We the indigenous and African peoples of Abya Yala, who for the purposes of this document name and recognize ourselves as indigenous and Black people, representing the peoples and communities of Canada, the United States, Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Uruguay, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Suriname and Spain, gathered with the protection of our ancestors at the Second General Assembly of the Black and Indigenous Liberation Movement (BILM).

 

We gather in the framework of the commemoration of the 529 years of resistance by indigenous and Black Peoples, the International Decade for People of African Descent and 20 years of the III World Conference against Racism, Discrimination, Xenophobia and all related forms of Intolerance.

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UNDERSTANDING THAT:

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1. For the indigenous and Black peoples of Abya Yala, the year 1492 represents the beginning of an era of genocide and institutionalized racism that continues until this day. Our peoples will always be linked by the invasion, looting, and colonization of the Americas and the Caribbean, which brought with it the tragedies of slavery and colonialism. For us, these atrocities not only represent our past, but weigh on our common destiny in the present.

2. We seek to rescue and vindicate our memory and collective history through the visibility of the different indigenous and Black communities with the aim of counteracting the painful traces of the colonial past that historically hid the knowledge and traditions of the diversity of our peoples.

3. We recognize that the colonialism we fight against has a specific historical character, and is the method by which capitalism gathered and continues to gather wealth through the dispossession and underdevelopment of our Peoples. Thus, our fight against colonialism and white supremacy is itself a fight against capitalism, and by winning our liberation we will also win the emancipation of the working class of all nationalities, genders, and sexual orientations.

4. As the Movement for Black and Indigenous Liberation, our struggle is transectional, anti-racist and feminist. We need to confront the intersectional relationship between capitalism, patriarchy and racism. Therefore, we must vindicate the sovereignty of the bodies and recognize the role of women as leaders in the conservation of territorial rights, protection of nature and ancestral knowledge.

5. All humanity faces the effects of climate change, which disproportionately affects indigenous peoples and Afro-descendant communities, who are on the front line of the fight to protect our communities in the face of the advance of the capitalist-extractivist model.

6. Our territories are being devastated by fires, mega-mining, agribusiness, timber extraction and above all by the lack of guarantee of our rights to self determination, dignity, and safety.

7. Black and indigenous peoples represent the matrix of social inequality in Abya Yala which is the Americas, North, South and the Caribbean.

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WE SEEK TO:

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1. As the Movement of Black and Indigenous Liberation, we seek the formation of a sustained platform in solid community networks, made up of indigenous and Black social groups and organizations from the continent, in order to support collective, supportive, coordinated and organized action.

2. We seek to raise awareness about the need for unity as a tool to build a world free of racism, violence and discrimination.

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WE DECLARE:

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1. Today, October 12, 2021, we appropriate this day and reclaim it in commemoration of the anti-colonial, indigenous and Black resistance of the Abya-Yala peoples, united in our fight against white supremacy and all forms of discrimination.

2. 134 organizations, grassroots communities, collectives and social movements from 13 countries of Abya-Yala joined forces to carry out the SECOND ACT OF BLACK AND INDIGENOUS ANTI-COLONIAL RESISTANCE through symbolic acts of resistance across the continent.

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WE DECLARE:

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1. The increase in deforestation, forest fires, extractive projects, agribusiness, have great consequences on Black and indigenous peoples.

2. The land is the basis of freedom. All indigenous lands must be returned to their respective peoples and all Black communities must have self-determination over the lands in which they were previously enslaved on or segregated to, in accordance with indigenous sovereignty.

3. The institutions of policing and prisons were built for the purpose of colonizing us and therefore must be abolished to achieve our liberation..

4. There can be no environmental justice without racial justice.

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THEREFORE WE DEMAND THE STATES AND GOVERNMENTS:

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1. Given that the transatlantic trafficking of Africans to be enslaved and the genocide of indigenous peoples in the Americas were heinous crimes against humanity that require: the establishment of justice; and remedies and compensatory and reparative measures at the national, regional and international levels to redress the injustices carried out till today against our peoples.

2. We demand that States and companies respect and guarantee our right to territory, self-determination and the management of all the resources contained in our lands. 

3. Stop the criminalization of our people who have been assassinated and attacked for defending our territories, our forests, and simply being. 

4. We demand fair and swift accountability for the victims of racist police murders, femicides, and those killed by the state.

5. We demand to be considered sovereign actors with equal rights in any process or project that affects our communities and territories. 

6. Stop the criminalization, persecution and assassination of defenders of Peoples and territories.

7. We demand our right to self-determination and to live according to our ancestral practices, collectively and in harmony.  

8. We demand Access to clean water, food security and sovereignty in order to guarantee the lives of all indigenous and Black people.

9. We demand public policies that guarantee access to health and dignified lives for all Black and indigenous peoples. 

10. We demand a commitment to combat inequality and injustice that Black and indigenous peoples experience in our day-to-day life that results in greater difficulties in accessing decent employment, education or health services, among others.

11. We demand programs and actions that strengthen our identity, our cultures and ancestral knowledge to walk in harmony with Mother Earth and our ancestors.

12. We demand the elimination from public spaces, symbols and monuments that represent colonialism, genocide, and white supremacy.

13.  Protect, conserve and sustainably manage at least 80% of the Amazon and other areas of vital importance for the planet by 2025, in collaboration with and recognizing the leadership of indigenous peoples.

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WE DEMAND THAT INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION AND ORGANIZATIONS:

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1. Design indigenous and Black led programs to eradicate and fight against racial discrimination. 

