An Afro-Indigenous History of the United States

the dignity of all oppressed people. He and his organization represent a
moral imperative, rooted in justice, and are engaged in the moral and ethical
work, rooted in protest, that we need to continue to engage in.
Nothing will happen without struggle. We need to remember that the
enslavement of Africans did not end because white people felt guilty, or the
state that was making billions of dollars off the labor of African peoples all
of a sudden wanted to give up its wealth. It took a civil war. I am not
advocating for a violent civil war; I value human life. However, if we are
going to get liberation, then we need to think strategically and carefully
about the world in which we want to live, and what it will take to get there.
I am not committed to a violent “democracy” that continues to exploit and
murder Black and Indigenous peoples. So, voting is cool, at least in certain
moments for temporary conditions, but it has not saved us and never will.
Yes, our Black ancestors died just so future generations could vote, but
today Black people continue to die, even sitting in the house, minding their
own business. While I’m at it, nonviolent direct action and appealing to the
moral conscience of those invested in the subjugation of Black, Indigenous,
and people of color isn’t the hill any of us should die on either, but that’s
another subject for another time. We need reparations, and we need them
now. What follows are nine steps that I think we might take to move
forward in the push for change. How we figure this out will have to come
from us, because if billionaires are upset about a wealth tax, what will they
and those who hold power do when we come to cash the check and take
back what’s ours?
1. I think the first thing we should recall is that the Africans kidnapped,
beaten, and tortured from their homes were Indigenous. Are
Indigenous. And Indigenous people do not just lose their indigeneity
—or sense of culture and belonging. We wouldn’t say that about
Indigenous people here, so why would we think differently about
people of African descent? These cultural remnants remain, including
the use of Black English, Black sayings, customs, religious practices,
and so on. We must un-archive those things. In addition, because
enslavement made them make a way outta no way, of course people of
African descent created new ideas of what it means to be African, or
Indigenous, and that aspect of the culture should be acknowledged.