Slavery Denial, African-American Pretendians, and the Growth of Black Alt-History

[EndDomination]

While I occasionally see it on here, in the Locker Room from a handful of posters, I have noticed an increase in the number of Black people who claim that: 1) they are not descendants of enslaved African peoples, or are "indigenous" to the region; 2) that the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade outright did not occur or; 3) a combination of the first two beliefs sitting alongside the idea of them being "Israelites" - presumably referring to "Hebrew Israelites."

I assume that it has a handful of various origins: 1) bad interpretations of the doctrines of the Moorish Science Temple and break-off sects of the Nation of Islam; 2) genuinely bad education, where a lot of Black kids never had a proper engagement with the history of the New World, chattel slavery, and the modern world system; 3) internalized anti-Blackness, where they believe they can't be of African descent, and instead that they must be descended from some mysterious Indians, 4) sloppy family history where they were told that they have some indigenous ancestry (almost always without a scintilla of evidence) or 5) engagement with works like Ivan Van Sertima's popular and influential pseudo-history: They Came Before Columbus.

I think it is worthwhile to compile a list of important and accessible works to push back on this pseudo-history masquerading as an alternative history:

Some of my personal favorites are:

1. Gerald Horne - The Dawning of the Apocalypse: The Roots of Slavery, White Supremacy, Settler Colonialism, and Capitalism in the Long Sixteenth Century;
2. Stephanie Smallwood - Saltwater Slavery: A Middle Passage from Africa to American Diaspora;
3. John Henrik Clarke - Christopher Columbus and the Afrikan Holocaust: Slavery and the Rise of European Capitalism;
4. Judith A. Carney - Black Rice: The African Origins of Rice Cultivation in the Americas;
5. Robin Blackburn - The Making of New World Slavery: From the Baroque to the Modern 1492-1800;
6. W.E.B. DuBois - Black Reconstruction in America;
7. C.L.R. James - The Black Jacobins;
8. Ira Berlin - Many Thousands Gone: The First Two Centuries of Slavery in North America;
9. Daniel A. Novak - The Wheel of Servitude: Black Forced Labor After Slavery;
10. Sally E. Hadden - Slave Patrols: Law and Violence in Virginia and the Carolinas;
11. Annettee Gordon Reed - The Hemingses of Monticello;
12. Joseph E. Inikori - Africans and the Industrial Trade and Economic Development;
13. Eric Williams - Capitalism and Slavery

But when it comes to denial of what is otherwise a universally recognized period of history that was embedded in virtually every part of global commerce - its a bit tougher to convince someone who is already denying.

Any brehs had any success on this?

 

[get these nets]

Good post, but as we've seen demonstrated across the different subforums, if a person WANTS to believe something he will.

Waste of time engaging with any adult who is that far gone and detached from reality.

 

[DrBanneker]

Good post, but as we've seen demonstrated across the different subforums, if a person WANTS to believe something he will.

Waste of time engaging with any adult who is that far gone and detached from reality.

Agreed.

One additional influence of this thinking I believe may be Mormonism which posited a similar story of a White people in pre-Columbian America. Similar to how Hebrew Israelites had other antecedents like British Israelism. Not that Black folks aren't original, it's just these aren't new themes.

But yeah, slavery denials is up there with Flat Earth BS.

 

[Wargames]

Good post, but as we've seen demonstrated across the different subforums, if a person WANTS to believe something he will.

Waste of time engaging with any adult who is that far gone and detached from reality.

I got into it with a uber driver over this like 3 years ago, until then I thought it was an internet joke. Breh was half-a-Rasta and walked with boot taped with a splint maybe because he didn’t want to go to doctor to get it fixed. Anyhow he was adamant black people came from the US and when I asked him where the Mexicans came from he had no answer. Like it never occurred to him to think where they are from if not here. Anyhow I think his philosophy is some deranged extension of the “my family is Native American” that a lot of black people say. Except since no one really sees Native Americans anymore because they been wiped out of most the country it’s now “we are the Native Americans” and no longer “I have Native American ancestors”. It’s not that different of a concept but just clumps ideas together to the point they lose any historical accuracy.

Beyond the point he said his daddy taught him this story. Which also I think supports the idea it’s an extension of “my ancestors are native Americans”. His biggest argument though was that the national geographic magazine never spoke about the transatlantic slave trade? So it couldn’t be real. Which keep in mind I don’t know why this was the foundation of his belief but I was like “well let me Google that” and then I showed him the link to the issue about transatlantic slavery and he stopped talking and starting speeding….. No funny he really started speeding to get me to my location cause he got mad I debated him with the truth. I got there quick as fukk.

Another sids note breh was a semi successful reggae artist and has spent the first half of the ride saying a lot of famous rappers were gay and he seen some demonic shyt and in hindsight he might have had a point. Though breh was homophobic as fukk, like to the point I think he would tell someone who was clearly gay to get out of his uber.

In the end I did not tip that man, I didn’t report him either for the speeding because fukk it no harm no foul, but I remember just being annoyed as all hell at his willful ignorance. I also agree I didn’t change his mind he was willing to crash to get away from dealing with what I said.