#Self-determination

[destroyingangelneveragod]

Now that there has been a ceasefire (really a reduction in assaults, there have still been incidents of israeli agression), WE NEED to support our Palestinian friends in moving forward in the way THEY CHOOSE.

One such person is my friend @samah-2 who is an absolute sweetheart. She has a whole family that she looks after and their home has been decimated from the war. Unfortunately the aftermath is VERY expensive for Palestinian families. Please help Samah and her family on their journey to a free Palestine and their own goals and self-determination. Show up now more than ever. I have linked her gfm. If we can raise 2k by the time this poll closes, that would be amazing.

[blackstarlineage]

"We must canonize our own saints, create our own martyrs, and elevate positions of leadership in our own image. We must inspire literature and promulgate a doctrine of our own without any apologies to the powers that be. That is our divine responsibility."

The Honourable Marcus Garvey

[hexagr]

The paradox of binding your identity to victimhood is that it tends to generate social currency, but in a longer, broader perspective, it makes you spiritually and mentally weaker. This is true even if you're really a victim.

[fuckyeahmarxismleninism]

'The principles of the Great October Revolution guarantee the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and an independent state.'

Poster published by the Palestinian Committee for African-Asian Peace and Solidarity, 1985.

Via Junius

[gregor-samsung]

The Black Power Mixtape 1967–1975 (Göran Olsson, 2011)

[thepersonalwords]

Understanding of oneself is the first act in establishing a transformative philosophy for living a vivid and a reflective existence. Knowing thy self is essential to designing and instigating a meaningful life that is self-directed instead of exclusively controlled by innate traits and external determinates.

Kilroy J. Oldster, Dead Toad Scrolls

[thererisesaredstar]

We are from 25 to 30 million strong. And We are armed. And we are conscious of our situation. And we are determined to change it. And we are unafraid. A Warning to America.

Emory Douglas (1970)

[quotelr]

He who knows his strength has overcome many difficulties.

Lailah Gifty Akita, Pearls of Wisdom: Great mind

[doddsmountain]

If you're ever interested in what I am passionate about re: Indigenous studies... This is the First Peoples Resistance and Self-Determination unit I created when I was still trying to be a teacher.

[the-garbanzo-annex-jr]

[tidal123]

The way I see Xuanji’s condition with incomplete six senses, she didn't truly lack feeling, but she had difficulty connecting to her feelings. Just like she couldn’t realize she was cold or in pain, but her body’d still shake or bleed. Remember she visibly gulped when she first see Sifeng’s naked face and later was inexplicably possessive of him? That’s her feelings shining through. Xuanji’s self development is linked to her desire towards Sifeng.

Xuanji seemed ‘silly’ when she almost went along with the playboy dude about the mirror and when she didn’t realize Lu Yanran was being sarcastic etc. That’s because she had trouble discerning her own emotions/mind-states growing up, and therefore it’s naturally hard for her to learn to discern others’ intentions, but like Sifeng said, she is not someone completely without heart or feeling, and her own will is not to be unfeeling.

Xuanji has loved and chosen Sifeng instinctually even before she fully understood the meaning of love, and no one can deny the depth of her love as it penetrates the condition that blocked her from her inner experience. Like Xuanji later said, she also fell in love with Sifeng upon first glance. She just didn’t know what it is back then. It was ultimately not one-sided.

[destroyingangelneveragod]

FUNDS NEEDED MORE THAN EVER TO REBUILD

@ahmadgaza-1 reached out to me to ask me to post for him! He and his family had their home horribly destroyed by the violence they all faced at the hands of israel. He and his family remain steadfast and want to rebuild. While helping people who meed to evacuate is important, we also REALLY need to contribute to helping folks rebuild to. It is the bare minimum at this point. Please send this post to a discord server or group chat please so it can circulate far and wide. Or dm it to friends. Lets get them support.

