UIU #WhatWeCanDo Town Hall Sessions

Umu Igbo Unite (UIU) is an organization that prides itself on promoting cultural preservation and appreciation among Igbos in the diaspora. Through its fourteen chapters in various cities across the United States, UIU has been able to carry out its mission as well as give back to local communities. Since its inception in 2005, UIU has held annual conventions that have drawn members from chapters, and patrons from all around the country.

Over the last few weeks, we have experienced unrivaled civil unrest in this nation we call home. The inexcusable loss of black lives due to police brutality or racism has triggered an outpouring of protests for racial justice around the world. For the first time in our generation, the nation appears to have reached critical mass–the point where enough people are dissatisfied with the status quo, and are pushing for real change. We, the Umu Igbo Unite organization, want to be clear that we stand with our black American brothers and sisters in the fight for racial justice. We reject the perception that black immigrants and their offsprings are exempt from the same issues as American blacks, because while our history and experiences may differ, racial bias does not distinguish between nationalities. As first generation Igbo-Americans or immigrants, we are wholly aware that a fight for the civil rights of black Americans, is a fight for our civil rights.

On June 7th, 2020, we held a virtual Town Hall with over 100 attendees titled: “What Can We Do?” Phase One. Ijeoma Okoli, UIU Executive Director and Uju Obianwu, Events & Domestic Community Service Chair, UIU DMV Chapter, led a panel featuring Ifeoma Ike, Esq, creator of Black Policy Lab, Sam Acho, NFL linebacker and motivational speaker, Ejikeme Okoroha, Esq, UIU Board Member, Duke Ughanze and Nneka Achapu. The goal of the Town Hall was to generate ideas for how we can use our platform to be advocates for social justice.

Phase Two of our virtual Town Hall was held a week later on June 14th, 2020. This time, attendees were divided into nine breakout sessions, and challenged to build upon the ideas from the first Town Hall. The goal was to outline concrete action plans that can be collated and presented at our virtual UIU conference in August.

We are excited to share our ideas with you in the hopes that you will join our efforts to become more involved in movements that will bring about social reform. It has been said that “you should never be more angry, than you are organized,” and we believe that our organization can be a medium for all our members and patrons to come together to help foster meaningful change.

You are cordially invited to the UIU Virtual Conference – August 8th, 2020. More info to come!