The Harriet Tubman Collective was formed after on August 1, 2016 the Movement for Black Lives released the vision statement "A Vision for Black Lives: Policy Demands for Black Power, Freedom, and Justice." This policy plan included demands for reparations, economic justice, prison abolition, healthcare, an end to state violence, and so much more. The vision statement named groups that were considered the most marginalized Black people. Disabled people were only mentioned as "differently abled." This lead Black disability activists from the United States and Canada to organize the Harriet Tubman Collective which released a response statement "Disability Solidarity: Completing the 'Vision for Black Lives'" on September 7, 2016.