#africana studies

[closingremarks]

Hello! This past year, Neo-Nazis have been making greater strides to make themselves known and spread their propaganda in Nashville; one of the only progressive cities in ultra-conservative Tennessee. I wrote about not only this problem, but also how it connects to a broader pattern called “White Rage” that has prevented social progress throughout U.S History. If you’re interested I would love it if you read and subscribed to my Substack 😅

[longlistshort]

“History is not everything, but it is a starting point. History is a clock that people use to tell their political and cultural time of day. It is a compass they use to find themselves on the map of human geography. It tells them where they are but, more importantly, what they must be.”- Dr. John Henrik Clarke

Dr. John Henrik Clarke was an American writer, historian, professor, and pioneer in the creation of Pan-African and Africana studies. He taught at both Hunter College in NYC, where he established the Department of Black and Puerto Rican studies, and Cornell University where he was the Carter G. Woodson Distinguished Visiting Professor of African History at Cornell University’s Africana Studies and Research Center.

The mural pictured above, Dr. John Henrik Clarke and the Mundari Tribe by Reginald O’Neal, was created for the 2022 edition of SHINE Mural Festival in St. Petersburg, Florida.

[shanteparadigm]

This was such a great panel at University of Minnesota in September 2023. Watch us get down, here.

[fishandshesmygills]

i hope the liberal arts education never dies. everyone should get the chance to dabble in classics on their way to their science degree

[thebreakfastgenie]

I have often thought African American history should be a required part of the college curriculum but then I've been like well I don't want to inflict students who don't care on the professors but I do actually think the course I took on African American history in the Civil Rights era should be required for government/political science majors specifically, at least if you're concentrating in American government/politics. It's kind of a crucial part of the history and landscape.

[rollercoasterwords]

hello! i was just thinking abt thtf (as one does) and i remembered your focus on colonization when dorcas talked abt her heritage and how in ur notes u mentioned that it was something to do with your major or something u were learning about? sorry if i got that wrong it’s been a while since i read it, but that just seems soooo interesting to me and i love the way u write it!! so i was just wondering what ur major is/was? if thats something you’d be willing to share <3 xxx

yeah sure! i studied international studies & history as an undergrad & that’s what my bachelor’s degree is in; my area focus was latin america which is where a lot of the postcolonial stuff was coming from—not sure what it’s like elsewhere but in the u.s. if ur studying like. asia, latin america, or africa in history/i.s. depts learning abt colonization is pretty unavoidable for obvious reasons. my impression is that there is perhaps less of a chance of encountering colonial/postcolonial perspectives if ur focusing on u.s. or european history, but it kinda depends on what ur studying…there’s definitely a bit of a split in more “traditional” veins of scholarship (wwii, medieval history, ancient greece & rome, western civ, etc) vs “area studies” where scholars have kinda fought to recognize the full scope & impact of colonization, which is then slowly incorporated more into “traditional” areas of study—like studying u.s. & european history should, realistically, entail at least some study of colonial histories, but universities tend to be pretty conservative lol & history & poli sci (of which i.s. is a subset) are particularly notorious for hanging onto their notions of traditionalism.

anyway. i’m now in grad school for gender studies broadly but most of the work i do currently is pretty historical & if i do go on to do a phd it’ll likely be in history—i ended up moving away from i.s. bc there was just too much about the field that i disliked & even tho history definitely comes w its own set of problems it ended up being a better fit for me. if ur interested in learning more abt colonialism, postcolonial studies, anti-imperialism, etc then there’s a broad variety of fields u could look into—history, anthropology, international studies, etc. it has less to do with the field & more to do w the specific scholars/professors in that field; i also would definitely not overlook departments like africana studies, gender studies, latin american studies, etc. many universities in the u.s. have these smaller “area studies” depts. that sometimes only offer minors & are made up solely of professors who are cross-listed w other depts, but they tend to be much more interdisciplinary & often have the kind of people doing work that focuses on the impact of colonization etc in their area of research. like the queer theory course i took as an undergrad introduced me to a lot more anti-imperialist writing than like my intro international studies class lmao

[corvusclearing]

I miss the days when I had time to just go sit in a library and deep dive into my special interests. 📚📖

[linoguy]

having to choose a major.. eye twitch

[fleshprocessor]

it fucking sucks that uni work prevents me from learning abt my interests that require actual effort to engage with. which is kind of my own fault but i usually play video games as an alternative to doing Literally Nothing and if i actively feel like researching smth i have to be doing reading/assignments ☹️ <- face of world's most tragic faggot

[she-is-ovarit]

Identifying as.

This is Rachel Dolezal, who legally changed her name to Nkechi Amare Diallo. Dolezal is a white woman who identifies as black and insists that she is transracial. Growing up, her religious white parents adopted four black babies, claiming that they "saved them from being aborted", and routinely delivered strict punishments to their kids including Dolezal. Dolezal does not seem to have a good relationship with her parents and, based on interviews, wanted to distance herself from them and distance herself from rural white culture.