[blackstarlineage]

The Harlem Renaissance and Black Arts Movements: A Garveyite Perspective on Cultural Pride, African Heritage, and Black Artistic Revolution

The Harlem Renaissance (1920s-30s) and the Black Arts Movement (1960s-70s) were two of the most influential cultural movements in Black history. They reshaped Black identity, celebrated African heritage, and used art as a tool for resistance against white supremacy. From a Garveyite perspective, these movements were more than just artistic expressions—they were crucial to the fight for Black self-determination, Pan-African unity, and the rejection of European cultural domination.

Marcus Garvey understood that culture is a weapon in the battle for Black liberation. He saw the Harlem Renaissance as a parallel movement to his call for Black nationalism, and the Black Arts Movement as a continuation of the fight to decolonize Black minds and reclaim African-centered consciousness.

This analysis will explore:

How the Harlem Renaissance aligned with Garvey’s philosophy of cultural pride and self-determination.

The role of Black literature, music, and visual arts in celebrating African heritage.

How the Black Arts Movement expanded on Garvey’s ideas in the 1960s and 70s.

The political and economic limitations of both movements.

How Garveyism remains relevant to Black artistic resistance today.

1. The Harlem Renaissance as a Parallel to Garveyism

The Harlem Renaissance (1918-1937) was a cultural explosion that saw Black writers, musicians, visual artists, and intellectuals reclaim their African heritage and challenge racist portrayals of Black people.

A. The Shared Vision: Garveyism and the Harlem Renaissance

Marcus Garvey and the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) were at the heart of Harlem’s Black awakening.

Both movements emphasized racial pride, African heritage, and self-reliance in the face of white supremacy.

Garvey and Harlem Renaissance artists rejected white assimilation, advocating instead for Black cultural and political independence.

Example: While Harlem Renaissance poets like Langston Hughes and Claude McKay wrote about the struggles and beauty of Black life, Garvey was delivering speeches on Black nationalism and Africa’s restoration just a few blocks away.

Key Takeaway: The Harlem Renaissance and Garveyism were two sides of the same coin—one using politics, the other using art, both fighting for Black liberation.

2. The Role of Black Literature in Celebrating African Heritage

A. Poetry, Novels, and Essays as Tools of Resistance

Claude McKay’s poetry directly reflected Garvey’s message of resistance. His poem "If We Must Die" (1919) was a rallying cry against white violence and oppression.

Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, and Alain Locke infused their works with African traditions, folklore, and pride in Black culture.

Example: Alain Locke’s The New Negro (1925) mirrored Garvey’s vision of a self-aware, empowered Black identity, separate from European validation.

Key Takeaway: Harlem Renaissance writers used literature as a weapon in the fight for Black dignity and cultural sovereignty.

3. The Role of Black Music in the Harlem Renaissance

Music became one of the most powerful expressions of Black cultural nationalism.

A. Jazz and Blues as African Diasporic Resistance

Jazz, rooted in African rhythms and improvisation, became the soundtrack of Black freedom.

Artists like Duke Ellington, Bessie Smith, and Louis Armstrong used their music to uplift Black pride and challenge white stereotypes.

Example: Jazz was banned in Nazi Germany and heavily policed in the U.S. because it represented Black resistance and cultural independence.

B. The Garveyite Influence on Black Music

Garvey’s movement had its own cultural expression through UNIA parades, Negro World newspaper poetry, and Garveyite songs.

The “African Redemption” theme in Garveyism resonated with musicians who sought to reconnect with African spirituality.

Key Takeaway: Jazz, like Garveyism, was an act of rebellion—Black music thriving despite white attempts to suppress it.

4. The Black Arts Movement: The Next Evolution of Garveyite Cultural Revolution

By the 1960s, the Civil Rights Movement and the Black Power Movement had ignited a new wave of Black artistic expression: The Black Arts Movement (BAM) (1965-1975).

A. How the Black Arts Movement Expanded Garvey’s Vision

BAM was directly influenced by Garveyism’s call for self-determination and anti-colonial resistance.

