A f
ro
+ Q
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futu
black
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twenty-first century technogenesis
of
black identity reflecting counter histories,
hacking and or appropriating the influence of network software, database logic, cultural analytics, deep remixability, neurosciences,
enhancement and augmentation,
Contemporary
afrofuturism 2.0
is now characterized by five dimensions, to include:
applications and has grown into an essential Diasporic technocultural Pan African movement... gender fluidity, posthuman possibility, the speculative sphere, with transdisciplinary metaphysics; aesthetics; theoretical and applied science; social sciences; and programmatic spaces
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“A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots”
‹›
Marcus Garvey
In the United States, the term Pan-Africanism is closely associated with Afrocentrism, an ideology of African American identity politics that emerged during the civil rights movement of the 1960s to 1970s. "Pan-African" unity is especially important in African American identity politics, because the African ancestry of Afro-American community cannot be derived from any identifiable African people. Therefore it has become necessary to minimize the differences between the various peoples of Africa in favour of a generalized "African" heritage. As a philosophy, Pan-Africanism represents the aggregation of the historical, cultural, spiritual, artistic, scientific and philosophical legacies of Africans from past times to the present. Pan-Africanism as an ethical system traces its origins from ancient times, and promotes values that are the product of the African civilization and the struggles against slavery, racism, colonialism, and neo-colonialism. The PanAfrican flag was designed by Marcus Garvey and is known as “The Red, Black, and Green”. This flag symbolizes the struggle for the unification and liberation of African
people. The “red” stands for the blood that unites all people of African ancestry, “black” represents the color of the skin of the people of Africa, and “green” stands for the rich land of Africa. The four Pan-African colors—red, black, green, and gold—have inspired many nations flags, outside of Africa as well as within it. Black Power is a political slogan and a name for various associated ideologies. It is used in the movement among people of Black African descent throughout the world, though primarily by African Americans in the United States. The movement was prominent in the late 1960s and early 1970s, emphasizing racial pride and the creation of black political and cultural institutions to nurture and promote black collective interests and advance black values. “Black Power” expresses a range of political goals, from defense against racial oppression, to the establishment of social institutions and a self-sufficient economy.
So you're saying being black is the way of the future? Well yea. I mean it’s in the name; AFRO... FUTURISM. We are equated to the future. It’s important that from a young age black youth are made aware the multitude of spaces they can occupy. Because of that necessity and just a need for more representation in aspects of life that are lacking color, people lean into afro-futurism. And then you see more sci-fy movies and novels with black main characters. And in everyday life black people are alotted more space to create without having to fit in to a prescribed canon. For the uninitiated, Afrofuturism is a fluid ideology shaped by generations of artists, musicians, scholars, and activists whose aim is to reconstruct “Blackness” in the culture. Reflected in the life and works of such figures as Octavia Butler, Sojourner Truth, Sun Ra, and Janelle Monáe, Afrofuturism is a cultural blueprint to guide society. The term was coined by Mark Dery in 1993 but originally birthed in the minds of enslaved Africans who prayed for their lives and the lives of their descendants along the horrific Middle Passage. The first Afrofuturists envisioned a society free from the bondages of oppression—both physical and social. Afrofuturism imagines a future void of white supremacist thought and the structures that violently oppress Black communities. Through the use of technology, often presented through art, music, and literature, Afrofuturism evaluates the past and future to create better conditions for the present generation of Black people. As Black activists demand for the abolishment of prisons and the
dismantling of the police state, Afrofuturism emerges as a guide to push society into a future full of Black empowerment. We see the possibilities of a society of Black men and women that is steeped in our history, but also embraces our advancement while protecting both as a means for survival. Seeing this can and has inspired more of us to invest in our communities, to continue to dominate in the STEM field and the arts, and to move forward in our quest to reach back into our communities by creating opportunities and guidance for our youth. We have the power to show what an inclusive future looks like. We can show what ergonomic housing and transportation, food, and water equality, as well as the dismantling of systemic racism, looks like. When a narrative is embedded with those visuals it takes on a more powerful connecting tissue. Whether intentional or not, Afrofuturism has been woven into social movements that work against white supremacy to move toward a future where radicalism is viewed, not as something to be fought, but a societal good.
Afrofuturism evaluates the past and future better conditions for the present generation people
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oh to develop personhood...
