Global Black (GB) is a left-of-center transnational organization that advocates for policies towards environmentalism and racial reparations. The group is linked to organizations related to the United Nations, including the International Civil Society Working Group for the Permanent Forum of People of African Descent, and the Afro-InterAmerican Forum on Climate Change. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Amara Enyia, the president of Global Black, is the director of policy and research for the Movement for Black Lives, a coalition of left-of-center racial advocacy groups associated with the Black Lives Matter movement. ⁶ Enyia also ran for mayor of Chicago in 2015 and 2019 and was defeated both times. ^{7 8}

Affiliated Organizations

According to its website, Global Black is affiliated with several organizations including the International Civil Society Working Group for the Permanent Forum of People of African Descent, a coalition of individuals and organizations that work to establish a “strong and effective” United Nations Permanent Forum of People of African Descent (PFPAD). The forum, which was created on August 2, 2021, by the United Nations General Assembly, acts as a “consultative mechanism” and a platform for improving the “quality of life and livelihoods” of the African-American community. The president of Global Black, Amara Enyia, was a member of the PFPAD as of July 2023. ^{3 5 9}

Global Black also supports the Afro-InterAmerican Forum on Climate Change (AIFCC), which was formally launched at the 26th UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26). AIFCC held an event in June 2023 called “Climate Change and Biodiversity Loss: Challenges and Opportunities for Afro-descendant Communities as Crucial Environmental Defenders,” in which Enyia was a featured speaker. ^{4 5}

Global Black is also a member of the Global Circle for Reparations and Healing (GCRH), a left-of-center organization that calls for racial reparations for people of African descent. The organization was founded in 2021 after 23 organizations were selected by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation through its Equitable Recovery Grant Initiative. ^{10 11 12}

Global Black was a co-host of GCRH’s August 2022 “Advancing Justice: Reparations and Healing Summit” in Accra, Ghana. Other co-hosts included the African Union Commission, the Africa Transitional Justice Legacy Fund, and the Africa-America Institute. ¹⁰

Leadership

Amara Enyia, the president of Global Black, earned a Master of Education degree, a doctor of law degree, and a Ph.D. in educational policy studies from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, which she attended from 2005 until 2010. ¹³

Enyia is also director of policy and research for the Movement for Black Lives, a coalition left-of-center racial advocacy organizations associated with the Black Lives Matter movement. The group’s 2020 platform, called “Vision for Black Lives,” called for “a radical and sustainable redistribution of wealth,” “reparations”, legalization of prostitution and drugs, government-run health care including “full reproductive services,” and an end to school reform efforts including Teach for America. ^{6 14 15 16 17 18}

Enyia is also a senior fellow at the Institute on Race, Power, and Political Economy at The New School, a leader-in-residence at The Atlantic Institute, and the chairwoman of the International Civil Society Working Group for the United Nations Permanent Forum on People of African Descent. ^{6 19}

Enyia ran for mayor in Chicago’s 2015 mayoral election, and after being defeated, ran again in 2019. During her second run, she received a donation of $73,540 from controversial recording artist Kanye West, who also donated another $126,460 to Enyia’s campaign around the time he announced he was “distancing” himself from politics. Although she fundraised a total of $654,771, Enyia ultimately lost the election with eight percent of the vote. ^{7 20 21 22 8}

Funding

Global Black received a $75,000 grant in 2023 from George Soros’ Open Society Foundations (OSF) for “implementing the practice of diversity, equity, and inclusion in policies at the governmental level.” ²³

1. “About.” Global Black. October 25, 2023. Accessed October 21, 2024. https://global.black/about/.
2. “Get Involved.” Global Black. October 27, 2023. Accessed October 21, 2024. https://global.black/get-involved/.
3. “Pfpad.” Global Black. October 26, 2023. Accessed October 21, 2024. https://global.black/pfpad/.
4. “Aifcc.” Global Black. October 26, 2023. Accessed October 21, 2024. https://global.black/aifcc/.
5. “AIFCC at the UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent.” Environmental Solutions Initiative. July 26, 2023. Accessed October 21, 2024. https://environmentalsolutions.mit.edu/news/aifcc-at-the-un-permanent-forum-on-people-of-african-descent/.
6. “Amara Enyia.” LinkedIn. Accessed October 21, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/amara-enyia-jd-phd-0ab93064/.
7. Dean, Terry. “Amara Enyia drops out of mayoral race.” Austin Weekly News. December 10, 2014. Accessed October 21, 2024. https://www.austinweeklynews.com/2014/12/10/amara-enyia-drops-out-of-mayoral-race/.
8. “Proclamation of Results – 2019.” Chicago Board of Election Commissions. Accessed October 21, 2024. https://app.chicagoelections.com/documents/proclamations/Proc-2019-02-26.pdf.
9. “Topics Permanent Forum on People of African Descent.” United Nations. Accessed October 21, 2024. https://www.ohchr.org/en/permanent-forum-people-african-descent.
10. “Global Circle – for Reparations and Healing.” Accessed October 21, 2024. https://accrasummit.com/.
11. “Gcrh.” Global Black. October 26, 2023. Accessed October 21, 2024. https://global.black/gcrh/.
12. “Health Memo on Covid-19 Prevention Protocols.” Accra Summit. Accessed October 21, 2024. https://accrasummit.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Health-Memo.pdf.
13.  “Amara Enyia – Education.” LinkedIn. Accessed October 21, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/amara-enyia-jd-phd-0ab93064/details/education/
14. “Economic Justice.” M4BL. Accessed October 21, 2024. https://m4bl.org/policy-platforms/economic-justice/.
15. “Reparations.” M4BL. Accessed October 21, 2024. https://m4bl.org/policy-platforms/reparations/.
16. “Invest-Divest.” M4BL. Accessed October 21, 2024. https://m4bl.org/policy-platforms/invest-divest/.
17. “Political Power.” M4BL. Accessed October 21, 2024. https://m4bl.org/policy-platforms/political-power/.
18. “Community Control.” M4BL. Accessed October 21, 2024. https://m4bl.org/policy-platforms/community-control/.
19. “Atlantic Fellows | Atlantic Institute appoints Leaders-in-residence to help shape policy and strategy.” Atlantic Institute appoints Leaders-in-residence t. July 28, 2021. Accessed October 21, 2024. https://www.atlanticfellows.org/news/atlantic-institute-appoints-leaders-in-residence-to-help-shape-policy-and-strategy.
20. “Can Amara Enyia, backed by hip-hop stars, become Chicago’s first black female mayor?.” The Guardian. November 19, 2018. Accessed October 21, 2024. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/nov/19/amara-enyia-chicago-mayor-candidate-chance-the-rapper-kanye-west.
21. Press, Associated. “Kanye West tweets he’s dropping politics, writes big check.” Business Insider. November 2, 2018. Accessed October 21, 2024. https://www.businessinsider.com/ap-kanye-west-tweets-hes-dropping-politics-writes-big-check-2018-11.
22. “Potential Candidates in the 2019 Chicago Mayoral Race.” Illinois Sunshine. Accessed October 21, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20190225103858/http://illinoissunshine.org/mayoral-races/.
23. “Open Society Foundations – Awarded Grants, Scholarships, and Fellowships.” Open Society Foundations. Accessed October 21, 2024. https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/grants/past?grant_id=OR2023-92040.