We take this walk into a new life, a new beginning: setting exemplary models of womanhood. We understand and accept that we have an earnest, difficult, inescapable take of building up African people worldwide.
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In taking our task, we call upon the ancestors of our sisterhood: those sisters whose names have been forgotten but whose deeds will live for eternity, who lie in unmarked graves; those sisters whose bodies sit in the Atlantic Ocean and wait in patience for us to bring forth their redemption.
To the sister who never thought of bowing to the weight that Black women have carried for so long, we collectively say:
“HERE WE STAND WILLINGLY TAKING THAT WHICH YOU HAVE BEQUEATHED US”
Creating something everlasting to give to the next generation. We ask for the guidance of our foremothers, their visions, and their strength in our endeavor to make the International Black Women’s Congress all that it needs to be for our victory.
As we take this step, we pledge an unbreakable loyalty to each other, our families, and our people.
We are committed to act as advocates-never turning from the path of Freedom, to call forth our highest dreams. Each of us do swear to make the most of our individual voices, blending those voices together to make a song that will carry us over seen and unseen dangers.
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We call to our people, born and unborn, to bear witness to this our pledge, to bring harmony with our presence, to speak truth with our voices, to always do justice with our deeds, and to work steadfastly for right.
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We pledge to be models of what African womanhood should be: strong, relentless, caring, concerned, clear-minded, brilliant, powerful and loving. Let us be guardians of each other’s pledge.
Let us uphold people, bring forth a new time, shape our own history and work without pause until the very cosmos finds itself at end. Let our voices, now and forevermore be heard.