at the Forefront

Established in 2017, at the Forefront (ATF), Inc. is a Black, African women-led think tank committed to social justice and gender equity. We believe in the freedom, agency, and empowerment of all women and girls, with a special focus on those from Africa and the African diaspora. We are a global collective of Black women with diverse expertise across public health, education, law, and human rights with over 40 years’ combined experience in the nonprofit sector. After years working in international development, our co-founders launched ATF, Inc. to address the structural gender and race biases in international development spaces that push us further away from co-creating solutions with marginalised communities. Through an intersectional, Afro-feminist lens, we work to elevate the voices of Black women to address the challenges our communities face. Our work is anchored by our commitment to decolonising the international development sector by ensuring Black women and girls are drivers of their own stories, and to support organizations and institutions committed to doing the same. We do this through the following activities: - Technical Consulting: We use our intersectional lens to ensure that diversity and inclusion are integrated into organizational culture and all aspects of project management. - Critical Conversations: We create safe spaces to hold difficult discussions to push our knowledge and understanding of the diversity of Black women’s experiences globally. - Research & Publications: We conduct research, and innovate tools and resources to illuminate the specific ways Black women and girls figure into the discourse of global issues.