The Universal Zulu Nation issued a formal apology to those who may have suffered acts of sexual abuse at the hands of founder Afrika Bambaataa, on Tuesday (May 31). In an open letter signed by 35 chapter heads from 10 U.S. states and 8 countries abroad, current leadership of the international organization called attacks made on the character of those alleging to be victims inexcusable, and expressed regret for it's poor response to allegations. The hierarchy also apologized to members who've abandoned the organization and to those who remain while having felt "silenced, poorly informed, very poorly represented, and re-traumatized" throughout the scandal.
"We wish now to make the consensus of the Universal Zulu Nation clear -- our members worldwide speak through us in declaring that we unequivocally oppose child molestation and sexual exploitation and/or violence of any sort. In addition, we oppose concealing knowledge of assaults and protecting of violators, no matter who they are or what their statures may be," the letter declares before once more disavowing the use of intimidation, character assassination, and coercion.
Earlier in May vanguard of the UZN began superseding its old leadership in its official positions on the matter. Bambaataa was unseated and many of those loyal to him who were identified to be complicit in their unfavorable response to the allegations were expelled along with him. With Tuesday's apology, the organization presented three specific commitments to transforming the way it deals with sexual abuse, including the pursuit of justice on behalf of survivors, the pursuit of educating it's membership on the nature of sexual abuse, and the promotion of an overall culture of support for those coming forward to speak on sexual abuse.
"We say to survivors and to our communities that we are not speaking out merely to offer redeeming rhetoric, but rather to set the bar by which our subsequent efforts must be judged," the letter states in it's closing. "We hope that our voices and actions will help to heal and uplift those inside of our organization and in the broader communities who have been hurt by the mismanagement of this situation and pledge that we will manifest our foundational cause of converting negativity into positive outcomes."
Source: docs.google.com
