Yes, the British Empire is indeed one colony smaller as Barbados formally declared itself independent of its colonial rulers after 400 years yesterday in a big ole fancy ceremony attended by all kinds of dignitaries. England’s Prince Charles delivered a message from his mother, Queen Elizabeth, conveying the “warmest good wishes” and said, “from the darkest days of our past and the appalling atrocity of slavery, which, whatever stains out of his study, the people of this island forge their path with extraordinary fortitude.” It’s nice that he mentioned that appalling history of slavery, but it deserves more than a . . .
colonialism
Thankstaking & The Normalizing of Colonialism
The key to oppressing a people is to break their spirit. And, the way to break a people’s spirit is to destroy their connection to their culture. A significant piece of white supremacy is to deny the Indigenous story. Doing so diminishes them just as denying slavery is a clear attack against the dignity of African people. The more we do to challenge this attack against oppressed people in every form we can, the more we weaken imperialism’s ability to control the thinking of the masses of people.cu . . .
The Anti-Blackness of “Professionalism”
Racist narratives under capitalism considers African people as commodities for profit, whilst creating conditions that assimilate them to their white or Non-Black People of Color (NBPOC) counterparts. Whiteness is treated as the standard, with employers who hold similar views policing Black bodies into what they deem acceptable. Under the guise of professionalism, features associated with Blackness—attire, mannerisms, vernacular, and general appearance—are viewed as unfit for an occupational setting and are deeply rooted in anti-Black sentiments. The process of upholding such standards requires focus on features that are prevalent in the African diaspora. Employers and recruitment personnel look at hair, dress . . .
Reparations: A History of the Struggle in the US
Africans across the globe have been impacted by the structures created to maintain a racist hierarchy established during slavery. In order to ensure that the systems that created Black oppression are dismantled, reparations movements must develop an internationalist orientation. . . .
Reparations: Why Paying Them in Cash is Throwing Good Money After Bad
African Americans won’t turn the tide by going on a shopping spree, or leaving it to whites to decide what we can and cannot teach our children, where we work, and for how much, whether we are free or imprisoned, or whether we live or die. We need power over our own communities just as the white working class needs it over theirs. . . .
Once Again, the Vultures Circle Haiti
The crisis in Haiti is a crisis of imperialism. It is because of western imperialism – and those who aid and abet it – that the earthquake and tropical storm become wide scale disasters. . . .
The African Woman: The Invisible Soldier
A society without women can be compared to humans without air. Africa without African women is like a mango tree without roots. The indispensable role that African women play in the development of society in general and community, in particular, cannot be matched or debated. However, despite this role African women from Toronto to Harare to London to Kingston find themselves often invisible. . . .
China, Africa(ns), White Supremacy & the White Left
For many in the white left, their conscious or unconscious embrace of white supremacy prevents them from recognizing how much those backward ideals influence their perception of China today. Their constant labeling of China as no different than European capitalist/imperialism is an example. . . .