On a cold afternoon in early December in Philadelphia, the capacity crowd gathered around 150 years ago for the first Philadelphia Peace Conference to discuss an issue that would continue to directly affect the lives of African Americans for decades – the question of reparations for slavery. The questions raised at that Peace Conference were as relevant and relevant today. Is it possible to define, understand and ultimately to find solutions to the many inequities and barriers impeding Black communities in America today?
It was an event that acknowledged the contributions of African Americans to the unique and unique history of this nation, both in the past and in the present. It also provided an opportunity to examine the changing and challenging circumstances facing Black Americans in the United States today and to attempt to understand the complex issues at hand and use the most modern analytical approaches. And on December 8, 1945, the Philadelphia Peace Conference produced a list of 37 principles that were designed to guide the upcoming policies that would have a profound impact on the lives of Black Americans moving forward. The Declaration of Principles was a document that generated unprecedented discussions on key issues that were addressed in 2012’s DC Conference.
Actions taken at the DC Conference, as recently reported by the Washington Post, by enacting a revision to the criminal code that included many of the Declaration of Principles, African Americans had made an effort to re-frame and reform the federal and state criminal justice systems. These actions expanded and contributed to the preservation of social and economic equity, in addition to creating improved respect for the rights of Black communities, especially those without the financial means to defend themselves, participate in the civic process, or be granted redress for injustices incurred.
Black communities did not suffer in isolation from these new, emerging, and highly acclaimed political practices and practices. Rather, they were instrumental in maintaining a connection between Black communities and elected officials, and were able to point out the flaws and inefficiencies within these political processes.
In my role as one of the 16 presidential appointees to President Obama’s Committee on Recruitment of Nominees for Federal Judgeships, I took special note of how efforts by African Americans have helped to create a judicial bench reflective of the diversity and inclusiveness that is represented in the country’s larger population and have recognized that the Federal Judicial Branch must have a bench that reflects the diversity of the nation as a whole. This provides Black communities with a portal of direct access to and expertise in the judicial system that is vital for championing their voices as equal members of society and advocating for the conditions that will eventually lead to an equal political, social, economic, educational, health, and political system that guarantees their full participation in a vibrant and harmonious society.
As an African American, I see and hear and have experienced the relentless effects of race as a distinct, everyday part of everyday life. I am cognizant that there is a reality for many Black Americans, and that this reality does not stop when I walk outside the doors of my home or my business. I can see firsthand the attempts to marginalize, hurt, and oppress those individuals that are often considered the “right” kind of folks to take a walk in a given neighborhood, and I can see and hear the myriad of issues that impede full access to the civil, political, and economic system.
In the past, we have engaged in a national conversation about American races and their interrelationships and the extent to which the societal structures, social systems, and institutions on which all of our lives are dependent promote the advancement of those who are favored over those who are not, but I believe we have a chance in 2011 to focus and analyze issues that enable us to create a better future for all of our people, Black and White, and that we cannot let anyone walk away from that conversation empty-handed.
This year’s national holiday to commemorate the 1st Annual Philadelphia Peace Conference is called Keep America Safe: Build a New Coalition. My hope is that the many Black communities all across the country that have been affected by violent crime and assault, the many African Americans and Latinos who feel unsupported by their political representatives, and the many Americans throughout the country who are currently feeling the unrest and frustrations that have been fed up with the degradation of the civil, political, and economic systems in America, can take away from the Philadelphia Conference of 1947 what we need to move forward as a movement: confidence in our ability to create positive change; leadership within our communities that upholds the values of progress, integration, and intersectionality; and a voice for our concerns within government to have a louder voice and a more meaningful impact.