Outer space was a metaphorical frontier of freedom at a time when Earth offered only insult and injury. It suggested the promise of a beyond that might be attained through life and energy, instead of through death or worldly renunciation. Sun Ra's world view was often described as a philosophy, but he rejected this term, describing his own manner as an "equation" and saying that while philosophy was based on theories and abstract reasoning, his method was based on logic and pragmatism. Sun Ra presents a unified conception, incorporating music, myth, and performance into his multi-leveled equations. Every aspect of the Sun Ra experience, from business practices like Saturn Records to published collections of poetry to his 35-year career in music, is a manifestation of his equations. Sun Ra seeks to elevate humanity beyond their current earthbound state, tied to outmoded conceptions of life and death when the potential future of immortality awaits them. As Hall has put it, ‘In this era of ‘practical’ things men ridicule even the existence of God. They scoff at goodness while they ponder with befuddled minds the phantasmagoria of materiality. They have forgotten the path which leads beyond the stars.
e to create n of Black
Sun Ra is considered to be an early pioneer of the Afrofuturism movement due to his music, writings and other works. However, WE DON’T NEED TO BE THIS WAY, to emmulate afrofuturistic ideals in our lives. Self-sustain, preserve, learn, educate, love, enjoy at your own pace, at your own time
Though many of us start off believing that anything is possible, it can be difficult to hold onto that vision of the future, where an individual can be whole, can aspire to greatness outside of the confines or perceptions of reality. But those practices are essential to the heart of Afrofuturism, a belief in the necessity to strive toward liberation, a generational investment in a society against harmful power structures. Believe us when we say, “I’ve been to the future. We won.”
Because we already have
Afrofuturism is the futu(?)re, made for us by us. a movement, unapologetically taking up space. We reclaim what encompasses blackness to include all the things. Does it thoug=h? sexuality and gender bending freedoms /an intergral part of futurism/; some things aren’t just
left for the yt folk
sometimes it’s as if breaking traditional norms isn’t recognized until someone who is white is at the forefront, representing that change already and then suddenly someone from the back exclaims hey man, like, so and so has
h h h h
done th
history history history history
history repeats itself history repeats itself history repeats itself history repeats itself repeats itself and repeats itself and repeats itself and repeats itself and
and and and and
history repeats itself and history repeats itself and history repeats itself and history repeats itself and historyshhhhh, repeatshush,hush,we itself and know historyand repeats itself and of course probably by a historyblack repeats itself and person historyand repeats itself and itself history repeats and history repeats itself and history history repeats repeats itself itself and and history history repeats repeats itself itself and and history repeats itself and and credit's not given history repeats itself especially history where history that repeats itself and where credit is due history repeats itself and history repeats itself and and there's a futuristic history repeats itself and movement for ideologies history repeats itself and
hat before,
practiced for how knows long this movement feels right and I’ll never say no to something that socially and politically empowers black people and has had such in/direct influences on me and my work But I question the dynamics of
this
pro-black movement
anti pro pro pro pro pro antipro anti pro queerness pro pro pro antipro anti pro pro pro-black and anti-queer anti pro pro anti p trans antipro anti ro pro pro pro LGBTQ+ anti pro pro pro pro pro just don’t go together pro especially when perpetuated pro pro pro pro pro by members of our own pro pro pro pro pro black community pro pro pro pro and
see the beauty in the Afrofuturism and the cultures that has unknowingly fostered the future
tran form extra
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ball was a where anybody could be ative aordinary ce of harships
realm
Ball culture emerged in the 1920s in and around New York City. At their beginning, performers consisted mainly of white men putting on drag fashion shows. Black queens rarely participated, and when they did, they were expected to lighten their faces. Fed up with the restrictive and racist ball culture, the queer black ball community established their own underground ball culture in the 1960s. Ball culture in the 1960s contained very few categories, with primarily queens portraying Las Vegas showgirls. However, New York’s Stonewall Riots of the late 1960s, when queer people of color stood up to police, changed selfperceptions within the subculture: from feeling guilty The 1970s saw an and apologetic to expansion of ball feelings of selfparticipation as acceptance and balls increased pride. their numbers and types of categories to allow inclusivity and involvement of everyone.
left to right: Ocatvia St. Laurent Willi Ninja Behnji Zay wilder
Origi
Balls became a safe space for queer youth of color, mainly Blacks and Latinos/Latinas, The competitions consist to express of an entire language of themselves freely. With this concepts, categories, dances, and slang that are new realm unique to the subculture. of ball Participants “walk” or “compete” on a stage or runway for prizes, displaying their outfit along with their persona for different categories.
ns:
culture came the development of competition. The performances consist of strutting, dancing, and spoken word. One common category is “Realness,” where participants in drag are judged on their ability to “pass” as heterosexual males or females. Other common categories include business executive, best dressed, and butch The dance queens in pumps. Not utilizes all performances stylized arm consist of crossmovements, dressing; a few sharp poses, common categories and fast, include females low to the highlighting ground foot their movements. femininity and males highlighting their masculinity. Voguing, a popular dance at balls, originated from ball culture in the 1980s.
