Three Years of the Black Hive

Movement for Black Lives
3 min readApr 20, 2023

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Do you know what today is? It’s The Black Hive @ M4BLs anniversary!

In the spirit of The Black Hive’s 3-year anniversary, we want to share some of what we’re working on in 2023 and beyond.

Advancing our Black Climate Mandate

This year, you will have opportunities to learn, engage and build with our Black Climate Mandate, which offers a blueprint for a sustainable, renewable future that protects all Black lives. We will build and promote rigorous and urgent legislative action toward Global climate and environmental justice, in addition to holding U.S. policymakers accountable to pass real, transformational climate change policies. We will be producing political education for the people, which will inform, engage and educate Black people on ways to build resiliency against the climate crisis. The Black Hive will also ensure that our communities are at the front of this fight and that Black CC and EJ leadership is well-resourced, supported, and held.

Building Resiliency & Power for Black Communities

The Black Hive @ M4BL will be building organizing power and providing resource and skill training for Black communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis in the U.S. and beyond. We will support our membership of Black leaders in CC and EJ to develop solution-based, just transition projects and programs in their communities. Our vision is to empower Black folks to be our first responders and be prepared and ready in advance, before a severe weather event destroys our homes and communities. We are building alternatives and solutions driven by Black people, for Black people.

Growing Black Global Solidarity

During COP27, the Black Hive presented our global policy demands. We urged delegates, elected officials, and other international leaders to lean into these demands, in the defense and protection of Black lives globally.

(Black Hive Members Making a Presentation at COP28. From Left to Right: Nat, Wes, Dominic, Pienel, Malcolm, Vee)

We know it’s not just enough to talk about only the climate impacts on the Black lives in the United States.

We will hold the U.S. government and Euro-centric governments, as well as private corporations to repair and address the Global harms and inequitable and false solutions.

Our membership is now global, and we are excited to welcome more comrades from the Global Black Diaspora to our home, The Black Hive. Karibu Sana.

What’s Poppin’ Next

In only three years, the Black Hive @ M4BL produced some major victories for our people and communities — and remains on the frontlines of some significant CC and EJ battles.

The IPCC report highlights what Black communities already know, that these extreme weather events will be more frequent and volatile than ever.

Black people are driven into environmentally unsafe neighborhoods through water contamination and discriminatory, anti-Black policies, such as redlining, social housing, and generations of exclusion from decision-making about the future of the planet.

On #EarthDay, we are reminded that the climate crisis is real, and it impacts Black communities at a disproportionate rate. Black people need urgent climate action NOW. We have the solutions. Fund and support the Black Hive @ M4BL.

We hope you’ll support us by adding your name to our pledge. We need you in this fight with us.

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Movement for Black Lives

M4BL is a national network of organizations and individuals creating a broad political home for Black people to learn, organize, and take action.