From https://lbsbaltimore.com/
Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle (LBS) is a grassroots think-tank which advances the public policy interest of Black people, in Baltimore, through: youth leadership development, political advocacy, and autonomous intellectual innovation.
Vision
We seek to radically change the discourse around local and regional politics by injecting community voices into political conversations through policy research, advocacy, and community organizing from a grassroots perspective.
We will remain unbeholden to any foundation, nonprofit, or political party; as an unapologetically Black independent group of concerned leaders engaging the public policy arena. As our knowledge, collaborations, and support grow our vision will evolve as well.
We are currently working to achieve the following objectives:
- Become a full-fledged public policy entity positioned to effectively address the complex issues facing Black Baltimore residents in every arena of civil society.
- Become a world-renowned Black research institution that combines academic rigor, tactical vision, accessible communication, and a Black Power framework.
- Facilitate a world-class youth leadership institution that connects policy debate and social justice to the development of positive self-identity for Black youth.
Framework
The notion of Pan-Afrikan Nationalism is a concept that grounds our work in a vision of global Afrikan sovereignty as the basis for the development of methodologies for our collective liberation.
Our work is not based on the fantasy that there are Black superheroes who will come and save the Black masses, but rather that we can and will collectively and strategically build the power necessary to effectively protect the humanity of all Black people.
Many organizations engaged in public policy work advocate for issues that most directly affect Black people, but too often these organizations do not explicitly make themselves accountable to the masses of Black people.
Accountable Black leadership is horizontal and cooperative. We believe this is an important innovation in community organizing and embrace it as our ideal operational model.