Neicy Carter
Resistance and C
Gender and Sexuality P Participants in the community create a new space to directly challenge traditional gender roles and heteronormative identities. They use balls to express these restrictive categories and to reveal their abuse as transgender, gay, and minority groups. Houses provide a space for queer youth to feel supported. The balls resist these gender norms by gender-bending through both the outfits and
the mannerisms of the queens and kings. For example, Pepper LaBeija, one the most well known queens of the Underground Harlem Drag Balls uses the pronoun she and primarily dresses “like a man” during her normal life. However, during the balls, Pepper defies traditional gender norms, wearing feminine clothing and makeup. The balls and houses provided safe spaces
for the typ tha dom
Mother Afrika Juicy
Conf ormity
Drag ball culture both resists and conforms to gender and sexuality norms. The realness category shows how the participants work to perform certain roles, for example a straight business executive, so as to stay safe on the streets.
Performance
Aniyah Juicy
r participants to express emselves through various pes of gender performances at often deviate from minant societal norms.
They can be “real” with their queer identities within their community. However, they also practice “passing” as straight individuals during their performances. The realness category provides a space for queer individuals to practice conforming to traditional gender norms.
Black-dominated underground ball culture emerged alongside the civil rights movement. However, many civil rights leaders condemned and attacked black queer culture. Leaders sought to suppress non-heteronormative behavior, as dominant white culture would better accept and integrate the black community if they fit the heterosexual narrative. The AfricanAmerican working class more openly accepted and showcased
homosexual behavior compared to the black middle class. Black homosexuals came to represent all the elements of African American workingclass culture that civil rights leaders identified as obstacles to the attainment of citizenship. At the height of the movement for integration, black queerness was replaced in public discourse and popular culture by black heteronormativity.
The polarity of the black community in regards to the civil rights movement and queerness created a persistent struggle for queer black Americans to fight for their rights as both black and queer individuals to this
day. This meant many black queer people, participating in the ball scene or not, were tasked with defending and legitimizing their lives to the rest of their society, including their own black community.
A prominent example of this duality was Marsha P. Johnson an activist, self-identified drag queen, performer, and survivor. Marsha “Pay it No Mind” Johnson was a Black trans woman who was a force behind the Stonewall Riots and surrounding activism that sparked a new phase of the LGBTQ+ movement in 1969. Marsha went by “BLACK Marsha” before settling on Marsha P. Johnson. The “P” stood for “Pay It No Mind,” which is what Marsha would say in response to questions about her gender. She was and still is a prominent influence to the black trans community and even supported transgender youth experiencing homelessness in NYC in the 1970s. Being black and queer doesn’t automatically condemn a person to living a politically charged life. However, there are many queer activists that have led a life pointed towards creating safer spaces for queer youth and a future where this fight doesn’t have to be had at all.
If black is the future, that includes our queer brothers and sisters too.
This book was created by Asjha Malcolm, in Sophomore Graphic Design Studio at Boston University, Spring 2021. Typefaces used include Letter Gothic, WHOMP, Edgewise NF, Cereluan Nights, Brim Narrow, Input Mono Compressed, Chaloops, and Aviano Future.
Check out these resources to further your knowledge: Space is the Place by Sun Ra (1974) Aye and Gomorrah by Samuel Delaney (1967) Mothership Connection by Parliment (1975) Dirty Computer by Janelle Monae (2018) Baduizm by Erykah Badu (1997) Black Metropolis Tim Fielder exhibition Paris is Burning (1980) Origins of Modern Ball Simmons Library The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson (2017) Ballroom Culture: the Language of Vogue Ronald Murray (2019) LGBTQ+ Freedom Fund The Okra Project House of GG Black Pink Black Trans Activism Coalition Continue this conversation on your own