Subgroups
Art and Culture
The Art and Culture subgroup believes that art must be at every table. Art is an instrumental in opening minds, bringing folks together and creative problem solving.
Education Reform Subgroup
To become a national model for African American and African-Diaspora culture that effectively provides the necessary services, programs, and engages the community in our Education for a truly Equitable Education System.
Food Disparities
Our mission is to reduce food inequalities faced by the Black and African American community in Providence.
Housing Insecurity/Eviction Defense Subgroup
A strong voice for BIPOC members of Providence in advocating for city and state level equitable housing policies and practices that are data-driven and resident-oriented.
Internal Policy Reform
Assess and advocate for progressive policy reform that ensures equal opportunity for African Americans in the City of Providence.
Mental Wellness Subgroup
We envision a world in which there are no systemic barriers to positive mental health in the African American Community.
Police, Justice, & Accountability Subgroup
The mission of the Police Justice & Accountability Subgroup is to connect the history of policing and the broader legal system towards present day outcomes for Black residents, and to develop and recommend solutions to address present day harms.
Truth-Telling, Reconciliation & Reparations
Support the mission of the African American Ambassadors Group by uncovering the truth of past and present wrongs and their impact on African and Indigenous peoples.
Youth Voice
Strive to reduce equity gaps caused by the racial, economic, and social injustices experienced by African American youth in the City of Providence.
Art & Culture
The Art and Culture subgroup believes that art must be at every table. Art is an instrumental in opening minds, bringing folks together and creative problem solving. The role of art and creativity in our lives cannot be underestimated because art connects our shared humanity. The position of art in social justice is clearly stated in the reminder that Funmi brings us with the words of the poet Larry Neal:
“Black Art is the aesthetic and spiritual sister of the Black Power concept.”
Education Reform
Committed to intellectually, culturally, and socially inspiring the whole student toward excellence and success. Through programs, resources, services, mentoring and activities that foster a nurturing, supportive, and welcoming environment focused on students of African origin. Moreover, we are dedicated to engaging the broader community, the surrounding black community, and the world for balanced student and leadership development enjoined with the promotion and distinction of the academic excellence and self-actualization of our Providence Youth who are the Leaders of today.
Food Disparities
The mission of the Food Disparities group is to reduce food inequalities faced by the Black and African American community in Providence.
The group is focused on identifying and closing gaps in the Providence food system that result in food inequities for Black and African American people. Initial steps are developing components of a community food systems assessment, including a community survey to measure individuals’ interest and engagement in facets of the food system, from growing to purchasing to home cooking of healthy foods, including participation in school meals, senior meals, food pantries and other food sources. The group intends to engage with local Black and African American growers to identify and assist in the development of cooperative support systems.
Housing Insecurity / Eviction Defense
The mission of the African American Ambassadors Housing Group is to engage in a truth-finding process that both gathers and disseminates information about the history of discriminatory housing practices in Providence, the continued imbalance of power between tenants, landlords, and homeowners, and the ways in which BIPOC have been disproportionately impacted by both historical and continuing predatory practices. This information will be used to advocate for and implement more just, equitable housing policies and practices.
Internal Policy Reform
- The Internal Policy Sub-Group will review, assess and advocate for progressive policy reform that ensures equal opportunity for African Americans in the City of Providence.
- We will lobby to change existing policies that disenfranchise African Americans as well as establish and champion new policies that promote social and economic justice for African- Americans in the City of Providence.
- We will engage African Americans, through information gathering and sharing, in the establishment and review of policies that impact our lives and community.
- We will hold citizens and our city government accountable in providing information, resources, and funding to support the effective establishment and implementation of policies.
- We will review the impact of policies through quantitative data and individual narratives.
Mental Wellness
The African American Ambassador Mental Wellness Group will address the immediate and unique needs of the African-American Community.
The group is currently focused on a re-examination of practices professionally, culturally, medically and educationally as it pertains to Black adolescents receiving services. A specific focus is on addressing behavioral health staffing and services within Providence Public Schools; as well as therapeutic school placements outside of the public-school system. The group’s efforts are in response to the Providence School Health Needs Assessment (2020) that indicates a strong need for increased and better coordinated behavioral health services for Providence students, especially Black youth. Providence School Health Needs Assessment
Police Justice & Accountability
The mission of the Police Justice & Accountability Subgroup is to connect the history of policing and the broader legal system towards present day outcomes for Black residents, and to develop and recommend solutions to address present day harms.
Truth-Telling, Reconciliation & Reparations
The Truth-Telling, Reconciliation & Reparations Subgroup supports the mission of the African American Ambassadors Group by uncovering the truth of past and present wrongs and their impact on African and Indigenous peoples, celebrating both surviving communities as well as individual survivors, and laying the groundwork for quality of life improvements by establishing processes for resolution, reconstruction, reparations, and reconciliation in the City of Providence.
Youth Voice
The Youth Voice Subgroup strives to reduce equity gaps caused by the racial, economic, and social injustices experienced by African American youth in the City of Providence through meaningful education and by substantively empowering youth voices.