We supported strong leaders that contributed to significant change

Did you know that Mexico recognized and included Afro-Mexicans on the census for the first time in 2015? This change only occurred after years of advocacy by Afro-Mexican women, their communities, and the organizations that support them and have made it easier to collect information on the disparities that Afro-Mexican women face in terms of accessing basic services and exercising their rights. The ILSB has helped strengthen the collective leadership of Afro-Mexican women, empowering them to demand respect for their rights. In 2020, the MUAFRO Collective received its first grant support and expanded its public presence by:

• participating in discussion groups with Indigenous women and institutions;
• launching the platform afromexicanas.mx to raise awareness of their identity, culture, living conditions, and struggles; and
• supporting the formal recognition of Afro-Mexican identities on the 2020 Census, which for the first time included a question that allowed Black, Afro-Mexican, and Afro-descendant people to self-identify as such.