Call | African Solidarity Protest with African Americans

As protesters in the United States of America raise their voices against the police murder of George Floyd, the world watches as the pain and anger of centuries of violent racism manifest in the country’s streets. Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, was apprehended by police in Minnesota and died by suffocation in their custody. A police officer’s knee pressed into Floyd’s neck for over 8 minutes as other police watched his murder.

George Floyd was killed on , May 25,, the very day Black people across the world recognize Africa Liberation Day. So, as we rallied our communities in events and discussions African liberation and COVID-19, we also  watched helplessly from a distance as brothers and sisters struggled to demand justice, liberty and dignity in the U.S. 

Nonetheless, we believe it is our duty to rise in solidarity with our African-American brothers and sisters. We demand that  their lives are valued in their home country. We also hold our governments in Africa accountable  for putting pressure on the American government to stop repressing citizens protesting against the systemic racism that has plagued the U.S. for decades. Just as African Americans have supported us in liberation struggles on the continent, we stand with them as they fight against police brutality and  the devaluation of Black lives in their homeland. 

We therefore call on Africans all over the world to join us in staging a global protest to demand that Black lives be valued, respected, and protected. Let us seize the momentum before us and make our voices  heard. On Saturday, June 13, 2020, we are calling on our members to plan various actions online and offline to defend Black life in the U.S.. What will you do  in support of the movement for Black lives? #BlackLivesMatter  #Rise4OurLives