"I've never questioned being a girl or woman, for example, but whiteness has always felt foreign to me, for as long as I can remember. I didn't choose to feel this way or be this way, I just am. What other choice is there than to be exactly who we are?"

She apparently "passed as black" for several years before her parents came out and said that she was white and is identifying as a black woman, and she was asked in a TV interview if she was African American and responded with "I don't understand the question". She taught Africana Studies at Eastern Washington University. She crafted a fake story in growing up as black and has argued that she experiences race-based related hate crimes. She darkens her skin and gets perms and started using hair products she observed her adopted black sibling to use. She lied about her father being black and lied that her black adopted brother was her son.

I hope that as details of Dolezal's story are read about, we are able to understand that tanning white skin does not make someone a black person, that blackface is wrong and racist. I hope we recognize that what makes someone black isn't a collection of racial stereotypes, isn't based on feeling a kinship with black people more than with white people, and that being black isn't based on not feeling a connection with white culture. I hope we understand that a black person cannot identify out of racial oppression, and that a white person cannot identify out of white privilege.

Jewel Shuping, age 38 now, was born healthy but dreamed of being blind since age 13. She stated her mother would tell stories about finding her walking down dark hallways at age 3, and mentioned that by age 6 the thought of being blind comforted her. When she was a teenager, Shuping bought a white cane and learned to read braille, becoming fluent in it by age 20.

She claims to have asked a psychologist to pour bleach in her eyes so she could fulfill her lifelong dream of being blind, and that the psychologist "understood her" and agreed to do so after giving her numbing eye drops to help with the pain (which was not ultimately helpful). She deliberately waited to seek medical attention so doctors were unable to save her eyesight. Gradually, over the course of six months, she became blind.

What Shuping has is considered a real mental health condition called Body Integrity Identity Disorder (BIID), a rare condition in which people who are born without disabilities believe with conviction that the should be disabled. There is another name for this in political activist circles, termed "transableism".

"I went blind on purpose, but I don't feel it was a choice."

Several other people with BIID are pretending to be paralyzed to use wheelchairs, with many not being driven to the point of causing harm to themselves to become disabled but instead living full lives faking being disabled.

I hope that as details of the stories of people pretending to be disabled are read about, we are able to understand that feeling like oneself should be disabled is an incredibly serious mental health condition and does not really mean that a person is "disabled inside". I hope we recognize that identifying as disabled does not make someone disabled, and that feeling a kinship with disabled people or a comfort in the thought of being disabled does not mean a person truly is or should become disabled. I hope we understand how people with mental health disorders claiming to be disabled can place further strain on resources and accommodations provided to disabled people. I hope we understand that inflicting pain, disfigurement, or physical altercations on healthy people to "help them physically match how they feel" is an inhumane way to treat a mental health condition.

Paul Wolscht, who changed his name to Stefonknee Wolscht, was married to a woman for over 20 years and fathered 7 children before deciding to live life identifying as a six year old little girl. Living as a six year old little girl allows Wolscht to escape depression and suicidal thoughts because Wolscht gets to now play - even when in jail in solitary confinement for nine days for an undisclosed reason.

“If I’m six-years-old, I don’t have to think about adult stuff.”

Wolscht still drives and drinks coffee, but does so feeling and identifying as a six year old.

Emile Ratelband, age 69, petitioned the courts to allow him to change his age to 20 years younger because he "does not feel" 69 years old. Ratelband has argued that he did not feel comfortable with his date of birth, that age 69 did not accurately reflect his mental state, and that at age 69 he experiences limits.

“When I’m 69, I am limited. If I’m 49, then I can buy a new house, drive a different car,” he said. “I can take up more work. When I’m on Tinder and it says I’m 69, I don’t get an answer. When I’m 49, with the face I have, I will be in a luxurious position.”

Ratelband even asserted that doctors have told him he has the body of a man 20 years younger, and he said that he was willing to renounce his right to a pension. He argues that if people are able to legally change their sex on documents, there is no reason why he should not be able to change his age.

I hope that as we read these stories of people identifying as a different age, we are able to understand that feeling like you are 20 years younger or 40 years younger does not really make you that age. I hope that we understand that even though identifying as a different age might help avoid suicidal thoughts, being discriminated against on dating apps, or denied resources, it does not really change biologically what is. I hope we understand that there are also broader societal and legal consequences to being able to legally change one's age. That an adult might identify as a certain age to trick kids into trusting them so they can sexually abuse them, and/or that allowing an adult to legally consider themselves a different age would make it easier for adult predators to gain legal access to kids in environments in which they would normally be socially and legally discouraged from being in.