2. Allocate resources and direct funds to support collective processes of Black and indigenous peoples.

3. Implement programs and actions to overcome gender, racial, and social inequality and discrimination.

4. Implement international programs and actions to strengthen the human rights and identities of our peoples.

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DECLARATION GIVEN IN 22 COUNTRIES OF ABYA YALA,

ON OCTOBER 12, 2021

SIGNED BY:

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1. AfroCaracolas Saberes Itinerantes (México)

2. AfrosRED (República Dominicana)

3. Apib (Brasil)

4. Confederación de Nacionalidades Indígenas de la Amazonia Ecuatoriana (CONFENIAE)

5. Yuturi Warmi (Ecuador)

6. Comunidad Kichwa de Serena (Ecuador)

7. Federación de Organizaciones Kichwas de Napo (Ecuador) 

8. Coordinadora Nacional de Mujeres Negras (CONAMUNE, Ecuador)

9. Coordinadora Andina de Organizaciones Indígenas (CAOI)

10. Consejo Indígena Andino de Perú (CIAP, Perú)

11. Consejo Regional Indígena del Cauca (Colombia)

12. Mujeres de Asfalto (Ecuador)

13. Amandla Medio (Ecuador)

14. Ecuarunari (Ecuador) 

15. CONAMQ (Bolivia) 

16. Consejo de Gobierno Wankavilka (Ecuador)

17. Juventud Wankavilka (Ecuador)

18. NYC Shut It Down (Estados Unidos)

19. Sinchi Warmikuna (Ecuador) 

20. OIS (Suriname)

21. Foro Do Eixo (Brasil)

22.  Mídia Ninja (Brasil)

23. Midia India (Brasil)

24.  Mizangas (Movimiento de Mujeres Afro, Uruguay)

25. Educate Tomorrow (Estados Unidos)

26. GFA (Estados Unidos)

27. OIS (Suriname)

28. Ukays Jaguar Berá (Uruguay)

29. FCT (Suriname)

30. ONILH (Honduras)

31. MAMA TORTUGA.ORG (Estados Unidos)

32. Asociación Cultural Brasileña Maloka (España)

33. Asamblea Plaza de los Pueblos (España)

34. ORPIAN-P (Perú)

35. Awana Colectiva (Ecuador)

36. Humana Arte - Dialogo e Convivencia (Brasil)

37. Rosa do infinito/nucleo bartolomeu de depoimentos (Brasil)

38. Asociación de jóvenes afrodescendientes del Guaviare (Colombia)

39. ASO. DE MUJERES AFROECUATORIANAS DE LA FRONTERA NORTE DAMAS DE ÉBANO - MOMUNE (Ecuador)

40. Common Defense (Ecuador)

41. Indigenous Climate Action (Canadá)

42. Hackeo Cultural (Guatemala)

43. Futuros Indígenas (Mesoamérica)

44. Asociación de mujeres del pueblo afroecuatoriano de la frontera norte Damas de Ébano (Ecuador)

45. FUNDACIÓN LIDERESAS DEL ECUADOR QUEVEDO, ASAMBLEA DE MUJERES QUEVEDO (Ecuador)

46. NIK (Canadá)

47. Hum pampa (Uruguay)

48. Fundación Étnica Integral (LAFEI) (República Dominicana)

49. RUPAI producciones (Ecuador)

50. Centro de Investigaciones Etnobiológicas - CHINANGO (Colombia)

51. III CUPA (Ecuador)

52. Athabasca Chipewayn First Nations (Canadá)

53. Runayachay Qichwa Amawtana (Ecuador)

54. Consejo de Mujeres Awajun Wampis Umukai Yawi (COMUAWUY) (Perú)

55. Cree (Canadá)

56. Tochtli Tlahtolli. Tanque pensante de Estudios Literarios Decoloniales (México)

57. Fundación Afrodescendiente Karibu (Ecuador)

58. WARMI MUYU (Ecuador)

59. PITAO BEZELAO (México)

60. Movimiento Wiphala España 

61. LSSA (Ecuador)

62. União De Negras E Negros Pela Igualdade (Brasil)

63. UNME - Unión Nacional de Mujeres del Ecuador - Filial San Lorenzo (Ecuador)

64. EAMI (Paraguay)

65. AMUDEVA -Asociación de mujeres del Vaupes (Colombia)

66. Las Vegas DSA (Democratic Socialists of America) (USA)

67. Colectivo Reexistencias Cimarrunas (Quito)

68. Amazon Watch (USA)

69. Círculo de Palabra (Nicaragua)

70. Organización Nacional Indígena de Colombia

71. If Not Then Who (USA)

72. Academia Kichwa de Humanidades (Ecuador)

73. Indigenous Youth Coalition (Canadá)

74. Chilis on Wheels (Estados Unidos)

75. Conscious care llc (Estados Unidos)

76. FCT (Suriname)

77. UNAM (México)

78. Consejo de Mujeres Awajun Wampis Umukai Yawi(COMUAWUY)

79. Victor García (Huérfano Étnico)

80. Kristan Pitts (Estados Unidos)

81. Aristides Alonso (NIcaragua)

82. Keegan Xavi (Estados Unidos)

83. Hung a Lel Ti (Estados Unidos)

84. Alicia Obermeier (Estados Unidos)

85. Ximena Fonseca Mancilla (México)

86. Almudena García García (España)

87. Tagüide Picanerai (Paraguay)

88. Nicole Camacho Arteaga (Ecuador)

89. Josie Zamora (Estados Unidos)

90. Reyna M. Ruiz (Bolivia)

91.  Eva Marie Bonanno (Estados Unidos)

92. Sisa Quispe (Bolivia)

93. Nicole Orji (Canadá)