I was deeply honored to attend the fourth session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on People of African Descent (PFPAD) in New York City, from April 14-17, 2025. For weeks leading up to this convening, there had been online side events. Many of these events focused on the intersection of health and healing and addressing the violence against Black women and girls around the world: “Reparatory Justice for Descendants of Enslaved Africans,” “Black Maternal Care,” “Tackling Sexual Violence in War-Torn Areas,” “Healing Strategies for Black Women and Girls in a Violent World,” and even “Natural Hair Discrimination.” These preparatory programs updated participants like me with the latest knowledge about conditions impacting people of African descent globally; they were also an introduction to the formal nature of forum events and the way both the side events and the main events would be moderated—usually with two minutes allotted per speaker from the general audience following main panel presentations. This was my first Permanent Forum on People of African Descent, and I was approaching it with my “beginner’s mind,” the student with everything to learn. These lead-up events were indeed very helpful.

Nothing could have prepared me, though, for entering the opening session in the General Assembly room of the United Nations headquarters at 405 45th St. New York on the morning of April 14. Walking into the General Assembly chamber literally took my breath away. I gasped, completely in awe. And a tear escaped my eye and ran down my right check—just one tear—as I looked around and saw the majestic and inspiring surroundings. This was very different from coming to the UN on a tour, as I had as a high school student. Now I was in a room where policy decisions would be made, and any credentialed participant had the privilege to create and submit testimony to be entered into the proceedings.

This was a moment of reflection. I reflected on all of the gifts I had been given by my community of origin. These included Model UN at school and UN Days at the College Park, Maryland City Hall—celebrations in which my father, Harry Braxton, sometimes had a role. One year, he even recruited Kuwaiti Ambassador Talat Al-Ghoussein to speak. Dad had met the ambassador while serving as his driver in the Navy Yard car service, and the two men—who looked as if they could have been brothers—formed a bond. I imagined that this ambassador might have been as curious about this Black American as my father had been about him, and the ambassador graciously accepted his invitation.

Moved, I turned to my companion Rev. Dr. Rebecca Ann Parker, President of Starr King School for the Ministry, and also an important team member of the Braxton Institute’s Reparations for Lakeland Now! campaign. I remembered that Rebecca’s father had been present at the founding of the United Nations in San Francisco in 1945. Suddenly, everything seemed very familiar. Illuminated, I said aloud, “Rebecca, this is the world our father’s made—the world they hoped we would inherit.”

Rev. Dr. Rebecca Ann Parker with US reparations leaders at the UN.

It meant everything to bring my “Lakeland, Reclaiming Our Space” t-shirt from the College Park Restorative Justice Commission into the international forum that is the United Nations—for a Lakelander has the same human rights as any citizen of the world. The five principles of Reparations, as defined by the UN, are:

Cessation of harm and assurance of non-repetition
Restitution and Repatriation
Compensation
Satisfaction
Rehabilitation

Therefore, the UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent is one of the places where a Lakelander can explore what reclaiming our space and our human rights means.

Opening speakers included the President of the United Nations General Assembly, the Vice President of Columbia, the Secretary General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the Minister of Racial Equality for Brazil, and the Minister of Labor for Guyana. These were almost all people of color. It was exciting to be present for the adoption of the agenda and the program of work for the entire assembly, and to hear general debate later in the day.

At the same time, there were more amazing side events, such as “Beats of Solidarity: Drumming for Peace and Equity,” outside on the UN visitors’ plaza. This event featured expert drummers steeped in the traditions of Africa and the African diaspora—from Africa, North and South America, and the Caribbean. This work of performance art underscored one of the important themes of the convening: the healing power of art.

One of the side events that same day was called “Reparatory Justice and Institutional Accountability: An Open and Candid Dialogue with the Church of England on Historical Injustices.” It didn't surprise me to find two of the leaders for reparative justice for descendants of Jesuit enslavement in the audience—and clearly, at least one of the distinguished Anglican speakers had already been in conversation with their Jesuit counterparts working for repair. As members of the clergy, Dr. Parker and I were able to enjoy a rich dialogue afterward, including a brief conversation with Father Tim Kesicki, S.J., a leader in the Jesuit conference. We especially enjoyed speaking with the Rt. Rev. Dr. Rosemarie Mallett, Anglican Bishop of Croydon, in England, a panel member and an advocate for accountability. As a Black woman, Bishop Rosemarie made me proud.

There were other panels of church accountability and reparations, including one where Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia Thompson, General Minister of the United Church of Christ—my home denomination—was in leadership. United Church of Christ ministers Rev. Dr. Ben Chavis and Rev. Dr. Iva Carruthers were prominent among church leaders, which also included leaders of the United Methodist Church, Dr. Parker’s home denomination.

The African Union has declared its theme for 2025 as “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations,” and hosted side events that emphasized the global nature of the quest for reparations. There were more programs and panels on reparations throughout the three-day convening—not only reparatory justice for those living in the United States but reparatory justice for Africa and people of African descent around the world. Church leaders from Africa spoke about the complexity of what reparations means for continental Africans.

Dr. Braxton with Reparations leaders Robin Rue Simmons and Kamm Howard.

One side event was called “Apology and Repair: How Descendants of the Enslaved and Descendants of the Enslavers are Taking Steps Toward Reparatory Justice.” This event was timely given France’s decision to join with Haiti to address the fact that in 1825 France demanded Haiti to pay 150 million francs in exchange for recognition of Haitian independence. In 2021, NPR called this theft from Haiti “The Greatest Heist in History.” The new French-Haitian commission was announced on the final day of the convening. It was greeted both with hope and a hermeneutic of suspicion.

The Ark of Return, a permanent memorial to the victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade, offered a powerful reminder of the reasons we were there. The ark is the representation of a slave ship. It cradles an ancestor, representing the millions of Africans transported and the millions of Africans lost during the Middle Passage. It formed the backdrop for one of the side events featuring the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater Workshop teaching African dance on the UN Plaza in front of the sculpture, on the 10th anniversary of that memorial’s installation on the plaza.

In another powerful side event, the human rights of women and the challenges facing women worldwide were discussed on a panel moderated by the Honorable Ambassador June Soomer from St. Lucia. Other events featured conversations about how we protect the environmental rights defenders working for reparatory environment democracy. Several times, we participants were asked to imagine freedom—and to imagine freedom in new ways, thinking through policymaking as it relates to systemic racism and human rights-based approaches to policy.

One of my favorite events was the rollout of The Global Circle for Reparations and Healing, sponsored by our colleagues at First Repair. This is an exciting new effort that emerges alongside The Braxton Institute’s curated Golden Repair Fellowships for Reparations Leaders, newly launched.

I didn’t try to speak this year. Instead, I trained. I listened to testimony, like the powerful testimony given by colleagues Robin Proudie, Nkechi Taifa, and Justin Hansford. I thought about our work at the Braxton Institute and talked about it too—talked about our work in Lakeland and throughout the state of Maryland, and talked Reparations for Lakeland Now! to anyone who asked me who I was and was then prepared to listen.

Having recently given testimony as an expert witness for the Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission, I am learning how this is done and what form it takes—knowing that you only have a limited time to speak and that one learns to trust that the person who speaks after you will say the thing you did not get to fit in. That thing you don’t have time to say goes in your longer written testimony, for the record. It was a lot to learn.

If I have another opportunity, I will be ready—having gained just enough confidence and experience to understand why we Lakelanders (and others like us) belong, and how the process works.

Next year: Geneva! We give thanks!