[archaic-stranger]

the africana studies students

a multidisciplinary approach, combining politics and ecology, history and economics

learning about everything from precolonial african nations to the roots of the civil rights movement in the americas

tracing the african diaspora across oceans and through continents

reading foundational works by W. E. B. Du Bois and Carter Woodson

examining race and anti-Blackness on a global scale

a strong sense of self, knowing who you are and where you came from

understanding the power of identity

a haphazard pile of textbooks and paperbacks

a passion for activism that transcends and informs your studies

learning sociological methods to examine the world around you

using what you learn in class to inform your view on world events

challenging eurocentric tellings of history

an overflowing bookbag, complete with your favorite pens and highlighters

colorful textiles, skillfully woven

spotting loan words from yoruba or swahili in your own language

imagining humanity's roots in the home of our most ancient ancestors

a stack of bright post-its to color-code your notes

fighting for the restoration of stolen artifacts

deconstructing the colonial past to better understand the present

finding connections through history and across fields

[shanteparadigm]

Click the link above to register for free (both online and in person)

[jewish-vents]

I have changed and I can tell it's not for the better. My Africana Studies professor says Jewish people aren't indigenous to Israel and looks me in the eyes, waiting for me to say something? I will look right back and make unbroken eye contact silently until he looks away. The head of the linguistics program mentions 'colonizer languages' and looks at me? I will reply that English is not the indigenous language of this language, Blackfoot is, and meet her eyes the entire time. My math professor glowers at me when I wear a Magen David? I will look right back at her with the same blank, emotionless expression I wear when dealing with the rest of these people. I keep looking and they break before I do. They always look away. They never know what to do with someone who isn't intimidated by them.

When I was 5, a 12 year old whose parents were Neo Nazis tried to drown me. I locked my limbs around him and hauled him down with me. I understood instinctively then, without words, what I know now: I am not weaker than someone just because they're older than me. I am strong. If you want to take me down, I'll bring you down with me. I've been taking jiujitsu for three years and I own a gun with a concealed carry permit. And yet I don't need that to beat any of these people, I just need eye contact and cold recitation of the facts. I can outlast any of them. I have survived a murder attempt. I have survived nearly dying of internal bleeding. I have hauled myself down three flights of stairs with only 43% of the blood left in my body because my dorm didn't have a working elevator and my RA couldn't be bothered to call an ambulance for me.

I am not afraid of academics who think they can call me out in class. I know what it feels like to drown and have my lungs feel like they're on fire and still be able to fight back. I am not afraid of encampment babies who get much more well-behaved every time I pull out my phone to film them and who can only do things in groups. If they want to kill me, they're going to have to do better than everyone else who tried, and if their murder attempts are half as inept as their 'activism', I'm safe.

I can feel myself becoming the kind of man I always swore I'd never be, cold and distant and unloving. And I know it can't mean anything good for my mental health long-term. I also know that if I don't approach things from the point of view that I have survived worse and I can beat everyone here in a game of survival if I have to, this will turn into anxiety, and that anxiety would be overwhelming.

This is forcing me to become my father. This is turning me into the same kind of person that growing up in deeply antisemitic times in Serbia turned him into. "You're either American/Serbian or you're Jewish", "your [Israeli] government", "your country [Israel]", we're on trial for a place we've never been to and we're foreigners in our own homelands. No wonder he became so icy and hard to get a rise out of. He had to. It was that or become too anxious to function.

I don't like what this is doing to me. I like what I'm realizing about my dad's life by proxy even less. Is it the mentality I find myself in I don't like, or is it the bitter irony that after a lifetime of wishing I understood him, now I do, and it's awful?

.

[widefuturesss]

Some advice on facilitating educational spaces

Someone mailed me with this question:  I’ve noticed that many young people in the community of New York feel disengaged and disoriented when it comes to liberating our black minds and improving our communities. This year, I took on the challenge of leading my Africana Studies Club during my final year of high school. I worked tirelessly, making announcements and organizing events, but we only managed to keep three consistent members. I’m curious about why our youth seem so uninterested. I would love to hear from you and learn more about how you captivate your listeners and inspire them.

A summary of my response: My advice is to root your gatherings more within a need for collectivisation beyond any emphasis on intellectual knowledge transactions. I noticed that opening space for people to gather and express themselves is a necessity first. Usually, by centering emotions as the primary source of knowledge within a space, you find people will feel less pressured by intellectual language. The real magic starts here. They need to know the knowledge that is within their intuition, and once that comfort to space sets in, watch this seed expand into roots as each person will draw another person who will draw another person into the space. Understand that size and numbers don't really matter when we acknowledge that there is the unseen collective made up of both our ancestors and those that do not have the privilege or means into the spaces we carry. We have to honor absence within a space, this has also changed everything for me!

[thebreakfastgenie]

Seeing James Baldwin as like "the guy from that gay web weave quote" on tumblr is so weird. I was assigned The Fire Next Time in my African-American history class in college. That's how I think of him.