Why should Black people care about saving America?
To be Black in America has always meant to be at odds with the structures and culture that make this place so intoxicating to others. There has always existed a tension between the Black folk who wished to leave this country and those who considered it their own. In the last decade, this contrast has grown stark in the public eye as groups like Foundational Black Americans and ADOS have clashed with Black immigrants, Afropolitans and those who love them. Ultimately, the tremendous voting power of Black America means that our positioning on the future of this country can decide it. The ongoing dance between polarized Black political cultures must be addressed in the quest to maximize Black political power.
Though I despise so much of what Tariq Nasheed stands for these days, I do recognize the impact of his earlier works in raising critically needed awareness across Black American generations. Ideas we’d previously taken for granted are now widely interrogated. Histories we could’ve never learned in white-led schools are now common knowledge on TikTok. Nasheed, like many in the Foundational Black American movement, continues a legacy of Black researchers who resist western knowledge systems while affirming Black American pride. Their theories vary widely and their entrenched American patriotism can often equate to a strong anti-African, anti-immigrant sentiment.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, there is Bozoma Saint-John, the Ghanaian-American marketing maverick who helped spearhead Ghana’s Year of Return movement. Through the Year of Return and related initiatives, millions of Black Americans have visited Ghana, many purchasing land and building institutions there. We may never know how many Black Americans have returned permanently to Africa in the last generation, but the trend is in no way minor nor temporary.
While Nasheed’s Foundational Black Americans have further divided Black people, the Year of Return movement cultivates harmony and unity among Black people, while instilling confidence in the vision of life, for Black people, beyond America.
The nauseating horrors of slavery are enough to make anyone jettison this place and “return” someplace more “familiar”. But the reality is that with the enormous sacrifice of Black blood that made this country’s wealth possible, millions will continue to feel entitled to reaping the best of what America has to offer, no matter how long the road.
Reparative Justice Will Depend on Civic Engagement
This is where civic engagement becomes paramount. For those who desire to inherit America’s greatness, and those who like the idea of having America as a backup when Africa becomes too difficult for the coddled Diasporan, producing a safe and just America becomes an urgent burden. This especially considering the fact that so many of these African countries we run away to continue to look to America as the standard in governance, no matter how misguided their thinking may be.
We can continue to complain about the state of the US, or we can take decisive action to change it permanently. For those whose foothold remains here, that decisive action must include civic engagement. As mentioned in the last piece, thanks to the work of Detangled, I have been converted from a non-believer into a hard-core believer in the civic process.
Because of Nia Weeks’ savvy in edifying me on how deeply our lives are shaped by legislation–and how easy it is for us to influence the policies that determine our fate–I’m here to tell you that sitting out the political process is no longer an option. Not for anyone who desires total and permanent Liberation. In fact, preparing our children to participate in governance by teaching them the critical urgency of civic intelligence is fundamental to our survival and thriving in these lands.
As you will further glean from the coming series, Nia is part of a coalition, led by her and Damien, which nearly doubled voter turnout in Louisiana. From 157K Black women voters in 2016, they were able to drive 270K to the polls in 2020 through thoughtful entertainment and community building rooted in civic intelligence.
What they’ve achieved is game-changing and can truly set the stage for the creation of an America in which every Black person feels seen, heard, valued and understood. No matter where we go. A civically engaged, civically intelligent Black populace will force this country to live up to its highest ideals.
Escape the Burning House or Save it
Martin Luther King, Jr. asked if he had integrated his people into a burning house. Considering the polarized state of American politics, considering the current economic environment and urgent global realities, you should ask yourself if he did. Either way, it’s always been up to Black people to create the destiny that we desire.
I still very much believe in the Decade of Black Glory declaration, and the inevitable, unprecedented and accelerated wealth transfer it promises we’ll see benefiting Black populations globally. The manifestations of this prophecy have been astounding thus far. But I now believe that making America Black again–giving Black people full rights in every dimension in this country’s structure–will only add to, and accelerate, the global upliftment that is inevitable for us as a people.
Understanding how this country truly works, and what it will take to make it work for us, is a critical first step that every Black man, woman, non-binary and child must swiftly take. Escaping these chains we’ve reinforced ourselves will require a rewriting of the law, a restructuring of the civic culture, that we can only do if we fully understand the current landscape.
Nia Weeks and Damien D. Smith–and the novel framework they offer for achieving this–will definitely save our futures, if only we’re serious enough to listen deeply and apply this knowledge.
An America in which the healthcare system, the educational system, the justice system and more actually center and serve the needs of Black families is within reach, with sufficient cultural restructuring. We can only create what we are willing to hope for. Advancing our civic intelligence is critical for accelerating this process, and those at the forefront of this needed move will shape the destiny of this country.
