sustains families who adopt these children by providing resources and referrals. MN ADOPT is also working with the Star Tribune on its monthly “waiting child” feature,

with KSTP-TV on its “Thursday’s Child” weekly feature and with KMOJ radio to promoteadoption of children from the foster care system The Minnesota Department of Human Services is contacting county social service directors to urge them to engage communities in focusing on adoption during Black History Month. As of Jan. 1, 2014, 140approximately 30 percentof the 467 children in the foster care system waiting to be

adopted immediately are African American. Only 9518 percentof the 524 children adopted from the foster care system in 2012 were African American. “All children need safe, stable, loving homes to thrive,” said Human Services Commissioner Lucinda Jesson. “During Black History Month, we are celebrating the African-American families who have adopted and encouraging other families to consider adoption. We, along with our community partners, are here to provide support before, during and after adoption.” Added Edward McDonald, executive director of the Council on Black Minnesotans, “As we celebrate the rich history of African-Americans during the month of February, let us also use the month to begin doubling our efforts for the remainder of the year encouraging more African-American families to adopt and provide foster care for children who are wards of the state,

especially the disproportionate number of African-American children. The greatest historical remembrance an African-American child, or any child, can have is one that is highlighted by the love and care of a family.” The Council on Black Minnesotans, said McDonald, encourages people throughout the state to learn more about African-American culture and accomplishments at these Black History Month events listed on the council’s website: · “History HiJinx: Black History Month,” Minnesota History Center, St. Paul, Feb. 1 to 23 select dates · “The Ballad of Emmett Till,” Penumbra Theatre, Minneapolis, Feb. 6 to March 2 select dates · “The Racial Divide during the Harlem Renaissance,” Open Book, Minneapolis, Feb. 18 · “Miss Anne in Harlem: The White Women of the Black Renaissance” reading and

book signing by Carla Kaplan, Common Good Books, St. Paul, Feb. 19 · “Renewing Hope in the Promise of Minnesota’s Youth,” Youthprise, Minneapolis, Feb. 26 to 27 For more information about adopting: Call the county social service agency or one of the licensed, private adoption agencies under contract with the state to provide adoption services: Ampersand Families, Bethany Christian Services, Children’s Home Society of Minnesota, Family Focus, HOPE Adoption and Family Services International, Kindred Family Services, Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota and North Homes. Counties and private adoption agencies under contract with DHS do not charge fees to parents adopting children under state guardianship. Visit the MN ADOPT website at www.mnadopt.org.

As America begins the annual ritual of “celebrating” the countless achievements of African Americans during the February observance of Black History Month, I think it makes sense to remind each other that the things we do every day will be the historical recollections for future generations. There is no question of the value of recounting the daring exploits, the against-all-odds battles won, or of revisiting the horrors and brutalities that marked our journey through this country’s history. I just don’t believe that enough of us approach our daily commitments with an eye on how our actions (or inactions) will impact the lives of Black Americans in the future. I could fi ll this space with the names of prodigious Black inventors, from Jan Matzeliger to Norbert Rilleaux, Garrett Morgan to Dr. Mark Dean. We all know the contributions of Samuel

Cornish and John Russwurm and their Freedom’s Journal, the Sengstackes, Murphys, Vanns and Scotts, the John H. Johnson and Earl G. Graves and their heroic struggles to make sure our stories were told - accurately. We know of Madame C.J. Walker and A.G. Gaston and Alonzo Herndon and Oprah and Bob Johnson and Herman Russell and the empire builders of the business world. But today I want to give a Black History “shout out” to the millions of nameless, faceless business women and men who rose before dawn and got home long after everyone was asleep. The barbers,

hairdressers, shopkeepers, brick masons, carpenters, café owners, mechanics, painters, printers, shoe shine and repairmen. The tailors, grocers, ice, coal and wood deliverymen.... All the folks whose toils paved the way for us, paid the tuition to Howard, Morehouse, Johnson C. Smith, Fisk, Xavier, Dillard and all the “A&M’s” across the south! After nearly fi fty years of successfully aspiring to “good jobs,” we are witnessing a boom in the numbers of Black Americans returning to our roots as entrepreneurs and business owners, and this boom couldn’t have come at a better time. When it’s clear that government solutions to income inequality fail to factor for or include us; when Black un- and underemployment threaten the nutritional health and educational opportunities for our children; when globalization of markets consigns our participation to the role of consumers... that’s when it should become clear the key role that Black business plays in our communities.

