By Edwin Fernando Palomino Montaño, Community Leader and Afro-Colombian Youth Advocate
Born in San Bernardo, Timbiquí (Cauca), I am a young Afro-descendant who, from an early age, has been committed to social justice, quality education, and the defense of human rights, understanding education as a fundamental pillar for social transformation, the dignification of victims of the armed conflict, and the construction of peace in Colombia.
My leadership journey began in high school, where I served as student comptroller, an experience that shaped my vocation for participation, advocacy, and the defense of collective rights. Today, I recognize myself as a student and social leader, human rights defender, and community actor, with a trajectory focused on guaranteeing the right to education, especially for young victims of the armed conflict and Black and Afro-Colombian youth.
Through the struggle for social justice, I have been part of important collective achievements, including:
The “Casa de Paso” (transitional housing) for university students who are victims of the armed conflict at the Universidad del Valle, created to guarantee dignified conditions for their academic permanence.
The implementation of a free application PIN for applicants under exceptional conditions at Universidad del Valle, expanding real access to higher education.
The creation, together with a colleague, of the “Camino de Dignidad” School, a training initiative aimed at strengthening the political and organizational participation of young victims of the armed conflict, funded by the Mi Sangre Foundation.
I am the creator of the project “Multiculturalidad Ancestral” (Ancestral Multiculturality), a political, pedagogical, and cultural initiative that has allowed me to participate in multiple local, regional, and national spaces for political and social dialogue, contributing to critical analysis of the realities faced by Black and Afro-Colombian youth in Colombia, while highlighting their struggles, resistance, ancestral knowledge, and historical demands toward the State and society.
In the field of social and community work, I serve as Coordinator of the Regional Coordination of University Students who are Victims of the Armed Conflict, a space through which we defend the right to education, promote peacebuilding, and advocate for an education system that reflects the dignity and realities of conflict victims. Within this process, we organized the First Regional Meeting of University Students who are Victims of the Armed Conflict, and we are currently advancing the organization of the Second Regional Meeting, which will take place in Pasto, Nariño.
As Youth Delegate of the Tonga Afro Vallecaucana por la Vida before the National Conference of Afro-Colombian Organizations (CNOA), I have actively participated in key spaces of political advocacy, including:
The construction of the First National Summit on Children, Adolescents, and Youth of CNOA.
The gathering “Law 70 + 30: The voices of Black, Afro-Colombian, Raizal, and Palenquero youth of Colombia”, strengthening generational leadership, historical memory, and youth participation in the Afro-Colombian movement.
There have been many spaces for training, collaboration, and advocacy. These journeys have not been easy, but they are sustained by conviction, resistance, and collective hope. We continue defending our causes; it has not been easy, but here we stand—committed to life, dignity, and the pursuit of a more just and inclusive country.
I also serve as an advisor to the organization “Subiendo a la U”, an initiative dedicated to promoting access to and retention in higher education in Colombia’s Pacific region, which has supported more than 3,000 young people in universities such as Universidad del Valle, Universidad del Cauca, Universidad de Caldas, and the Institución Universitaria Antonio José Camacho.