The Freedmen’s Bureau agenda

(The 2023 Freedmen’s Bureau agenda is a draft proposal for the coming return of the American Freedmen’s Bureau. The Freedmen’s Bureau website was re-established by a Black American Freedwoman that advocates & maintains a position that the Bureau will benefit generations to come by creating a system of functioning Black networks as American Freedmen continue with reconstruction. It is their belief that the Bureau should be created & led by American Freedmen and that the existence of the Bureau be permanent in maintaining a political standing for American Freedmen including future descendants. Created by Tieira Ryder fall 2022)

• Call on the United Nations & well known human rights advocacy groups to petition to bring forward charges against the United States federal, state, and local gov’ts for crimes against humanity. For intent to cause harm, for crimes of genocide, human trafficking, & enslavement.

• Direct cash reparations payments to U.S American Freedmen (descendants) on the local, state, & federal levels.

• In the U.S, continue with Special Field Order 15 which gave the Freedmen’s Bureau authorization to distribute available 40 acre land plots to American Freedmen. Support land back movements & the redistribution of available land & housing within the existing private housing markets. Support investments into existing predominantly Black communities & work to establish new incorporated Freedmen townships that hold a set portion of land & housing assets to protect collective American Freedmen housing & land use interests.

• Restore the Freedmen’s Bureau court system in Freedmen townships. Discuss & outline public safety guidelines & prevention of community disruptions from both civilians & existing hostile police forces. Address noise, fuel, light, lead, & other pollution from freeways, air vessels, & other sources. Such pollutants have been linked to cancer, hearing loss, dementia, heart disease, & violent crime. Examine the states’ role in intentionally polluting Black neighborhoods by putting freeways through them & what redress will look like for such communities with excessive pollution.  Discuss cross cultural connections & co-existing peacefully among other racial & ethnic groups. 

• Restore other Freedmen institutions such as banks, hospitals & schools. Work to coordinate all existing Black networks that are interested in the collective Freedmen’s movement to unite the tribe. Understand that some American Freedmen may not be interested in the process to restore the Freedmen’s Bureau, may not be interested in the movement to re-connect as an American Freedmen tribal unit. Allow tribal identity for American Freedmen that do want that to support collective Freedmen interests.

• Until full repair is made, establish a legal process to withhold a portion of all Freedmen state & federal taxes into a secure trust account in order to begin the process of collective community repair. Withhold is voluntary & should be a write-off for American Freedmen.

• Until full repair is made, consider a legal process to request a portion of housing & cannabis tax revenue for secured trust account.

• Freedmen’s Trust Account can support collective ownership of Freedmen assets such as incorporated townships, community land trusts, Freedmen public schools, trade schools, & universities, Freedmen music, arts, & other Freedmen collective interests & works. 

• The Freedmen Trust can also support basic Freedmen financial needs especially in the areas related to affordable rental housing, affordable rental housing maintenance, healthcare, supportive youth + adult programs, & senior citizen supportive affordable community living

• Establish direct policy implementation guidelines on spending & accountability for the Bureau + other Freedmen institutions. Live auditing should be readily available to Freedmen descendants.

• Support the establishment of cultured meat labs and supportive systems for American Freedmen farmers. Work to advance the science of farming & food sciences.

• Support the establishment of a Freedmen owned DNA bank, genealogy & lineage tracing service teams for past, present, and future needs. 

• Support a Freedmen historical records museum & coordinate all African American museums & other historical foundations with relation to Freedmen.

• Work within the Freedmen movement to establish a means of exchange, trade, & a digital currency. Examine resource based economies especially until full repair is made. 

• Outline a policy & implement a plan for displaced Black children. Outline youth supportive programs & community housing systems for displaced minors/young adults up to the age of 24.

• Look into a Congressional seat for an American Freedmen that is representative of the American Freedmen’s agenda. Look into a seat at the United Nations, and consider the establishment of a new United movement to protect communities from systematic violence. Reparations includes an agreement to prevent future systematic harm. With the approaching U.S constitutional convention (https://representall.org/about/) & the approaching CA constitutional convention (https://repcal.org/),  request space to outline policy on protected class status for Native Black American Freedmen. 

• Freedmen will oversee core areas of Freedmen’s Bureau & most of the work should be within the Bureau itself though it is to be expected that some work could be done within outside agencies. When that happens, direct policy implementation & guidance should be given from the Bureau Supervisor(s). Establish civilian neighborhood councils in Freedmen incorporated townships. 

• Redefine collective community values & future goals. Commit to collective community health with direct investments & coordinated systems.  

• Discuss possible support for grassroots teams that are already working to request reparations & the return of historical artifacts from African Nations involved in the slave trade. Discuss monetary, assets, and land. Consider the possible establishment of a “Freedmen’s Nation” in Africa with Freedmen that are expressing interest in that concept. 

Please keep in mind that the titles; African American, ADOS (American descendants of chattel slavery), AADOS (African American Descendants of Survivors), DOAS (Descendants of American chattel slavery), Foundational Black American (FBA), Black American, American Negro, American Maroon, & American Freedmen are all synonymous to Americans that are descendants of survivors, of U.S chattel slavery, the U.S emancipation, and/or freed Black persons in the U.S prior to the 19th century. American Freedmen are Foundational, Native, or Indigenous to the United States. This position presented is catered to the CA region & has been delivered to the CA reparations task force though the goal is a Bureau within each region of the U.S. Next steps include the formation of American Freedmen working groups to begin the process of re-establishment of the Bureau. Subscribe for updates..