About ubuntu

We’re just a coupla people – driven by our politics around blackness, feminism, and justice – talkin’ about emergent issues. We started Ubuntu: the Collective to provide a platform to spark conversations and action on the issues and opportunities impacting the global black diaspora.

We are here to solve two information gaps:

  1. Opportunities and insights for black people on a mix of topics, from beauty to politics;

  2. Changing the narrative on Africa and the black diaspora to bust myths and misperceptions about our identities and uplifting our voices.

We’re guided by African values, proverbs, and concepts, including:

Photo by @THEOPTIMISTDREAMER from nappy.co

Photo by @THEOPTIMISTDREAMER from nappy.co

  • Ubuntu (Zulu): “I am what I am because of who we all are!” Ubuntu is “a quality that includes the essential human virtues; compassion and humanity;”

  • “Until the lion learns to speak, the tale of the hunt will glorify the hunter.”

Topics we plan to explore include:

  • Furthering the ongoing conversation toward a new Pan-Africanism

  • Exploring topics related to the movement patterns of the Black diaspora, including tahriib, issues impacting undocumented immigrants, the forces behind migration, and more

  • Calling out the politics of surveillance (i.e. law enforcement monitoring of BLM), and the intersectionality of racism and Islamophobia (i.e. Countering Violent Extremism) 

  • Weathering microaggressions as a POC

  • Uplifting black-owned businesses and brands, as well as black experts and practicioners across various industries  

  • Combating white supremacy in the beauty industry

  • Widening the lens on FGM, skin-lightening practices, anti-hijab laws, etc. to include voices from those impacted

We’re here to provide thought-leadership on an array of topics topics to shift how people perceive and think about the global black diaspora in Minnesota, the United States, and beyond. We’re both hyperlocal and global, and recognize the need for a diverse and inclusive black diaspora.

Ubuntu is about the collective, and together, we are Ubuntu.

Now that you’ve got a taste of what we’re trying to offer, we invite you to join us. We hope you will share your knowledge and insights on this platform as contributors. Email us topic suggestions, photos, or articles at info@weareubuntu.com. Follow us on Twitter and spread the word. We are Ubuntu.

In love, power, and blackness,

Kadra Abdi and Ramla Bile