Fundraiser for Umoja

Umoja Kijana Shujaa is a year-long leadership development program that empowers Black youth to lead while combating white supremacy, criminalization, and anti-Blackness, and advancing Black liberation.

Umoja Kijana Shujaa is Swahili for unity youth warriors. This program seeks to honor our ancestors by using the Swahili language since it is one of the most spoken languages on the continent of Africa. Unity; we work to build an integrated community of self determination and collective liberation. Youth; we believe that youth are leaders and must encourage them to take the lead. Warriors; we must be brave in the face of white supremacy, promise to fight it with our hearts as well as our minds and in our actions.

This program was developed to uplift underrepresented Black youth ages 14-24 while creating a safe, affirming and healing learning environment. We work to build solidarity and understanding between cis-straight allies and TQLGB youth. After completion of the six-week summer program participants receive additional support through ongoing mentorship to continue to develop their skills.

Participants in Umoja will:

• Learn about Enlace's Integrated Organizing Approach (IOA) for stategic campaigning and movement building.
• Build a collective analysis of what is Black Liberation.
• Participate in organizing and planning Freedom Cities events and actions, including Night Out for Safety & Liberation on August 7th
• Gain tools to be in community practice and personal practice of wellness and healing.
• Work with local front-line community lead organizations doing racial, gender, reproductive and economic justice in the Portland Metro area.  
• Receive mentorship through the year with a community elder.

This program is dedicated to making this resource as accessible as possible so we provide a $15/hr stipend to participants, a $20/hr stipend to youth facilitators returning from last year's program, lunch and transportation support. 

Stand with brilliant young Black leaders in umoja, unity!

Latte Harris is a powerful young woman fighting for justice whose family has been pushed out of the historically Black neighborhoods of North Portland, Oregon due to gentrification. Latte was active in the Black Student Union at David Douglas High School, and is now enrolled at Portland State University. Since graduating from the Umoja 2017 cohort, Latte participated as a workshop facilitator at Portland’s first Night Out for Safety & Liberation, and partnered with Community Alliance of Tenants to speak out against gentrification. In 2018, Latte is returning as an Umoja youth facilitator-in-training.

“I wanna continue being more of an activist. Now I am learning to organize. Having all this knowledge and these skills are gonna supplement what I wanna do in my future career.” – Latte

Every participant in Umoja has a story like Latte's. These young Black leaders are our future.