The U.S. Black Chambers, Inc. (USBC) is acutely aware of the battle that African Americans face in the marketplace today. When online purchases of clothing eclipses the purchases made inside actual stores, the opportunities for Black retailers practically disappears. Despite the obvious love affair Black folks have with hats, suits, shoes and boots, it is Nordstrom, Macy’s, Neiman’s and local designer boutiques that get their share of our income inequality, not Black-owned clothes sellers. We struggle to fi nd a Black-owned grocery chain, even though African Americans spend a disproportionate share of their disposable income on food. Black-owned restaurants are an increasingly endangered species, even as national chains pad their bottom lines with the lion’s share of our discretionary spending on food...including sushi! Black automobile dealers fare a little better, though the 80s and 90s wreaked havoc on the number of franchised dealerships owned by African Americans.

Without question, we continue to provide the comfortable profi t cushion, particularly for luxury brand automobiles. (Remember, every dollar earned without advertising/marketing effort to earn that dollar is FREE MONEY!) Telecom companies, high-end electronics, “luxury” liquors, condo sellers and jewelers all positively salivate when their coffers fi ll up with Black dollars. Among the goals of the USBC, Entrepreneur Development is the loftiest, and most elusive, but we believe if we are successful at reigniting our passion for business ownership, we have the best opportunity to solve the challenges faced by Black America. The historical record of our ability to build colleges, insurance companies and hospitals proves that when necessary we can achieve monumental “wins” through collective entrepreneurial activity. And -- in today’s terminology - joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions provide the context for our next collective

steps in business growth. So, we at the USBC and our affi liates across the country encourage you to be more mindful, and more intentional as you pursue your dreams. Understand that 20, 50, 100 years from now someone will read the record of your contribution to life as they know it, and the fact that you made a lot of money won’t be enough to get your name in the record book. Business ownership opens doors of opportunity, not just for you and your family, but the families of your employees, associates, customers/clients, vendors and suppliers. That improved quality of life affords access to opportunities for education, earning, travel and the new worlds they discover will create future generations of inventors and history makers. Black History is made and celebrated every day... make sure that your everyday actions pave the way.

Ron Busby is President of the US Black Chambers, Inc.

DHS, Council on Black Minnesotans and partners promote adoption

What will (y)our legacy look like?By Ron Busby, Sr.

Edward McDonald

Ron Busby, Sr.

tools alongside social media, can complement social action and provide new and unique strategies for communication. ICT cannot replace the political and civic obligations that governments have to defend, affi rm and promote the rights of Afrodescendants as full citizens. Nor are we suggesting that grassroots organizations simply replace existing programs with technology. We must also be careful to not reproduce existing inequalities (often referred to as the “digital divide”) when we use technology, Technology will not cure all social injustices but ICT has proven benefi cial to underserved communities globally. It is important that Afrolatin@s consider its possibilities in our efforts to achieve full equality and enjoyment of our rights as citizens..Ethno-Education, the Census, and ICTMany of today’s Afrodescendant youth have grown up with technology of some kind. They stand to benefi t most from a

movement that recognizes the positive potential of technology. To address the absence of “ethno-education” for and about our communities we should consider using mobile phones to engage young people at all levels of literacy. Due to their wide-spread use, mobile phones can deliver educational content about our culture and history from primary school to the university. Mobile phones make it possible for us to educate and learn without having to wait for offi cial government action. Although teachers may be limited in what they are able to do, their input and participation in developing content should be included where possible. Community organizations working with youth should also incorporate the use of mobile phones into their existing work. The outcomes and benefi ts are numerous: 1) encouraging technology-connected youth to create digital resources on their own histories and cultures by using their mobile devices; 2) making digital content on Afrodescendants available to formal education and research centers through open access platforms; and 3) encouraging the development of traditional educational and digital literacy

competencies among Afrolatin@ youth using relevant content and technological tools. Mobile phones can also assist in our consciousness raising efforts ahead of the next round of national Censuses in Latin America, the Caribbean and the U.S. We know that a key element limiting Afrodescendant visibility in most countries is inaccurate census polling. The way different groups/communities are counted in the census is linked to public policies and funding for strategic resources such as education, employment, and social services. Mobile phones can be used to develop effective demographic questions or to send out notifi cations on the importance of Census participation. It should also be used to gauge the accuracy and transparency of the offi cial government Census counts conducted over the next ten years.

