[2] AAPF develops and promotes frameworks and strategies that address a vision of racial justice that embraces the intersections of race, gender, class, and the array of barriers that disempower those who are marginalized in society.
In February 2015, the AAPF coined the hashtag #SayHerName[3] in an effort to create a large social media presence alongside existing racial justice campaigns, such as #BlackLivesMatter and #BlackGirlsMatter.
The African American Policy Forum (AAPF) was co-founded in 1996[4] by Kimberlé Crenshaw, Professor of Law at UCLA and Columbia Law School and leading authority in the area of Civil Rights and Black feminist legal theory;[5] and Luke Charles Harris, Professor of Political Science at Vassar College and leading authority in the field of Critical race theory.
The Policy Forum promotes frameworks and strategies that address a vision of racial justice that embraces the intersections of race, gender, class, and the array of barriers that disempower those who are marginalized in society.
Bridging art, activism, and academic discourse in their work, AAPF is dedicated to advancing and expanding racial justice, gender equality, and the indivisibility of all human rights, both in the U.S. and internationally.
Later, on July 10, 2014, AAPF organized a conversation moderated by GRITtv's Laura Flanders on the necessity of expanding “My Brother’s Keeper.” Featured speakers included AAPF co-founder Kimberlé Crenshaw, Professor and Co-Founder of The Crunk Feminist Collective Brittney Cooper, Founder and Executive Director of Girls for Gender Equity Joanne Smith, as well as Professors Kristie Dotson and Rosa Linda Fregoso.
AAPF is committed to hosting town hall hearings in order to bring the circumstances facing many women of color out of the shadows and squarely into public policy debates, while helping community leaders develop and advance local agendas for gender inclusive racial justice.
Beginning in 2014, AAPF has partnered with local organizations to hold town hall events in New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Chicago, Washington DC, Baltimore, Miami, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Oakland and Greensboro.
[10] Breaking Silence: An Arts, Action, and Healing Summer Camp is an AAPF program that convenes an intergenerational group of women and girls of color from across the country into a space to share stories, uplift spirits, and fight for justice using artistic modes of expression.
The #SayHerName hashtag—coined by AAPF in February 2015—has come to represent the burgeoning movement to uplift the stories of Black women facing a myriad of systemic issues, including domestic violence, sexual assault by police, and inadequate mental health support.
The report provides an analytical framework for understanding black women's susceptibility to police brutality and state-sanctioned violence, and also offers some suggestions on how to effectively mobilize various communities and empower them to advocate for racial justice.
In late March to early April 2015, AAPF launched a week-long online series dedicated to elevating the status of Black women entitled #HerDreamDeferred.
Coinciding with the annual Her Dream Deferred series, this week would focus on the status of Black women and girls, acknowledging their contributions to the nation as well as addressing the challenges they continue to face.
Researchers also addressed the ways that standard reporting practices from government agencies raised unnecessary barriers to developing reliable information about the factors that contribute to poor outcomes for women of color.
“Rethinking the Terms of the Affirmative Action Debate Established in The Regents of the University of California v. Bakke Decision.” JAI Press Inc. Research in Politics and Society, Vol.