Tomorrow we celebrate the end of chattel slavery, the day our ancestors were emancipated from an inhumane system that should have never existed. I appreciate the desire for optical celebrations of freedom, but I often hope for more. More critical understanding of our history and how its legacies continue to impact us today. Too many of us are willing participants in colonial systems and lies.
From a certain perspective, it makes sense. So much of our history has been destroyed or never written. This makes Afro-pride and identification often seem like an uphill battle as to reclaim Blackness means you’re standing against the legacies of colonialism, slavery and the ever-present capitalism.
To shine a light on these barriers and how they impact us today can often make one seem cynical, but I prefer the term realistic. The more we know, the more equipped we are to actively challenge our systems of existence. That is of course if we do not aim to benefit from or turn a blind eye to these same oppressive systems to the detriment of our kin.
I think of the gusto in which many Afro-descendants defend the prison system and the locking up of Black persons by the police. The narrative that chattel slavery was long ago is often pushed as they seek to reclaim respectful individual identity against collective Black inhumanity. Enslavement however was not that long ago and in many ways, it never really ended, it was merely reformed. The legacy of slavery existing in the prison system is more glaringly present in countries in the Global North, but us in the Global South are by no means removed from this. Our policing and prison systems emerged from the same colonial state’s aim to continuously control and commoditize Black life. This legacy remains today and an examination of who the State continues to suppress would paint a grim tale of continued Black inequality.
The miseducation of our people was very effective and this miseducation continues to find active grounds today because white supremacist structures and beliefs are still rampant. We have internalized a lot of it as being deserving and right. I think of how overlooked the widespread hate and discrimination against Black women, queer and trans persons is. They are all actively sidelined, abused and killed. It’s always a curious thing to see pro-Black persons preaching about the importance of Black lives but still maintaining a firm grasp on their misogynistic, homophobic and trans phobic beliefs and practices.
Stereotypes of the strong Black man, but more so, the strong Black woman abound. We are strong. Not due to some genealogical or physical advantage as many have been taught to think, rather we are strong because that was what has always been necessitated of Black people. Weakness is never acceptable it is intolerable. The strong Black man must reject all aspects of perceived femininity, as must the Black woman. Black women are never allowed to be innocent, never free from responsibility. They are constantly burdened with being the pillar of strength for their communities. This marker of strength in the face of adversity is often given and taken as a compliment, a welcome reprieve from the constant onslaught of negativity that surrounds Blackness.
Yet, Black women continue to be the most disrespected demographic. They face the double barriers of racism and sexism, otherwise known as misogynoir. Misogynoir is why many Black liberation movements continue to be dominated by men and the issues that they experience. Black women suffer similar levels of police violence and experience high pregnancy mortality rates but these struggles are not treated with the same enthusiasm for justice, they are instead told to wait their turn. Is Black life only worthy of protection when it is straight and male?
Of course, a lot of these oppressive ideals stem from the violently instilled religion of the slavers, Christianity (although many who do not subscribe to Christianity have adopted its oppressive tenets). African Christian indoctrination was so effective that African descendants now actively praise and uphold the teachings of white Jesus while rejecting all elements of African spirituality. The question is oft asked, how can the slaver and the enslaved serve the same God? The answer is through violence and coercion. African spirituality was considered to be evil, a force of dark ritualistic paganism. It was said that this belief system must be destroyed so as to lead the “savages” unto the path of enlightenment. Many resisted and would merge their own beliefs with that of Christianity so as to avoid persecution but the long haul plan to paint African beliefs as something that must be staunchly rejected was successfully promoted.
Today, we continue to label Voodoo, Obeah and other African beliefs and practices as being the work of the devil. The forcing of Christianity onto Africans was not done because Massa cared about saving African souls from eternal damnation. It was intentionally done so as to make them more docile and accepting of their enslavement and of the white man as master. So much of current day Afro-identity is now centred on Christianity that it is painfully perplexing. One cannot march towards liberation with the master’s oppressive tools. You must down them. At the very least, critically analyze those tools and how they contributed to and continue to contribute towards the oppression of a people.
With the experiences of our fore parents in mind, there’s no doubt that we have come a long way. The road that Afro-descendants continue to pave for the collective is one that has been built on care, courage and resilience. I do however hope that this path will lead towards a collective movement that challenges the systems that continues to keep us shackled, rather than merely satisfying ourselves with occasional optical celebrations, as important as those are.