Digital Strategies & Millennium Development GoalsThe Declaration of Durban, from the 2001 World Conference Against Racism, Discrimination and Xenophobia in South Africa, affi rmed that “the use of new technologies…can contribute to the eradication of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and

related intolerance.” One year earlier, heads of state from Latin America and the Caribbean met in the city of Florianopolis, Brazil and drafted the Declaration of Florianopolis. This Declaration called for governments to focus on developing the technology skills of their citizens. Most signifi cantly, it repeatedly called for the use of ICT to address regional socio-economic inequality, a persistent issue affecting Afrodescendants. In the last 13+ years, regional governments in Latin America and the Caribbean have developed multi-year national digital action plans. Regional governments and civil society (i.e., Colombia, Panama, Brazil, Bolivia, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and Haiti) also have launched ICT-focused initiatives using mobile technology to address the everyday challenges of the underserved. In October 2013, the Secretariat General of Ibero-America, who recently launched their “Citizenship 2.0” and “AfroXXI” initiatives, held a conference in Panama City, Panama urging heads of state to pay greater attention to how technology can encourage transparency and support the underserved. There is little doubt that since the Durban conference, we

have made progress in raising the visibility of our goals. In recent years, digital and Web 2.0 tools have helped improve organizational capacity, increase the exchange and fl ow of information, and strengthened social activism. There is still work to be done. Discussions in several Afrodescendant conferences2 have raised the need for Afrolatin@ communities to include ICT skills in their agendas. They also have recommended we build alliances with our counterparts throughout continental Africa. The Afrolatin@ Project believes it is critical that Afrodescendants combine these two concepts and gain knowledge from the examples set by the growth in the number of projects in continental Africa and other developing regions that use ICT to address the needs of the marginalized and disenfranchised.

ConclusionThe Afrolatin@ Project will continue to expand its use of information and communication technology and Web 2.0 tools to preserve the culture and history of Afrolatin@s and to increase our access and visibility. Our goal is to support other organizations and Afrolatin@ communities through training

and education on how to leverage global technology to address local issues. Only by integrating ICT tools into the agendas and strategies of Afrodescendants and by developing ICT-centered initiatives will Afrolatin@s will not be left behind in the digital era.

Amilcar Priestley is Director of the AfroLatin@ Project (www.afrolatinoproject.org). The Project was initially founded in 2005 by the late Dr. George Priestley, under a Ford Foundation grant. In our new phase we are advocates for the digital preservation of Afrolatino cultural heritage and the use of ICT to advance the development of Afrolatinos in Latin America, the Caribbean and the U.S. Priestley is a graduate of Swarthmore College and Brooklyn Law School.

Footnote 1: For purposes of this piece, ALP uses Afrolatin@s and Afrodescendants interchangeably to describe people of African descent from Latin America, the Caribbean and their Diasporas.

Footnote 2: Lagos, Nigeria (2009), Dakar, Senegal (2011), La Ceiba, Honduras (2011), Panama City, Panama (2012), Cali and Cartagena, Colombia (2013)

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Help us shape the future of Metro Transit bus service!Ayúdenos a forjar el futuro del servicio de autobuses de Metro Transit

Naga caawi ka qaybqaadashada dhisidda mustaqbalka adeegga baska Metro Transit

Pab peb npaj Metro Transit txoj kev muab tsheb thauj neeg mus los rau yav tom ntej

metrotransit.org/sip 651-602-1500

Page 4 • February 17 - February 23, 2014February 17 - February 23, 2014 • Insight News insightnews.com

Over 60 community members attended the recent Council on Black Minnesotans (CBM) Community Meeting with Legislators. State Representatives Karen Clark, Raymond Dehn, and Phyllis Kahn, and Senators Bobby Jo Champion, and Kari Dziedzic addressed a packed room of active community members. CBM chair, Patwin Lawrence, moderated the lively discussion with elected offi cials. Elected offi cials present committed to supporting and authoring our CBM legislative proposals, said CBM blogger Mohamed Mohamed. Mohamed said Representative

Rena Moran has agreed to author Educational Achievement Disparities Eradication, Higher Education Access Disparities Eradication, Healthcare

Disparities Eradication and the Expansion of Council Duties bills; Representative Dehn has agreed to author the Full Employment Initiative in Labor

