For Immediate Release
April 17, 2023
Washington D.C.-- The UndocuBlack Network has been nominated by the North Star Fund for the prestigious Frederick Douglass Award, an annual honor that recognizes outstanding grassroots groups whose organizing and activism have led to significant victories on the front lines of social justice and protecting civil liberties. The UndocuBlack Network , a multigenerational network of currently and formerly undocumented Black immigrants has dedicated its work and mission to empowering and uplifting Black undocumented immigrants by challenging marginalizing narratives around Black migration and advocating for policies that positively impact the UndocuBlack community and its wellness.
Since its inception in 2016, the network has been instrumental in securing the largest form of legislative relief in over two decades to secure immigration relief for Liberians in 2019, aiding 10,000 Liberians to now have a more secure footing in their communities. Moreover, the UndocuBlack Network has spearheaded multiple campaigns to secure Temporary Protected Status for hundreds of thousands of immigrants. The network has also been recognized by the National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild (NIPNLG).
The UndocuBlack is a part of numerous initiatives to create and hold space for its membership and with the Black immigrant community at large. The network has been actively creating community spaces that are open to members to have discourse on their collective Black immigrant experiences, community training to help arm constituents with important information and tools to launch community kickbacks and programs that offer an opportunity to rest and interact with others that understand the ‘undocublack’ story.
Patrice Lawrence, UndocuBlack Network Executive Director said, “I want to thank the North Star Fund for this honor. This award recognizes the collective efforts of the UndocuBlack team, our members, and also our community of allies and partners. Collectively, we work tirelessly to advance equity for Black immigrants. UndocuBlack accepts this honor on behalf of all overlooked and marginalized Black undocumented immigrants in immigration spaces. This recognition reminds us that our fight against harmful, unjust immigration policies rooted in systematic racism is not in vain. We will continue to push for our community's rights and demands until we achieve true equity at local, state, and national levels. In fact, Frederick Douglass himself often spoke about the right to migration. He said: ‘There are such things in the world as human rights. They rest upon no conventional foundation, but are external, universal, and indestructible. Among these, is the right of locomotion; the right of migration; the right which belongs to no particular race, but belongs alike to all and to all alike.’”
The Frederick Douglass Award, named after the renowned abolitionist and social reformer, has been presented annually since 1984 to individuals and grassroots organizations that embody his legacy of activism and advocacy. Past recipients of the award include CAAAV Organizing Asian Communities, Hudson Catskill Housing Coalition and Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice, and more. The UndocuBlack Network will accept the award at the North Star Fund Gala in New York, which will take place this Tuesday evening. The event will feature keynote speeches, as well as remarks from winners of the award.
For more information about the Frederick Douglass Award and the UndocuBlack Network, please visit here and here respectively.
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