The Free Black University Fund
Donation protected
Education is at the heart of growth and transformation in our society. Today we stand at a critical juncture in our collective history – things cannot continue the same after this moment. It is imperative we focus on what the production of knowledge looks like after this point.
The Free Black University is a hub for radical and transformative knowledge production. The fight to decolonise education has been going on for years and it has become ever clearer that more is required than what the current education system can offer.
Universities hold a deep responsibility when it comes to racism, the knowledge that introduced the very ideology of racism into our society was born in British Universities.
The Free Black University exists to re-distribute knowledge and act as a space of incubation for the creation of transformative knowledge in the Black community. We firmly believe education should centre Black people healing and it should be free, anti-colonial, and accessible to all – so we will provide it. Further, the University is often a site of trauma for far too many Black students and so our project brings well being and the healing of our community to the fore.
This project also brings climate justice to the fore as we recognise the relationship between the climate crisis and colonialism. Climate justice will run through all of the threads of our work as we centre structural and holistic approaches to preserving the world we all live in.
We MUST engage critical thought in the wider mission for liberation and freedom, the world is ever changing, and the thought leaders of the next generation need deep and transformational spaces to develop their thinking in the face of the present challenges.
The long-term vision for this work is to:
1) The transformation of minds is critical to the transformation of society and so we will specifically provide Black radical books to people right across the community who would otherwise not have access to it – this includes those incarcerated
2) Deliver a range of open access and very accessible online lectures and teachings to the community exploring radical and transformational topics
3) Create a space of community and care for Black students – there is a mental health crisis amongst Black students that universities are failing to sufficiently address. As an organisation healing is a foundational principle – this will be a space through which Black students can connect to various modes of support and healing work. mental health support and healing work. We will connect with Black therapists, counsellors, and community healers to offer a range of support to our community
4) Build an open access, free, and expansive online library of radical readings writings from people across the world – we will no longer stand for the gatekeeping of knowledge for those who desire access to it
5) Build a publication – the type of knowledge that is being produced will only ever be as radical as the ‘peers’ reviewing will allow it to be. Our journal, and later our Press, will centre radical and transformational thought that may not be respected under the current frame of knowledge. Our work will be driven by the radical Black imagination, it is all that can cut through Eurocentric thought.
6) A member’s space for emerging Black academics that need support and community during and beyond their academic journey
7) A podcast that will explore complex and transformational ideas in accessible and simplistic ways – this podcast will speak to Black thinkers, organisers, academics, spiritualists, creatives, etc. The podcast is to allow absolutely anyone to tune in and learn something new about the history, present, and futures of Black liberation through a critical lens
8) We will build a physical space – a hub for our work and a space for all Black people to access. This space will include; teaching rooms, a book shop, restaurant, and healing areas. The entire space will be created intentionally and in the interest of anti-colonial and healing work.
9) An annual conference that brings together Black radical thinkers (that are not only academics) to collectively produce knowledge and vision for Black liberation
10) FREE AND ACCESSIBLE EDUCATION CENTRED ON THE FREEDOM OF BLACK PEOPLE WHICH NECESSARILY SUCCEEDS THE FREEDOM OF ALL PEOPLE
What we are doing here is transformative – it has the potential to entirely transform the landscape of education and knowledge production. This world CLEARLY needs new and transformative ideas if we are to ever stamp out the visceral racism that exists across the world. Black thinkers and Black visionaries need to lead this intellectual revolution – the best way that we can do that is through creating intentionally anti-colonial and caring spaces for Black students to do this work.
Let us show universities all over the world just what can be done when the agenda of Black liberation is at the heart of building spaces that produce knowledge and teach. This project is Black, queer, trans, anti-colonial, and revolutionary from its very heart. Help us bring this vision into fruition.
What your donation could do:
£15 will buy one book for people in the community
£50 would pay for a podcast episode and equipment
£150 would pay for a days work behind the scenes
£200 would pay for one free admission to our annual conference
£300 would pay for a collective healing session for Black students
£350 would pay for one community radical workshop for Black folk to attend
£500 would pay to create one publicly accessible lecture
£1000 would pay for the process of publication for a journal article and building towards our University Press
£50,000 is the suggested initial contribution from UK universities – this is less than the cost for two students to complete a 3-year degree – this money would go directly to the fund to build a physical space
If you have any enquiries please email us at [email redacted]
The Free Black University is a hub for radical and transformative knowledge production. The fight to decolonise education has been going on for years and it has become ever clearer that more is required than what the current education system can offer.