Surplus Communities, Criminal Justice Disparities Eradication, and the Martin Luther King Jr. Violence Prevention Initiative bills; Representative Clark has

agreed to author the Urban Fresh Food Access & Food Desert Eradication Initiative, the Urban Agriculture Land Use Planning Initiative, Healthcare Disparities Eradication bills; Representative Kahn has agreed to author the African Heritage Arts & Culture Preservation & Growth bills. He said Senator Champion has agreed to author Senate versions of the Martin Luther King Jr. Violence Prevention Initiative legislation; and Senator Dziedzic has agreed to author the Criminal Justice Disparities Eradication legislation, and has expressed serious interest in the Rochester Destination Medical Center Equal Access &

Opportunity Planning bill. Mohamed said, “Our meetingwas successful because of thecontinued support of community.As we continue to hit milestones,the road ahead requires evenmore participation. We alreadyhave over two dozen volunteerleaders identifi ed who will leadus in tracking and supportingour legislation throughout theprocess. The process ahead foreach of our bills requires allhands on deck, so we are stilllooking for even more folks tovolunteer. It can’t be emphasizedenough: community feedbackand engagement is an essentialelement to this importantprocess.”

Lawmakers advance CBM bills

Rep. Rena Moran (65-A) Rep. Raymond Dehn (59-B) Sen. Bobby Joe Champion (59)

información y comunicaciones (TIC) a nuestras agendas y estrategias. Las investigaciones actuales muestran que las herramientas digitales y de Internet, junto con las redes sociales, pueden complementar la acción social y ofrecer estrategias nuevas y únicas para la comunicación. Las TIC no puede sustituir las obligaciones políticas y cívicas que tienen los gobiernos de defender, afi rmar y promover los derechos de los afrodescendientes como ciudadanos de pleno derecho. Tampoco estamos sugiriendo que las organizaciones de base simplemente reemplazan los programas que existen con la tecnología. También tenemos que estar pendientes de no reproducir las desigualdades que existen (a menudo referida como la “brecha digital”) en el uso y el acceso a la tecnología. La tecnología no curara todas las injusticias sociales, pero las TIC, especialmente teléfonos móviles, han demostrado ser benefi ciosos para las comunidades marginadas en todo el mundo. Es importante que los Afrolatin@s consideren sus posibilidades en nuestros esfuerzos para lograr la plena igualdad y el disfrute de nuestros derechos como ciudadanos..

Etno-Educación, el Censo y las TIC

Muchos de los jóvenes Afrodescendietnes de hoy han crecido con alguna clase de tecnología. Ellos son los que mas se benefi ciarán de un movimiento que reconoce el potencial positivo de las TIC. Para abordar la ausencia de la “etno-educación” sobre y para nuestras comunidades debemos considerar el uso de teléfonos móviles para comprometer a los jóvenes en todos los niveles de alfabetización. Debido a su extenso uso, los teléfonos móviles pueden ofrecer contenidos educativos sobre nuestra cultura e historia o “etno-educación” a todos los niveles educativos desde primaria hasta la universidad. Los teléfonos móviles hacen posible que podamos educar sin tener que esperar la acción ofi cial del gobierno. Aunque los maestros/as puedan tener limitaciones en lo que puedan hacer, su aporte y participación en el desarrollo de contenido deben ser incluidos donde sea posible. Las organizaciones comunitarias que trabajan con jóvenes también deben incorporar el uso de teléfonos móviles en su trabajo actual. Los resultados y las ventajas son numerosas: 1 ) animar a la juventud digitalmente conectada a crear recursos digitales acerca de sus propias historias y culturas mediante el uso de sus dispositivos móviles , 2) haciendo

los contenidos digitales sobre afrodescendientes disponibles a la educación formal y los centros de investigación a través de las plataformas de acceso abierto , y 3 ) animando el desarrollo de las competencias de alfabetización educativa tradicional y digital entre la juventud Afrolatin@ utilizando contenido relevante y herramientas tecnológicas. Los teléfonos móviles también pueden ayudar en nuestros esfuerzos de concientización antes de la próxima ronda de censos nacionales de América Latina, el Caribe y los EE.UU. Se sabe que un elemento clave que limita la visibilidad de los afrodescendientes en la mayoría de los países es la inexactitud de los sondeos del censo. La forma de contar los distintos grupos en el censo está vinculado a las políticas públicas y la fi nanciación de los recursos estratégicos , como la educación , el empleo y los servicios sociales. Los teléfonos móviles pueden ser utilizados para desarrollar preguntas demográfi cas efi caces o para enviar notifi caciones sobre la importancia de la participación en el Censo. También se debería utilizar para medir la precisión de los recuentos del censo ofi cial del gobierno realizados durante los próximos diez años.

