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Mitchell Esajas (the Netherlands, 1988) is a co-founder of New Urban Collective, a network for students and young professionals from diverse backgrounds with a focus on the Surinamese, Caribbean and African diaspora. Esajas studied Business Studies and Anthropology at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. In 2016 he co-founded the Black Archives in Amsterdam, a cultural center based on a unique collection of books, documents and artefacts documenting the histories of Surinamese and Black people in the Dutch context. The Black Archives develops exhibitions and public programs based on the collections and urgent societal issues.
Updated February 2021
More from Mitchell Esajas
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PAX Power to the People x HIA Talks: Activism: profession, hobby, or lifestyle?
In the context of the National Peace Week 2020, Humanity in Action The Netherlands, in collaboration with PAX Power to the People, organized the event ACTIVISM: PROFESSION, HOBBY, OR LIFESTYLE? On Sunday September 20th, 2020, we spoke with several ‘changemakers’ about their activism.
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Watch PAX Power to the People x HIA TALKS | Activism: Profession, hobby or lifestyle?
Activism is protest, but it is also so much more. What exactly does activism mean? Is it a job? A conviction? Full-time activism is mentally hard to sustain, and therefore only available to few. But does that mean that you can't make a difference if you don't do it 24/7? No, it doesn't.
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Kick Out Black Pete in talks with Prime Minister Rutte
On Wednesday, September 2, 2020, Kick Out Black Pete (KOBP), represented by experts from the Afro-Dutch community, including Humanity in Action The Netherlands' Program Manager Raissa Biekman, spoke with the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Minister Wouter Koolmees of Social Affairs and Employment.
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Strong Against Discrimination
How can young talent actively contribute to an inclusive and just society in the Netherlands, Europe and the United States? In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent peaceful protests against institutional racism, this is the key question addressed during the Humanity in Action Fellowships.
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Mitchell Esajas on racism and violence against Kick Out Black Pete
"...I learned that freedom of expression and demonstration are fundamental rights for everyone. On the streets of The Hague, Gouda and Rotterdam I learned that in practice this does not apply if you want to express your opinion about Black Pete".
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Lessons from the Civil Rights Movement: Reflections on the Long Movement for Black Liberation from Atlanta to Amsterdam
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John Lewis Fellows Reflective Essays 2016
In the essays, the Fellows write about their experiences in the John Lewis program, delving into personal aspects of their own identities – such as national, ethnic, gender, racial or religious – and reveal ways in which participation in the program has shaped their personal outlooks.
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Martin Luther King Day in the Netherlands
We sat down with American activist Lucas Johnson and Mitchell Esajas, founder of the Black Archives, to ask them the same question King posed in his 1967 work: Where do we go from here?