A Call to Engage with the UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent (UNPFAD)

Reparatory justice is often spoken about in historical terms: restoring land, acknowledging slavery, demanding compensation for atrocities of the past. But what does reparatory justice look like for Black professionals navigating workplaces today? What does it mean to repair not just what was broken, but what continues to be—through systemic exclusion, bias, and harm?

At Bounce Black, our mission has always been about healing and thriving, especially in professional and educational spaces where Black people have historically been underrepresented, undervalued, and underserved. For us, reparatory justice is not just about restitution—it’s about recognition, restoration, and real equity.

And this week, a global conversation is happening that speaks directly to this mission: the Fourth Session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on People of African Descent (UNPFAD), taking place April 14–17, 2025 at the UN Headquarters in New York.

What Is UNPFAD?

The UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent was established in 2021 as part of the UN’s International Decade for People of African Descent (2015–2024). Its purpose is to serve as a global advisory body to the UN Human Rights Council and other UN agencies, providing expert advice and recommendations to combat systemic racism and advance the rights and development of people of African descent around the world.

UNPFAD is a vital platform for:

• Discussing global anti-Black racism and structural inequality
• Highlighting the impacts of colonialism and the transatlantic slave trade
• Pushing forward the global conversation around reparatory justice
• Amplifying the voices and experiences of African-descended communities

Why Reparatory Justice Matters At Work

While national and international conversations around reparations often focus on financial compensation or historical redress, reparatory justice must also be forward-looking. For Black professionals, this could mean:

• Healing from workplace racial trauma through institutional acknowledgment, mental health resources, and equity-centered HR practices.
• Creating pathways to leadership and influence, correcting the structural inequities that keep Black professionals underrepresented in decision making roles.
• Eliminating the racial wealth gap through access to capital, pay equity, and sustainable business opportunities.
• Restoring dignity through visibility, validation, and a reckoning with the everyday experiences of racialised labor.

Bounce Black’s work is rooted in this broader vision of justice—not just reacting to harm, but building structures of care, accountability, and opportunity for the future.

How You Can Engage with UNPFAD

The Fourth Session of UNPFAD invites global citizens, civil society, governments, and institutions to engage in meaningful dialogue around the theme of reparatory justice. This is an opportunity for Black professionals and advocates to be part of shaping global policy and contributing lived experience to the conversation.

If you’d like to take part, the session will be broadcast on UN Web TV, with interpretation available. You can also register to attend Side Events via the conference schedule.

Sessions will feature discussions on:

• Legal frameworks and limitations surrounding reparations
• Education and truth-telling as tools for justice
• The intersection of environmental, economic, and racial justice
• Community-led solutions and the power of global solidarity

Be part of the conversation, be part of the change

At Bounce Black, we believe that reparatory justice must include professional dignity. This means repairing what’s been broken in the workplace, in education systems, in access to opportunity—and building futures where Black people don’t just survive, but thrive.

We encourage our community to watch, share, and engage with the UNPFAD sessions. These conversations are not abstract—they are about us, and they are for us. Whether you’re an advocate, a professional, a student, or an organizer, your voice matters.

Use it.

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Useful Links

• Learn more about UNPFAD: UNPFAD Overview – UN.org
• Register to attend or follow the livestream: UNPFAD Session 4 Info
• Watch: Descended from the Promised Land (Black Public Media Documentary on the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre)