Protecting The Black Radical Project: A Call For Courage, Unity And Discipline In 2025

It has been 10 years since Ferguson, 10 years since Black communities across the nation ignited a movement that redefined our commitment to justice, dignity, and liberation. That uprising was a clarion call—a demand for accountability, for an end to unchecked violence, and for a reimagined democracy that serves all its people. Today, as we reflect on that decade of struggle, we face an even greater challenge. The 2024 election has brought a harsh reality. The reelection of Donald Trump and a GOP-controlled Congress set the stage for an intensified wave of repression and retaliation against our communities.

Black communities understand well that progress invites backlash. We have lived it, survived it, and grown stronger despite of it. But now, we stand at a pivotal moment, one that requires us to carry forward the legacy of Ferguson and protect the Black Radical Project—a vision of liberation rooted in fairness, safety, and opportunity for all. This responsibility is not only a defense against authoritarianism but also a safeguard against internal drift. To uphold the integrity of our vision, we must enforce a disciplined understanding within broader economic, cultural, social and political coalitions, ensuring the road to an inclusive democracy remains grounded in Black-centered values and purpose.

The Black Radical Project: our legacy and responsibility

The Black Radical Project is both a legacy and a responsibility. It is the proactive pursuit of a just, equitable society where democracy extends to everyone. From Reconstruction to the Civil Rights Movement to today’s racial justice efforts, Black leaders have understood that our pursuit of justice will be met with resistance and, at times, outright hostility and disdain.

Black leaders today stand on the shoulders of giants, inheriting a struggle that is both sacred and strategic. We know that oppression thrives on division—on fractured coalitions, on pitting communities against one another. Our task, then, is not only to resist this machinery of oppression but to uphold the clarity and integrity of the Black radical project, guiding our allies with an unwavering commitment to our principles and purpose. This is not about gatekeeping; it’s about ensuring that the struggle we lead is neither co-opted nor diluted.

The drift of white liberal and progressive allies

In recent years, white liberals and progressives have adopted dogmatic illiberal positions on issues of race and justice, often more than the Black or Latino communities they claim to stand with. As sociologist Musa al-Gharbi has noted, these allies frequently adopt lilliputian positions without consulting a diversity of Black voices or understanding the practical realities we face. At times, they have without permission, reshaped, our concerns to fit broader ideological goals that don’t often serve our communities.

I want to be clear. This is not about rejecting solidarity—it’s about preserving the integrity of the Black radical project. Racial justice cannot become an ideological symbol for others to wield in pursuit of their own agendas. Those who choose to join in real coalition with us must understand that Black and Indigenous leadership has long provided the moral compass in the fight for an inclusive democracy. We don’t need our allies to redefine our goals; we need them to strengthen and support the vision built from within our communities.

Showing up: Black leadership as a model of inclusive solidarity

This isn’t a zero-sum coalition for Black communities. We must also step up. As Black leaders, we ourselves are responsible for modeling the very unity we seek from others. In standing against what will be a historical wave of authoritarianism, we must demonstrate what true solidarity looks like across race, class, and identity. The Black Radical Project calls on us to champion those most threatened within other communities—those who are too often resigned to despair and invisibility. This includes those suffering the deep despair of poverty regardless of race, those locked within the prison system, women, Muslims, Jews, immigrants and refugees seeking safety, and LGBTQ+ individuals whose lives are under persistent threat. Our vision must center these lives because a just society begins with those most impacted by unfairness, cruelty and neglect.

Black commitment to equity is not an abstraction but a lived reality. By placing the most marginalized at the heart of our work, we reinforce that the Black radical project is practical, urgent, and a necessary defense against forces that seek to divide to control us.

Lessons from the machinery of oppression: discipline as a defense

Across the world, authoritarian regimes have demonstrated the power of undercutting movement discipline and resilience in consolidating control. Leaders like Vladamir Putin in Russia, Viktor Orbán in Hungary and Narendra Modi in India have targeted civil society with nationalist rhetoric, labeling justice-oriented organizations as threats to national sovereignty. By branding NGOs as “foreign agents” or threats, these regimes exploit internal divisions, weakening opposition and turning public opinion against those who champion equity.

In the United States, we see a similar machinery of oppression taking shape. The rhetoric of “law and order” has been weaponized to justify heightened policing, surveillance, and suppression, disproportionately affecting Black communities. Disingenuous calls for “unity” and “national values” seek to dilute demands for justice, reframing our movement’s goals as divisive rather than foundational. This is no coincidence—it’s a calculated strategy that uses fear, anxiety and division as tools of control.

We need our allies to understand that the discipline of staying true to the Black radical project is not an optional stance; it is a strategic necessity. When racial justice is treated as a political accessory rather than the core principled commitment, we risk losing our way. Our movements will become unanchored and the waves of repression will wedge them apart. The Black Radical Project does not seek to adopt the positions of our allies wholesale but to foster a disciplined understanding—an understanding that respects the Black Radical Project as central to any real and lasting solution.

Setting boundaries and leading with purpose

Discipline within the Black Radical Project doesn’t mean exclusion, every person seeking a fairer world has a home here; it means setting clear boundaries so that our allies support rather than dilute the work. True solidarity cannot be about co-opting racial justice for ideological gain and this moment demands clarity and purpose from those who claim to stand alongside us.

Building strength: strategic unity and resilience

We know from history that authoritarian regimes aim to fracture coalitions and weaken solidarity among groups that, together, represent a formidable force. Today, we see this tactic in the media and social media amplification of toxic polarization—intentional and unintentional disinformation campaigns that portray Black-led movements as “radical” or even “dangerous.” We see it in the weaponization of antisemitism, Islamophobia, and anti-Black racism, which drive wedges between communities and foster division in the very spaces where we should find unity.

Toxic polarization seeks to turn us against one another. As Black leaders, we must uphold the legacy of solidarity that has sustained us through generations. We cannot allow the machinery of oppression to divide us, nor can we permit the Black radical project to be fractured by well-meaning but misguided allies driven by racial, ethnic and religious sectarianism. Our role is to stay focused on building a radical center grounded in reality we must hold our allies accountable to that vision or leave them to follow their own paths of self-destruction.

Sustaining the movement: long-term investment and preparedness

If we are to survive this moment, we need to invest in the future of our movement. We need resources that can withstand coordinated attacks, from legal challenges to digital harassment. Philanthropy has a role to play here, but so does our internal network. We must prioritize training, resource-sharing, and legal education, ensuring that our organizations are prepared for the long haul.

Our allies in philanthropy and beyond must understand that the Black Radical Project is not a temporary campaign but a generational struggle. This requires sustained support, not just in times of crisis but in moments of calm, when we can build resilience and strategic depth. Philanthropy must heed the warnings from authoritarian contexts worldwide, investing in safety, digital security, and mental health and not as a tradeoff to continued investments in advocacy, arts, social services and education.

A call for courage, unity and discipline

To Black leaders across the country, I urge you to rise and meet this moment with clarity. We must enforce a discipline of understanding within our ranks, reminding everyone that a society that meets the needs of all is impossible without fulfilling the Black Radical Project. The road to a true democracy runs through our communities, and we will protect it with every tool, every ally, and every ounce of discipline we possess. Together, let us face this moment with the courage of those who came before us and the strength of those who will follow. This is not only our legacy but also our honor.

Eric Ward is the Executive Vice President for Race Forward, a national racial equity organization.

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