Universities hold a deep responsibility when it comes to racism, the knowledge that introduced the very ideology of racism into our society was born in British Universities.
The Free Black University exists to re-distribute knowledge and act as a space of incubation for the creation of transformative knowledge in the Black community. We firmly believe education should centre Black people healing and it should be free, anti-colonial, and accessible to all – so we will provide it. Further, the University is often a site of trauma for far too many Black students and so our project brings well being and the healing of our community to the fore.
This project also brings climate justice to the fore as we recognise the relationship between the climate crisis and colonialism. Climate justice will run through all of the threads of our work as we centre structural and holistic approaches to preserving the world we all live in.
We MUST engage critical thought in the wider mission for liberation and freedom, the world is ever changing, and the thought leaders of the next generation need deep and transformational spaces to develop their thinking in the face of the present challenges.
The long-term vision for this work is to:
1) The transformation of minds is critical to the transformation of society and so we will specifically provide Black radical books to people right across the community who would otherwise not have access to it – this includes those incarcerated
2) Deliver a range of open access and very accessible online lectures and teachings to the community exploring radical and transformational topics
3) Create a space of community and care for Black students – there is a mental health crisis amongst Black students that universities are failing to sufficiently address. As an organisation healing is a foundational principle – this will be a space through which Black students can connect to various modes of support and healing work. mental health support and healing work. We will connect with Black therapists, counsellors, and community healers to offer a range of support to our community
4) Build an open access, free, and expansive online library of radical readings writings from people across the world – we will no longer stand for the gatekeeping of knowledge for those who desire access to it
5) Build a publication – the type of knowledge that is being produced will only ever be as radical as the ‘peers’ reviewing will allow it to be. Our journal, and later our Press, will centre radical and transformational thought that may not be respected under the current frame of knowledge. Our work will be driven by the radical Black imagination, it is all that can cut through Eurocentric thought.
6) A member’s space for emerging Black academics that need support and community during and beyond their academic journey
7) A podcast that will explore complex and transformational ideas in accessible and simplistic ways – this podcast will speak to Black thinkers, organisers, academics, spiritualists, creatives, etc. The podcast is to allow absolutely anyone to tune in and learn something new about the history, present, and futures of Black liberation through a critical lens
8) We will build a physical space – a hub for our work and a space for all Black people to access. This space will include; teaching rooms, a book shop, restaurant, and healing areas. The entire space will be created intentionally and in the interest of anti-colonial and healing work.
9) An annual conference that brings together Black radical thinkers (that are not only academics) to collectively produce knowledge and vision for Black liberation
10) FREE AND ACCESSIBLE EDUCATION CENTRED ON THE FREEDOM OF BLACK PEOPLE WHICH NECESSARILY SUCCEEDS THE FREEDOM OF ALL PEOPLE
What we are doing here is transformative – it has the potential to entirely transform the landscape of education and knowledge production. This world CLEARLY needs new and transformative ideas if we are to ever stamp out the visceral racism that exists across the world. Black thinkers and Black visionaries need to lead this intellectual revolution – the best way that we can do that is through creating intentionally anti-colonial and caring spaces for Black students to do this work.
Let us show universities all over the world just what can be done when the agenda of Black liberation is at the heart of building spaces that produce knowledge and teach. This project is Black, queer, trans, anti-colonial, and revolutionary from its very heart. Help us bring this vision into fruition.
What your donation could do:
£15 will buy one book for people in the community
£50 would pay for a podcast episode and equipment
£150 would pay for a days work behind the scenes
£200 would pay for one free admission to our annual conference
£300 would pay for a collective healing session for Black students
£350 would pay for one community radical workshop for Black folk to attend
£500 would pay to create one publicly accessible lecture
£1000 would pay for the process of publication for a journal article and building towards our University Press
£50,000 is the suggested initial contribution from UK universities – this is less than the cost for two students to complete a 3-year degree – this money would go directly to the fund to build a physical space
If you have any enquiries please email us at [email redacted]
Organizer
Melz Owusu
Organizer