Fifth session of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent

ALL FOR REPARATIONS AND EMANCIPATIONUNITED NATIONS PFPAD SIDE EVENT Proposal 2026Side Event Details

All for Reparations and Emancipation (AFRE/CURE) is an education and advocacy organization in support of reparations and self-determination for Afrodescendants across the slavery diaspora. AFRE was granted UN Consultative NGO Status in 1997

Title of the side event 

“Voices of Durban: 25 Years Later — Why Identity Matters for Reparatory Justice”
      
Date, time and time zone of side event 

Saturday,  April 11 at 11:00 AM EST    

Sponsoring organization(s) or entity/ies 

All for Reparations and Emancipation (AFRE);  Afrodescendant Nation (ADN); 
Language(s) in which the side event will be held 

English
Description of the side event (no more than 100 words)

This session revisits the legacy of the World Conference against Racism (Durban 2001), where the international community formally recognized the transatlantic slave trade and slavery as crimes against humanity.

Twenty-five years later, hear directly from some of the “Voices of Durban”—individuals who were present at the historic conference and helped shape its legacy. Serving as keynote speakers, they will share firsthand reflections on the significance of the gathering and its lasting global impact. The discussion will explore why identity—particularly the recognition of Afrodescendant peoples—remains central to advancing meaningful reparations, policy change, and global solidarity, and what still must be done to fulfill Durban’s call for reparatory justice.

Location of the side event (or website for registration, for events held online).

Virtual Online - Registration Link below

You are invited to register for a Zoom webinar!

When: Apr 11, 2026 11:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Topic:  “Voices of Durban: 25 Years Later — Why Identity Matters for Reparatory Justice”

Register in advance for this webinar:

https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_7F89VoxFSFmWhTlKD0pwyw

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

 

Name and email address of the lead organizer (and permission to publish the lead organizer’s contact details)

Ishmael Abdul-Salaam, Lead Organizer
CEO, All for Reparations and Emancipation (AFRE)
Email:  [email protected]
Website:  https://www.allforreparations.com/

Title of the Side EventRestoring Stolen Legacies: Reparations, Cultural Property, and the Art of David Drake

Date, Time, and Time ZoneDate: Saturday, April 11, 2026
Time: 11:00 AM PT  |  2:00 PM ET  |  8:00 PM CEST

Sponsoring OrganizationCoalition for a Just and Equitable California (CJEC)

Language(s)English, with French, Spanish, and Portuguese Zoom translated captions

Description of the Side EventThis panel explores how cultural restitution and reparations intersect through the legacy of David Drake ("Dave the Potter"), an enslaved African American artist whose ceramic works represent some of the most important surviving artistic expressions created under slavery. Speakers will examine the global market for artworks created by enslaved people, the moral and legal questions surrounding ownership, and pathways for restoration of such works to descendants — framed within California's ongoing reparations movement.

Location / RegistrationFormat: Virtual (Zoom)
Registration Link: https://tinyurl.com/CJEC-PFAD

Lead OrganizerName: Tiffany Quarles
Email: [email protected]
Note: Permission granted to publish lead organizer's contact details.

Confirmed & Potential Speakers (Preliminary)Chris Lodgson — President, Coalition for a Just and Equitable California (CJEC)
Kellie Ferrish — Genealogist, Historian & Institutional Strategist


Format60–75 minute virtual panel discussion via Zoom
Presentation of CJEC's proposal regarding restoration and stewardship of David Drake's artworks
Conversation with legal, cultural, and reparations experts
Audience Q&A session


Further Information / Promotional MaterialsOrganization Website / Registration: https://tinyurl.com/CJEC-PFAD

Unbanned! Book Reveal -  The Legendary African American Dance Company: Reparations & The Right to Institutions, Education and Culture (Interactive Discussion)

• Date/Time: Saturday, April 11, 2026. 2:00pm Central Time, 3:00pm Eastern.
  
  
• Sponsors: Office of OHBCU Development & International Cooperation (OHBCUD); International Human Rights Association of American Minorities (IHRAAM) and ICSWG PFPAD Reparations, Spirituality and Sacred Science, and Women’s Council Subcommittees
  
  
• Language: English, with Zoom interpretation options.
  
  
• Description: Legislators are increasingly imposing bans on African/African American studies, closing schools, libraries, and museums while mandating curriculum changes to downplay the impact of U.S chattel slavery. “Twenty-three (23) states have introduced laws banning discussion of ‘divisive’ concepts, including race and gender. [Amid] curriculum and book bans and devaluing Black history, it is imperative to amplify and uphold this history.” Distorting American (and World) history to exclude the contributions and oppression of people of African ancestry perpetuates systemic violence, denial, disenfranchisement and anti-Blackness (NREI). This virtual side event creates a discussion that challenges the erasure and produces recommendations for PFPAD5 on its themes of reparatory justice and cultural heritage, and future opportunities.
  
  
• Location of the side event (online). https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/ScjqDYbZSQSzsfwowimXjg
  
  
• Lead Organizer: Dr. Vickie Casanova-Willis, PhD, MBA [email protected]
  
  

-    Promotional Flyer: https://canva.link/95l2t8y796pcyut

• www.cpghbcu.org