Human rights are increasingly absent in a world-changing at warp speed. The global pandemic has made this absence in North America (United States) absolutely visible. The veil has been lifted for those with the will to see that African American women, our children, our families, our men, and boys are not able to respectfully live with dignity. Wisdom Institute’scall to action is knowing that our right to be human is the glue that binds us. For us, recognizing and honoring human rights is the difference between life and death. It is essential to our human sustainability, enabling us not only to survive but thrive. It is the right to water. What happens to the womb without water? She shrivels and dies. It is the right to counsel if facing eviction.

Wisdom Institute is calling womanist Sisters and Brothers to the greatness of responding to African American womanhood and girlhood with respect and generosity by re-imagining our Detroit Human Rights Department and by agitating for the formulation of a Commission on the State of African American Womanhood Girlhood in Detroit. It will be a Commission that engages with grass-root and womb sensibilities, historical reference points at the center, and art as its interpretation and voice. We are stepping up our game to endure the legacy of African American women. We are Passing the Torch, Preserving the Flame. Given our sheer numbers, 357,000 women of voting age in Detroit, we can have an impact on transformation. At the very least, we can set an example. It may take a generation to create a positive shift, but we have to start somewhere. Here and now is that somewhere. These are the seeds we can all plant. One at a time.