Education Circle

The Ubuntu Cultural Education Circle is a sacred gathering of educators, justice organizations, activists, and Afro-Indigenous communities, united to build the learning infrastructure that will fuel the Ubuntu movement. At the heart of this work is the belief that true cultural transformation begins within—through self-awareness, wisdom, and the cultivation of skills that are essential for social and climate change. Much like the Highlander School and the Penn Center in South Carolina, which were pivotal in the Civil Rights Movement, our circle serves as a hub for everyday people to rise in collective action—reclaiming their power to shape policies, economies, and the fabric of their communities.

Our Purpose:

Through the Ubuntu educational network, participants will reconnect with their Afro-Indigenous roots, shifting their consciousness and daily lives. Our journey together will provide the knowledge to:

  • Reclaim and distinguish Afro-Indigenous cosmologies, ways of knowing, and being from Western frameworks.

  • Understand the basics of climate science and how the carbon economy affects community, personal, and planetary health.

  • Reawaken our relationship with the natural world, recognizing our deep interdependence.

  • Explore alternative economies that redefine wealth, work, and well-being, grounded in collective care.

  • Co-create eco-centered, cooperative economies that honor life and community resilience.

  • Pursue Afro-ecology and nature-based skills as paths to sustainable careers and livelihoods.

Our Vision:

Through the Ubuntu educational network, participants will reconnect with their Afro-Indigenous roots, shifting their consciousness and daily lives. Our journey together will provide the knowledge to:

  • Establish Ubuntu Labs—a multi-platform educational network reaching Afro-descendant and Indigenous communities across the U.S., Africa, and South/Central America.

  • Develop multi-purpose curricula, designed to be modular and adaptable.

  • Train 1,000 skilled facilitators to lead these transformative labs.

  • Empower 20,000 Opportunity Youth with nature-based climate solutions that heal both people and the planet.

Though this country is young—just shy of 250 years—the wisdom of this land and its Native peoples stretches back 15,000 to 40,000 years. And the knowledge carried by African peoples, who arrived on these shores long before modern memory, extends far beyond that. Yet, we have been enculturated into a modern belief system of separation, competition, materialism, and 'me over we.' Now is the time to remember.

We are called to return to our deeper roots—to ancient wisdom and practices that honor life, community, and Earth. Through our programs, policies, and platforms, we seek to expand our collective understanding, letting go of that which fractures our wholeness, and embracing what nourishes our shared humanity.

On Juneteenth – June 19th, 2024 we held a special “Juneteenth Taste of Freedom INDABA” introducing Ubuntu Climate Initiative: UCI Juneteenth INDABA 2024- A Taste of Freedom.mp4
 
Also on Juneteenth 2024- The Black Scholars Juneteenth Roundtable: Ubuntu Climate, Freedmen’s settlement and Black Psychology was publicly offered. We established our Heal the Mind pillar with a deep honoring of our African cosmology, history and practices. We invite you to take a dive into this ancient and timeless yet profound cosmology and wisdom shared in this conversation.

Read our Freemen’s Settlement Resolution and a congressional bill to fund and protect (from enclosure/displacement) the freedom settlements across the country this Juneteenth.
 
‘Freedmen’s Settlements remember the past, heal in the present, and imagine the future’– on our campaign and mission. Here’s a peak “From 1865–1920, hundreds of “Freedmen’s Settlements” across the South and beyond were established by people emancipated from enslavement who strived to ensure land and housing security — a place to call home and build community. These communities embody the arc of our history: the scars of slavery, the hopes of Reconstruction, the federal government’s broken promises, the enduring harms of racism, and the solidarity, determination, strength, and resilience that has sustained African-American communities for centuries. The past is alive in the present.” Read more at this Medium article link.

  

Join Us: We are building a network of facilitators and educators to expand this movement and invite you to be part of this learning journey.