As the fight for justice wages on in the U.S., Ohio-based nonprofit The Freedom Bloc is committed to providing Black Ohioans with the tools needed to generate wider electoral turnouts and advocate for change, revolutionizing the political landscape in the state.
Through community efforts, the nonprofit has been successful with creating coalitions and finding change through the strength of people. Most recently, the Freedom Bloc encouraged members of the Akron community to come together in the aftermath of the murder of a young man at the hands of the police, lobbying citizens to stand up against systemic racism and fight for systemic justice.
Founded by current executive director Rev. Ray Greene Jr, the Freedom Bloc first began because Greene wanted to address the fact that politicians do not often directly collaborate with Black Americans to provide direct change.
“I got tired of politicians talking ‘at’ Black people as opposed to talking/working to/with us and creating policies that deal with immediate discomfort in this world but also creating policies that atone for the past,’ said Greene per outlet Shoutout Ohio. “At the time a lot of nonprofits was hiring Black people but wasn’t following the strategy that Black staff knew was needed to change Black communities therefore I figured that we needed an unapologetically Black organization that was not afraid to work exclusively for Black people and build Black power, thus Freedom BLOC was born.”
According to the Freedom Bloc, as part of his position, Greene has drawn on 11 years of experience working as a Reverend to help bring in more than 2,000 people across Ohio, New Jersey and Philadelphia through canvassing efforts alone.
With efforts stemming from his own personal values, Greene has helped over 3,000 Black Americans register to vote in the span of six years alone. Throughout his journey, he has earned the titles of Team Leader, Office Manager, Deputy Director, Political Director and Organizing Director of the Ohio Organizing Collaborative and Black Fork Strategies.
At the Freedom Bloc, Greene is joined by Political Director Ciara Vinzant and Executive Administrator Shamika Pullum. Both raised in Akron, Ohio, Vinzant and Pullum have roots in health care and learning. While Vinzant is a doula and the owner of the Radical Wellness Center, Pullum has worked alongside students to help the youth develop their life skills.
Together as the leaders of the Freedom Bloc, Greene, Vinzant and Pullum have led initiatives advocating for reforms, more political engagement through voter turnout and housing rights.
Currently, every fourth Tuesday of each month, the nonprofit helps the community define safety to create a new definition that de-centers the police while also offering programs such as BLOC University in a move to provide materials to help address the treatment of working-class people.
All events are free to attend.
The Freedom Bloc currently has open volunteer forms available on its website for anyone interested in volunteering for the nonprofit.