Unlike the Harlem Renaissance, BAM artists saw their work as political weapons against white supremacy, not just creative expression.

BAM sought to create an independent Black aesthetic that was unapologetically African-centered.

Example: BAM leader Amiri Baraka (formerly LeRoi Jones) called for “art that fights,” echoing Garvey’s idea that culture must serve the liberation struggle.

Key Takeaway: The Black Arts Movement was Garveyism in artistic form—Black artists reclaiming their image, rejecting white institutions, and building their own cultural power.

5. Political and Economic Limitations of Both Movements

A. The Harlem Renaissance’s Dependence on White Patronage

Many Harlem Renaissance artists depended on white funding and publishing houses, limiting their political radicalism.

W.E.B. Du Bois and others criticized Black artists for performing Blackness in ways that pleased white audiences.

Example: Some Black intellectuals feared that white-funded projects controlled the narrative, diluting the radical potential of Harlem’s artistic explosion.

Key Takeaway: Garveyism warned that true Black independence can not exist if white institutions control Black culture.

B. The Black Arts Movement’s Isolation from Economic Power

BAM was revolutionary in content but lacked the economic base to sustain itself.

Black artists were shut out of white-controlled publishing, film, and music industries, limiting their reach.

Unlike Garvey’s UNIA, which built businesses, BAM lacked a clear economic strategy.

Example: The FBI’s COINTELPRO program actively suppressed Black radical artistic movements, fearing their revolutionary potential.

Key Takeaway: Without economic and institutional power, Black artistic movements remain vulnerable to suppression.

6. The Garveyite Solution: How to Strengthen Black Artistic Resistance Today

To truly realize Garvey’s vision of cultural sovereignty, Black artists today must:

Control their own distribution networks – Independent Black media, publishing, and film industries must be prioritized.

Use art as a tool of economic liberation – Artists should invest in Black businesses and reinvest profits into Black communities.

Reject corporate exploitation of Black culture – Black creativity should serve Black liberation, not corporate profit.

Reclaim African identity in all artistic forms – True decolonization means producing art free from Western influence.

Strengthen international Pan-African artistic networks – Collaboration between African and diaspora artists is key to building a global Black cultural economy.

Final Takeaway: Garveyism teaches us that Black art must not only inspire—it must empower, fund, and sustain Black freedom.

Conclusion: Black Art as a Weapon for Liberation

The Harlem Renaissance and Black Arts Movement were not just cultural explosions—they were revolutionary movements that fought to define Black identity on Black terms. However, both suffered from economic dependence on white-controlled industries.

Marcus Garvey’s philosophy offers the solution to this ongoing struggle:

Black artists must control their own platforms.

Black culture must serve political and economic liberation.

Pan-African artistic collaboration must be strengthened.

As we move forward, the next Black artistic renaissance must be fully independent, unapologetically African, and dedicated to global Black power.

As Garvey taught us:

"We must canonize our own saints, create our own heroes, and elevate our own culture."

The revolution must be financed, owned, and controlled by us.

[tmarshconnors]

Today 2nd April marks the 42nd Anniversary of the Falklands War, a conflict fought over 8000 miles away from the United Kingdom.

"The people of the Falkland Islands...are few in number but they have the right to live in peace, to choose their own way of life and to determine their own allegiance." – Margaret Thatcher, 1982.

42 years on, we will still defend that right.

[saxafimedianetwork]

Why Only Palestine and Not Biafra, Kurds, Uyghurs, and Somalilanders? The Selective Recognition of Statehood

#Somaliland has achieved remarkable stability & democratic governance yet remains unrecognized by the international community. A consistent approach to #SelfDetermination is needed to address the plight of stateless nations like Somaliland

Continue reading Why Only Palestine and Not Biafra, Kurds, Uyghurs, and Somalilanders? The Selective Recognition of Statehood

[gregor-samsung]

The Black Power Mixtape 1967–1975 (Göran Olsson, 2011)