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An Afro-Indigenous History of the United States

by Kyle T. Mays

by Kyle T. Mays

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Settler colonialism functions to impact African peoples throughout <strong>the</strong><br />

diaspora, albeit differently. In light <strong>of</strong> Carmichael’s ideas for revolution and<br />

his articulation <strong>of</strong> Pan-Africanism, it is not surprising that he and o<strong>the</strong>rs<br />

from <strong>the</strong> All-African People’s Revolutionary Party would align <strong>the</strong>mselves<br />

with <strong>Indigenous</strong> peoples under US colonial occupation.<br />

THE ALL-AFRICAN PEOPLE’S REVOLUTIONARY PARTY<br />

In 1972, Carmichael helped form <strong>the</strong> All-African People’s Revolutionary<br />

Party (AAPRP). Basing its vision on Kwame Nkrumah’s ideas <strong>of</strong> scientific<br />

socialism and <strong>the</strong> larger unity <strong>of</strong> Africans both on <strong>the</strong> continent and<br />

throughout <strong>the</strong> diaspora, this group was also dedicated to <strong>the</strong> end <strong>of</strong><br />

capitalism, colonialism, and imperialism. 66 It also attempted to connect<br />

with o<strong>the</strong>r oppressed peoples, including Native Americans. For example,<br />

from June 4 to June 11, 1981, <strong>the</strong> AAPRP was an active participant in <strong>the</strong><br />

International Indian Treaty Council (ITTC) and held <strong>the</strong> Seventh<br />

International Indian Treaty Council Conference on <strong>the</strong> White Earth<br />

Reservation. In an invitation to potential attendees, Bill Means, <strong>the</strong>n<br />

executive director <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> ITTC, wrote, “All Indian Organizations, Tribal<br />

Governments and concerned people are invited to participate toge<strong>the</strong>r in a<br />

spirit <strong>of</strong> friendship and cooperation.” The conference would cover a number<br />

<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>mes, including, “Land Rights <strong>of</strong> <strong>Indigenous</strong> Peoples, International<br />

Treaties and Agreements, <strong>Indigenous</strong> Philosophy and The Land, Trans-<br />

National Corporations and <strong>the</strong> Land, Land Rights <strong>of</strong> <strong>Indigenous</strong> Peoples<br />

and Nuclear Disarmament Hunting and Fishing Rights and International<br />

Indian Prisoners’ Rights.” Years later, reflecting on <strong>the</strong> importance <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

conference, Bill Means stated:<br />

It brought a lot <strong>of</strong> people from Latin America so that <strong>the</strong>y could see<br />

how Indian people lived o<strong>the</strong>r than South Dakota. . . . It was a very<br />

important conference in terms <strong>of</strong> non-Indian support. We had a<br />

concert <strong>the</strong>re at which Bonnie Raitt and Jackson Browne played. This<br />

added great visibility for <strong>the</strong> Treaty Council in terms <strong>of</strong> non-Indian<br />

anti-nuclear and peace movements. 67<br />

The attendees were asked to bring proposals for actions to <strong>the</strong> rest <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

group, and those chosen would <strong>the</strong>n be presented at <strong>the</strong> International NGO

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