I don't agree with all of Dr. Walker's positions (some Egyptians were certainly black), but his point that it shouldn't matter it true (Egyptians had no conception of race as we understand it). His attack isn't on the existence of Afro-centrism, it's the fact that oftentimes Afrocentric scholarship denies historical fact.
Ok let's get this out the way because I see you slipped that 'some' in there. Ancient Egyptians (the pyramid builders, mathematicians, spiritual leaders, chemists, doctors, rulers, etc) we're Black Africans from the south and west of the continent up until the Hyksos invasion. That's at least 2000 years and I'm being very conservative with the 2000 years. And it does matter in today's times because our schools and media are still white-washing or arabizing the ancient Egyptians. If race and skin tone doesn't matter, why do they go so hard to avoid and cover it up?
And historical fact? You realize that if men like Hitler had succeeded (word to Columbus, the Catholic church, and the Spanish, and British), 'historical fact' today would look a lot different. Basically, western European leaders won that war so we've been programmed to accept their version of history as fact. I bet if I claimed that books we're destroyed, scholars we're persecuted, and history altered, you would tell me that I need to provide the evidence, correct? Well if I'm in a war and using race and propaganda among other things as a tool, don't you think I'd make sure the knowledge is destroyed or at least hidden? Don't you think I'd demonize the very people I stole, and am stealing from? Don't you think I'd want to eliminate any chance of them producing more African minded warriors and scholars? I use logic and common sense. Facts can be misconstrued and interpreted in many ways.
The guy in the video mischaracterizes criticism of his book, as the author did often throughout his career. His book was universally rejected by MesoAmerican scholars. I'd encourage you to read the JSTOR article (if you can't access it I have a subscription and can PM you the text). They debate the evidence more articulately than I ever could.
I'm in the middle of reading it and will get back to it after this.
But ok let's get this straight; MesoAmerican scholars reject a half Native, half African scholar, but African scholars studying Africa aren't rewarded with the same benefit when it comes to African studies
. You see how deep the programming goes?
In the video he does make several good points (along with being a very engaging speaker who gave a great narrative on Haiti), especially about Wilbur Wilberforce and freeing the slaves. I'd recommend reading
Moral Capital by Chris Brown at Columbia if you want to know why English abolitionists were for freeing slavery (hint: it wasn't out of the goodness of their own hearts as we are often taught)
Christopher Brown - Faculty - Department of History - Columbia University
Also, his point about learning more about Henry VIII than massacres and slave revolts is ABSOLUTELY true. It's ridiculous, and I agree with him, and his people, centered, global approach to teaching that he proposed is inspiring. He is absolutely correct. History is absolutely whitewashed and its absolutely bullshyt. World history should be taught, and people of color need to be included.
African history is world history imo. It just depends on when the interpreter wants to make the separation and say "ok the people that left the continent are African up until (insert date or time period).
Also, these so-called people of color will deny their African heritage in one breath, then try to ride the wave of Black progress the next. I told you I see through the bullshyt
.
But (and this is important) we need to remember that we need to stay within the REALM OF FACT. This means that we need to evaluate evidence as it exists, and not get carried away, because if you do that, logical people no longer take you seriously. Here is where he messes up. He is so eager to assign agency and importance to certain people groups that he makes huge leaps and picks and chooses certain strands of evidence out of context to bolster his argument. Here is another article discussing Van Sertima's book that discusses this published by an accredited historical journal by three professors. Hell, just by reading the first paragraph on the preview you begin to get an idea.
I understand what you're saying. I really do. But my question then is who is logical and who's facts are more validated? And why should I, a descendant of the Atlantic slave trade trust in this realm with their so-called facts on these topics? The same logical people that lied to African Americans about a medical study and instead gave them Syphilis? Or the ones that told white people that Black people become oversexed crazed animals if they smoked weed? The same ones that pretended to believe that an unarmed teenager had super-negro strength and needed to be put down by police? I can literally go on for hours.
No, I'm not saying that all white people are liars and that your elite minds haven't done some good things for humanity. I'm not saying that Africans we're all living in peace and harmony until the white man came and got us. I'm saying how can I fully trust the elites of a people that doesn't even want to give us what we're owed for our ancestors work and suffering, let alone acknowledge, and properly represent our portion of history?
Robbing Native American Cultures: Van Sertima's Afrocentricity and the Olmecs on JSTOR
Keep reading from there.
Ultimately, his heart is in the right place and he obviously is an intelligent guy. But his agenda, in my opinion, is blinding him to practicing history correctly.
But let's put it this way: I would MUCH rather have a guy who errs on the side of Afro-centricity than the opposite : a historian who constructs narratives that bolster white supremacy. Both are wrong and need to be addressed, but one is much more harmful.
Ivan Van Sertima is part Native himself, but that seems to be conveniently skipped over. He isn't robbing anything; in fact European and Anglo-American leaders already did that, and convinced good natured white folk like yourself that it wasn't as bad as it seems, and our reaction as Africans and African descendants is based on some need to feel important or included in world history.
Nah creh, it goes waaaay deeper than that.
at the thought of the original people from the Motherland making it over.
... or hidden
. How can I... I just don't know where to...
