A Holistic 10 Point Plan for Liberation

October 2025

Greetings community!

I wanted to share the work that flowed through me from Jacquie Verbal's workshop that I attended yesterday. It was nice to have time dedicated to take my many thoughts and pieces of who I am and weave them together with strength and intentionality,  I have been feeling so scattered these past weeks because I have been moving and doing without resetting. I was not going back to my blueprint to see how my actions were aligning to the overall vision I have for Black children and families.

I was staying too much in the land of "productivity" without the embodiment. I was being led by the to-do list on the page and not being grounded on what my Spirit was guiding me to do---since time functions differently with the Spirit than the flesh. That was leaving me busy and incomplete in many ways. 

Yesterday was the 59th anniversary of the Black Panther Party and Ten-Point Program so it was only right to rest in community to talk about what has changed and what unfortunately has stayed the same. 

My list is set up with rest first to lead the way for healing. Next comes building strong communities (economy, housing, spaces) which will improve the environment. I added wisdom keepers to connect it all, and I end with education. It is important that the vessel (Black people) gets filled with elements that are healing, restorative, communal and divine.  

This is a starting place, a road map, a gathering for conversation and collaboration. I have my rationales for each point so you know a second article will flow from this.

A Holistic 10-Point Plan for Liberation

1. We want a guaranteed day of rest for all Black people.

2. We want community-controlled land, cooperative economics, and worker ownership.

3. We want community-controlled, accessible housing built on principles of beauty and collective care.

4. We want gardens, healing spaces, and arts integrated into all community development.

5. We want environmental justice and neighborhoods designed with natural healing elements.

6. We want wisdom keepers honored and community-controlled media.

7. We want every Black child to have access to a culturally responsive, progressive, and liberatory education.

8. We want Black children taught by educators trained in culturally responsive, progressive, pro-Black methods.

9. We want nature-based education for all Black children.

10. We want Black intellectual, cultural, and artistic tradition as the foundation of education.

I  wanted to share the resources from the workshop, if anyone is interested to read and listen to:

I also want to share the PDF of a book I read aboutErika Huggins that was recently released. Here’s the link to download:https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gJFkl7M2aar37s9nDXko2OSXfa6Hjpos/view?usp=sharing

Here is the YouTube link to the Bobby Seale speech: https://youtu.be/j-61QPCj0hA?si=fxbZt95MnhVtt-aU

Black Panther Party Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1mgglASCYDAXdCR1aQg8JB?si=7ee64a1543d742bf

Jazz Funk Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DWUb0uBnlJuTi?si=86b4ce667ee741c0

As always stay grounded and nourished! 

Ashley