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HISTORY

The idea of foreign policy advocacy organization germinated at the Black Leadership Conference convened by the Congressional Black Caucus in September, 1976. The conference concluded that the conspicuous absence of African Americans in high-level international affairs positions, and the general neglect of African and Caribbean priorities, could only be corrected by the establishment of a private advocacy organization. An ad hoc committee consisting of Randall Robinson, Herschelle Challenor, and Willard Johnson formulated an organization design. 

On July 1, 1977, TransAfrica, a nonprofit organization was incorporated in Washington, D.C. with Randall Robinson as executive director. The primary human rights issue of the day was the unjust apartheid regime in South Africa. TransAfrica’s activism, legislative campaigns and strategic media work, coupled with a global solidarity movement, hastened the end of apartheid.

Today global injustice continues to be as severe as South Africa’s apartheid was brutal. However, complex economic systems and prolonged wars make it difficult for the community to see the ways we are all suffering from the deep divisions between rich and poor, those with power and access and those who are marginalized.

Systems of social and economic apartheids are still ravaging communities of color throughout the world. TransAfrica recognizes how critical it is for people in the U.S. to express visible solidarity with the people of Africa and the Diaspora.TransAfrica is a proven leader in building powerful coalitions that change policy through solidarity and unity. There is an urgent need for African Americans to be more aware of and involved in U.S. foreign policy decisions, especially as they relate to Africa, the Americas and the Caribbean.

TransAfrica is a hub for critical information in the 21st Century. TransAfrica continues to foster a closer alliance between African Americans, Africans in the continent of Africa and the African Diaspora in the Caribbean and Latin America through activities that promote political awareness and involvement in foreign affairs.