Explosion may be overstating but not by much. There is excitement and momentum building that we should pay critical attention to.
People of Color are not strangers to the technology of social media. We have been involved with the tech since the first newsgroups went online at 300 baud and dial-up modems. Social media platforms are the hot new tech. There are many options. AFRO developers are challenging the failing "X" (formerly known as Twitter, and the anemic Facebook). New Social Media platforms are being promoted.
Vote with Social Media. Spread your message via Social Media. Revolutions have been spread via Social Media. Now, Black people have a choice in their Social Media. This is important.
Last Note:
If anyone claims that they are "old school" and aren't familiar with current Social Media, web conferencing (Zoom), chat, streaming or email apps, remind them that this is not new tech. It has been around for decades and is available to anyone willing to take advantage of useful apps that are important in our lives. No advanced expertise is needed, only a willingness to learn and adapt.
They say,
nuclear politics,
like drool from a rabid dog,
is safe when kept at bay;
They say,
reinforced concrete
and chains of command
isolate the mindless rage;
They say,
they won’t be the first
to lift the latch
set the gears to grind and lurch;
and They say,
even if suddenly it leaps unleashed,
the dripping jaws will viciously clamp
on all bare flesh no less
-- sbattle
A Lake Swallows a Prosperous Black Town Because . . . White People Were Afraid
Artifacts of African's smiles, tears, and achievements were drowned and covered over by deep river water. The bones of churches, banks, and schools lay scattered on the muddy bottom. Ripples remained and propogated. And, so, did revenge.
The lake is dangerous to swim in. Currents, gators, thick snakes and demonic predators rise from the depths to snatch victims.
On muddy shores were footprints of monstrous size, bone shards, jagged tooth fragments and long bloody smears over the swamp grass. Not a safe place to be at night, alone.
In the next installment of the AFROFuturist Bible, we explore the revenge of African Mermaids when one of their princesses is captured.
Peer into the near future. What are the prospects for Black people? What should we prepare for?
AFROFuturism is gaining more traction in the mainstream. People talk about it. However, few individuals can clearly define it. It is more than catchy pop tunes or Black Panther's Wakanda.
Octavia Butler most likely never used the term, yet, her writings -- especially the "Parable" books -- are definitely AFROFuturistic. Historically, there have been AFROFuturists who never would have considered themselves to be AFROFuturists. The word didn't exist. But the concept did. It has changed our lives for the better. (See my Architects of AFROFuturism post.)
What's next for AFROFuturism?
Africans have always been advanced technological people. Africans built stone structures that remain to be the greatest marvels in all of human history.
Music, art, dance, movies, and editorial are all part of AFROFuturism. The next phase is tech. AFROFuturism will embrace, expand and exploit new technologies to better our world.
More on that in future posts.
Black History is more than Harriet, Frederick, and Martin who are heroic people who should be honored and hoisted. However, lesser-acknowledged names such as Sutton, George, Pauline, Leslie, Martin (D), Thomas, and Charles should be considered. (Today, Octavia is well known.)
The men and women depicted in this image are some (not all!) of the "Architects" of AFROFuturism. They are the creators of speculative fiction that present positive portraits of people of color who pushed beyond their circumstances to imagine a brighter future.
We are diverse people with diverse genius and diverse aspirations. AFROFuturism is a significant aspect of that genius.
We must explore and immerse ourselves amongst these pioneers of thought and inspiration, not just during Black History Month but for the entire year. Get started now!
Sutton Elbert Griggs (June 19, 1872 – January 2, 1933) was an author, Baptist minister, and social activist. He is best known for his novel Imperium in Imperio, a utopian work that envisions a separate African-American state within the United States.
George Samuel Schuyler born in 1895 was a controversial writer and socialist. He rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. In his book "Black Empire" he wove a fantastic tale of ray guns, futurist airships, biological warfare, and Africa conquering Europe.
Pauline Elizabeth Hopkins born in 1859 was an American novelist, journalist, playwright, historian, and editor. Her novel follows the adventures of Reuel, a mixed-race American, as he travels to Ethiopia from America searching for treasure. The book explores issues of love, identity, trauma, and spirituality through the perspective of the African-American community.
Leslie Esdaile Banks (1959 to 2011) is a recent AFROFuturtist. LA Banks is credited with creating the first African-American vampire huntress. She wrote a series of books that put color into a genre that traditionally neglected anyone, not of European descent. L.A. faced many challenges in the publishing industry and with readers. She was prolific until her last days on Earth.
Martin Robison Delany (May 6, 1812 – January 24, 1885) was an abolitionist, journalist, physician, soldier, writer, and arguably the first proponent of black nationalism in America. Blake: or, the huts of America, a novel. In one of the subtexts of Blake is to show the difference between the realities of Slavery and the picture Stowe painted in Uncle Tom. Indeed, Daleny's hero Henry Blake is placed in the exact same place time and position as Uncle Tom, but instead of heroically suffering and dying and inspiring while refusing to physically resist slavery, Henry Blake runs away from slavery to organize an international revolution against slavery
Thomas Mofolo was born in Khojane, Lesotho, on 22 December 1876. Mofolo composed Chaka (1925), a fictionalized account of the Zulu conqueror who built a mighty empire during the first quarter of the 19th century. Under Mofolo's pen, the eventful career of Chaka (Shaka) becomes the epic tragedy of a heroic figure whose overweening ambition drives him to insane cruelty and ultimate ruin.
Charles W Chesnutt's most notable book is The Conjure Woman (1899), a fantastic collection of stories set in postbellum North Carolina. The lead character Uncle Julius, a formerly enslaved man, entertains a white couple from the North, who have moved to the farm, with fantastical tales of antebellum plantation life. Julius' tales feature such supernatural elements as haunting, transfiguration, and conjuring, which were typical of Southern African-American folk tales.
Black Doctors and AI Artificial Intelligence (AI) holds significant promise for transforming healthcare and has the potential to revolutio...
