An Afro-Indigenous History of the United States

For the majority of white Americans, it is debatable whether or not they
even believe in Black and Indigenous equality, let alone seeing all three of
their destinies going in the same direction. However, for Black and
Indigenous peoples, Native people in the US might consider seriously that
their destinies have been tied together since European settlement. If
Indigenous dispossession and genocide and African enslavement and
atmospheric antiblackness have remained parallel yet intertwined social,
political, and economic processes, then we should continue to find common
ground in our pursuit for liberation. To put it simply, Black people are
Indigenous North America’s destiny, and Native people are Black
America’s destiny. And for those non-Black and non-Indigenous people of
color and white allies who want to hop onto the Black and Indigenous
freedom train, just check your antiblackness and anti-Indianness before you
board. Collective liberation is possible, and we will need everyone.
If this chapter has illustrated anything, it reveals that even Black folks,
who truly want freedom, can erase Native peoples. It can be difficult for
non-Indigenous people of color to really remember and include Indigenous
peoples in their idea of liberation. But we must do so. If we end anti-Black
racism today, will that also end Indigenous erasure and ongoing settler
colonialism? To be honest, I’m uncertain; I’m not confident it will. That is
why we have to end all forms of oppression at the same time. While we are
focused on making sure that black lives matter, we need to do some behindthe-scenes
work on other fronts so that, when the time comes, we all get our
freedom.