Estrategias Digitales y Objetivos de Desarrollo del MilenioLa Declaración de Durban, de la Conferencia Mundial del

2001 contra el Racismo, la Discriminación y la Xenofobia en Sudáfrica, afi rmó que “ el uso de las nuevas tecnologías... puede contribuir a la erradicación del racismo, la discriminación racial, la xenofobia y las formas conexas de intolerancia. “ El año anterior, jefes de Estado de América Latina y el Caribe se reunieron en la ciudad de Florianópolis, Brasil y redactaron la Declaración de Florianópolis. Esta Declaración hace llamado a los gobiernos a enfocarse en desarrollar las habilidades tecnológicas de sus ciudadanos. Lo más signifi cante, Florianópolis pidió repetidamente el uso de las TIC para enfrentar las desigualdades socio- económicas de la región, un problema persistente para los afrodescendientes. Desde la conferencia , el mundo ha sido testigo de una intensifi cación en cómo los grupos y comunidades en todo el mundo utilizan las herramientas digitales y la Web 2.0 para mejorar la capacidad de organización , aumentar el intercambio y la circulación de información, y el fortalecimiento de activismo social. En los últimos 13+ años, los gobiernos regionales en América Latina y el Caribe, han desarrollado planes de acción nacional en materia digital de varios años. Los gobiernos regionales y la sociedad civil (por ejemplo, Colombia, Panamá, Brasil, Bolivia, Jamaica, Trinidad y Tobago y Haití) también han

puesto en marcha iniciativas enfocadas en las TIC usando tecnología móvil para enfrentar los desafíos cotidianos de la población necesitada. En octubre del 2013, la Secretaría General de Ibero-America, que recientemente puso en marcha sus iniciativas “Afro XXI” y ”Ciudadanía 2.0”, celebró una conferencia en la Ciudad de Panamá, Republica de Panamá instando a los jefes de Estado a prestar mayor atención a cómo la tecnología puede fomentar la transparencia y apoyar a los más necesitados. No cabe duda que desde la conferencia de Durban, nosotros hemos progresado realizando la visibilidad de nuestros objetivos. En los anos recientes, las herramientas digitales y la Web 2.0 han ayudado en mejorar la capacidad de organización, aumentar el intercambio y la circulación de información, y fortalecido el activismo social. Tenemos que seguir estos pasos. Varias conferencias de afrodescendientes2 han planteado la necesidad de que las comunidades Afrolatin@ desarrollen las competencias en TIC a sus agendas. También han recomendado que construyamos alianzas con nuestras contrapartes en toda África continental. El Proyecto Afrolatin@ cree que es crítico que los afrodescendientes combinen estos dos conceptos y adquieran el conocimiento de los ejemplos establecidos en el crecimiento y el número de

proyectos en África continental y otras regiones en desarrollo que utilizan las TIC para enfrentar a las necesidades de los marginados y desposeídos.

ConclusiónEl Proyecto Afrolatin@ seguirá ampliando su uso de la tecnología de información y comunicación y las herramientas Web 2.0 para preservar la cultura y la historia de Afrolatin@s y para aumentar nuestro acceso y visibilidad. Nuestro objetivo es apoyar a otras organizaciones y comunidades Afrolatin @ por medio de capacitación y educación sobre formas de aprovechar la tecnología mundial para enfrentar los problemas locales. Sólo integrando herramientas de las TIC en las agendas y estrategias de los afrodescendientes y mediante el desarrollo de iniciativas centradas in las TIC podremos estar seguros de que los Afrolatin@s no se quedarán atrás en esta época digital.

1 Para los fi nes de este ensayo, ALP usa Afrolatin@ y Afrodescendiente intercambiablemente para describir personas de descendencia Africana de America Latina, el Caribe y sus Diásporas.

2 Lagos, Nigeria (2009), Dakar, Senegal (2011), La Ceiba, Honduras (2011), Panama City, Panama (2012), Cali and Cartagena, Colombia (2013)

AfroDesde 1

Next session starts March 15

.