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An Afro-Indigenous History of the United States

by Kyle T. Mays

by Kyle T. Mays

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oppression and white supremacy. . . . To me, Ferguson, is a call not only to<br />

indict <strong>the</strong> systems that create and maintain <strong>the</strong> forces <strong>of</strong> <strong>Indigenous</strong><br />

genocide and antiblackness. I have a responsibility to make space on my<br />

land for those communities <strong>of</strong> struggles, to center and amplify Black voices<br />

and to co-resist.” 10 While I think Black and <strong>Indigenous</strong> solidarity is<br />

important, we also have to include all people, especially o<strong>the</strong>r people <strong>of</strong><br />

color, who want to engage in <strong>the</strong> struggle for freedom. While my particular<br />

focus is on Black and <strong>Indigenous</strong> liberation, I also realize that those<br />

struggles are connected to o<strong>the</strong>r struggles for undocumented rights (don’t<br />

forget <strong>the</strong> Central American, Asian, <strong>Afro</strong>-Latinx, and African immigrants).<br />

But until we study and uproot <strong>the</strong> ongoing legacies <strong>of</strong> dispossession and<br />

enslavement, we ain’t really gonna get nowhere!<br />

KINSHIP AS SOLIDARITY<br />

I had <strong>the</strong> great fortune <strong>of</strong> hearing one <strong>of</strong> my favorite scholars, Kim<br />

TallBear, give a talk at <strong>the</strong> University <strong>of</strong> Alberta, as part <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Creative<br />

Economies workshop hosted by my homies, Alex Da Costa and Dia Da<br />

Costa. TallBear’s talk was, <strong>of</strong> course, brilliant. I was most struck by her<br />

discussion <strong>of</strong> kinship, and how <strong>Indigenous</strong> people, indeed all <strong>of</strong> us, need to<br />

restore more just relationships between non-<strong>Indigenous</strong> human and nonhuman<br />

forms. For Black Americans, kinship is essential. This will require<br />

Black folks to continue to come to terms with <strong>the</strong> trauma <strong>of</strong> antiblackness<br />

that <strong>the</strong>y suffer from. In search <strong>of</strong> freedom dreams and a homeland, Black<br />

folks continue to suffer <strong>the</strong> trauma <strong>of</strong> enslavement and <strong>the</strong> lack <strong>of</strong> a home.<br />

To be sure, many do consider this place <strong>the</strong>ir home; however, <strong>the</strong>y cannot<br />

forget that <strong>the</strong>y are on <strong>Indigenous</strong> land. Each <strong>Indigenous</strong> nation must think<br />

about ways to be inclusive to <strong>the</strong>ir <strong>Indigenous</strong> homelands, based upon <strong>the</strong>ir<br />

laws, with <strong>the</strong> hopes <strong>of</strong> creating new ones for <strong>the</strong> future.<br />

THE YEAR AGAINST RACISM, RACIAL DISCRIMINATION, AND<br />

XENOPHOBIA<br />

Two decades ago, <strong>the</strong> <strong>United</strong> Nations declared 2001 as <strong>the</strong> year against<br />

racism and xenophobia. From August 31 to September 8, delegates from<br />

around <strong>the</strong> world met in Durban, South Africa, to discuss <strong>the</strong> history and<br />

ongoing consequences <strong>of</strong> racism and xenophobia, as well as a future free <strong>of</strong>

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