When UNESCO Wouldn’t, We Did — Freedmen Cultural Heritage Book Released Under Our Declaration

After months of respectful engagement with UNESCO to recognize the cultural heritage of Freedmen, our community received silence in return. So we took matters into our own hands. The Freedmen Reparations Fund Trust has officially adopted the book “Recognition and Preservation of American Freedmen Cultural Heritage” — authored by Woni Spotts — under our Cultural Preservation & Representation Declaration.

This historic publication isn’t just a cultural archive. It is our official answer to global indifference. Through this book, we assert what global bodies have refused to: that American Freedmen are a people with sovereign cultural identity, history, and contributions that cannot be erased, renamed, or co-opted.

📘 Read the full book here:

Recognition and Preservation of American Freedmen Cultural Heritage (PDF)

Why This Matters:

This publication — now covered by the Cultural Preservation & Representation Declaration — documents Freedmen excellence across cuisine, language, military history, entertainment, innovation, and more. It names names. It presents evidence. It preserves Freedmen cultural fingerprints on American soil.

Unlike performative acknowledgments from external institutions, this record is backed by legal standing under the Freedmen Reparations Fund Trust. It is part of a broader infrastructure to ensure the culture, identity, and legacy of Freedmen are not erased or reclassified as “BIPOC,” “African,” or “minority.”

To Be Clear:

This is not a request.

This is not a draft.

This is a verified historical and legal record written by Woni Spotts, issued under the protection of our Trust Law Declaration.

When UNESCO failed to answer, we built the archive ourselves.

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