NNPA President and CEO, the Rev. Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., joined the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference at the Fourth Session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on People of African Descent the week of April 14 to address the impact of artificial intelligence on the African Diaspora. Dr. Chavis’s testimony is available here.
Here is the testimony of Proctor Conference General Secretary, the Rev. Dr. Iva Carruthers:
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Rev. Dr. Iva Carruthers, General Secretary/CEO
Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference
Statement For Submission: 4th Session of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent
I am Rev. Dr. Iva Carruthers, General Secretary of the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference, an NGO based in the USA, and founding director of the Center for Reparatory Justice, McCormick Theological Seminary, Chicago.
On behalf of those we represent, I want to express our profound gratitude for the pluridisciplinary excellence, and sacrifices that those who led this effort during the first decade and into the second decade, have given to the African world.
The Durban Programme of Action foregrounded the importance of collecting and disaggregating data in realizing our agenda; And the depth and breadth in which we see AI and the digital economy being integrated into our discourse yesterday, attest to our collective genius and warrior spirit.
What it means to be human is changing at an unprecedented rate, signifying a need for us to factor in our deliberations an Afrofuturist imagination. Imagination is fueled by words and images that have power and we are in a war of ideation and visualization, not just targeted at our minds, but also our spirits. We must continue to confront demonic spirits that are antithetical to African spirituality and notions of the Divine.
Thus, two specific observations and simple recommendations for consideration:
THE definition and future of humanity may well indeed depend on our capacity to activate an African Soul and Spiritual agenda over the next decade. As a part of the work before us we need focused attention to interrogate our shared understanding of the Divine – not any particular religious tradition but rather our understanding of basic spiritual, ethical and moral pillars for a human rights framework. Let us remember that Boukman’s liberative prayer in Hayti to a God of justice and goodness was foundational.
Secondly, African youth under 29 years of age will be a dominant global force in the next decade. As we consider Afrofuturism, we need to prioritize the creation of a strong presence of youth communities to inform and engage in the ongoing work of the Decade. Thank you.
