Unity, Solidarity, Liberty, Freedom, Self-Determination

Five words that have guided The Ethiopian World Federation since 1937: the principles of its Preamble and what they mean for members today.

The Preamble of our Constitution opens with a sentence that every member can recite: "We the Black Peoples of the World, in order to effect Unity, Solidarity, Liberty, Freedom and Self-determination…" Five words carry the whole mission.

They are not a slogan. They describe a way of working together that has kept the Federation alive for almost ninety years, across continents and generations. Here is what each of them asks of us today.

Unity

Unity means that a member in Ghana, a member in London and a member in Martinique belong to the same body. Our Locals differ in language, size and history, yet they answer to one Constitution and one purpose.

Solidarity

Solidarity is unity in action. It is the Local that welcomes a new member, the officer who trains a colleague, the family that gives what it can on Pledge Day. No one carries the work alone.

Liberty

Liberty speaks of dignity: the right of every person of African descent to live, speak and organize freely. It reminds us that the freedoms we enjoy were won by those who came before us.

Freedom

Freedom goes further than the absence of chains. It is freedom of mind, of culture and of spirit. It is the healing of what history has divided, and the confidence to tell our own story.

Self-Determination

Self-determination is the power to decide our own future. It is why we build our own institutions, manage our own resources and train our own leaders.

Living the Preamble

The Preamble also commits the Federation to secure justice and maintain the integrity of Ethiopia. These principles were written in a time of crisis. They still guide every decision we make, from a Local meeting to the International Convention.

Read the full text in the Constitution, available on this website. Then ask yourself: which of the five words will I live most fully this year?

*Source: The Ethiopian World Federation, Incorporated — Preamble and Constitution.*