Terms of Engagement 1
the legal status of being a recognized member of a country, which grants an individual specific rights
Citizenship
a global movement aimed at strengthening bonds of solidarity, unity, and self-determination among all people of African descent, both in Africa and the diaspora
Pan-Africanism
This text explores ideas about Black self-determination, pride, and global unity among people of African descent. It raises questions about how racial oppression can be challenged through economic independence, political organization, and a return to cultural roots. It also examines the importance of leadership and collective identity in resisting inequality. Overall, it emphasizes empowerment and the belief that people of African descent should control their own future and institutions.
"Philosophy and Opinions of Marcus Garvey" by Hollis R. Lynch
This text examines how economic and political inequality in Africa is shaped by class divisions, especially during and after colonial rule. It raises questions about how colonial systems created new elites who often benefited from independence, while the majority of workers and rural populations remained in poverty. It also explores how true liberation requires more than political independence, arguing that economic control and the redistribution of wealth are necessary to end exploitation. Overall, it emphasizes that African development and unity depend on addressing the struggle and resisting both foreign domination and internal inequality.
"Class Struggle in Africa" by Kwame Nkrumah
This text argues that racial injustice is not limited to the United States but is part of a global system of oppression affecting people of African descent and other colonized groups worldwide. It raises questions about how racism is connected to international politics, colonialism, and economic exploitation, showing that struggles for equality in one country are linked to broader global movements. It also emphasizes the importance of solidarity between oppressed peoples across different nations, suggesting that liberation requires a worldwide perspective rather than focusing only on national reform. Overall, it highlights the idea that racial inequality is a global issue tied to power, resistance, and self-determination.
"Not Just an American Problem, But A World Problem" by Malcolm X
the process of a country or group freeing itself from the political, economic, and cultural control of a foreign power
Decolonization & Liberation movements
when powerful nations or companies use economic, political, or cultural influence to control developing countries indirectly, rather than through direct military rule
Neocolonialism
This text raises important questions about how Africa and other parts of the Global South became underdeveloped. It explores how colonialism and slavery shaped economic inequality and questions who truly benefited from the extraction of resources and labor. It also examines why European nations were able to develop while African societies were held back, and how these systems of exploitation continue to affect development today. Overall, it argues that underdevelopment was not natural but created through unequal global relationships and exploitation.
"How Europe Underdeveloped Africa" by Walter Rodney
This text focuses on the unique struggles faced by Black women, arguing that their experiences are often overlooked within both racial justice and women's rights movements. It raises questions about how racism, sexism, and economic inequality intersect to shape the lives of Black women, especially in labor, housing, and family life. It also emphasizes that true social progress cannot be achieved without addressing these overlapping systems of oppression together rather than separately. Overall, it highlights Black women as central to struggles for liberation and calls for greater recognition of their political and social importance.
"An End to the Neglect of the Problem of the Negro Woman" by Claudia Jones
the refusal to accept or comply with something, or the act of fighting against an opposing force
Resistance
the ability to "bounce back" or recover quickly from difficult life experiences, stress, or trauma
Resilience
This text challenges the idea that colonialism was beneficial or civilizing, instead arguing that it was violent, exploitative, and dehumanizing. It questions how European nations justified their actions and exposes the hypocrisy of promoting human rights while oppressing colonized people. The work also suggests that colonialism not only harmed the colonized but morally corrupted the colonizers themselves. Overall, it presents colonialism as a destructive force that shaped lasting inequalities and injustices.
"Disclosure on Colonialism" by Césaire Aimé
This text follows the coming-of-age experiences of a young girl in colonial-era Rhodesia, where she navigates the tensions between traditional family life and the influence of Western-style education. It raises questions about how education can become both a path to independence and a source of distance from one's family and cultural roots, especially as she begins to see inequalities within her household and society more clearly. It also explores how patriarchy, colonialism, and poverty intersect to shape the lives of women and girls, limiting their choices while shaping their sense of identity and worth. Overall, it highlights the psychological and emotional impact of growing up in a system where both gender oppression and colonial power structure determine access to opportunity and self-determination.
"Nervous Conditions" by Tsitsi Dangarembga
the practice of one country taking full or partial political control of another country and occupying it with settlers
Colonialism
the idea that all people and communities have the right to live and thrive in safe, healthy environments
Environmental Justice
This text focuses on the anger, creativity, and inner conflict of young Black people navigating racism and limited social mobility. It raises questions about how identity is shaped under oppression and whether individuals should conform to mainstream expectations or openly reject them. It also explores tensions around respectability, artistic expression, and resistance within the Black community itself. Overall, it highlights a desire for freedom and self-definition in a society that often restricts both.
"Fire!" by Wallace Thurman
This text is written in response to criticism from religious leaders who opposed civil rights demonstrations, and it defends the strategy of nonviolent direct action against segregation and racial injustice. It raises questions about what distinguishes just laws from unjust ones, arguing that unjust laws are those that degrade human dignity and are created without the consent of those they oppress. It also challenges the idea that oppressed people should wait for a "more convenient" time for justice, explaining that delay only extends suffering and allows inequality to continue. The text further addresses the role of the church and white moderates, criticizing their preference for order over justice and their lack of urgency in confronting racism. Overall, it emphasizes that direct, nonviolent action is necessary to create meaningful social change and that moral responsibility sometimes requires breaking unjust laws.
"Letter from a Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King Jr.
the understanding that people have multiple, overlapping social identities (such as race, gender, class, and sexuality)
Intersectionality
the process where people, ideas, and goods move across national borders, creating strong, lasting connections that span multiple countries
Transnationalism
This text compares how ideas like Pan-Africanism and Négritude developed across Cuba, the Francophone Caribbean, and Brazil during the 1930s-1950s, focusing on how Black identity was shaped in different colonial and national contexts. It raises questions about how people of African descent defined unity and cultural pride while living under systems of racism, colonial influence, and racial mixing ideologies that varied by region. It also examines how "Blackness" was treated as both a cultural identity and a political tool—sometimes celebrated through literature, art, and intellectual movements, and other times constrained by national narratives that downplayed or erased African influence. Overall, it highlights how Black identity was not a single experience but a shifting idea shaped by language, history, and the struggle for recognition and equality across the African diaspora.
"Pan-Africanism, Négritude, and the Currency of Blackness: Cuba, the Francophone Caribbean, and Brazil in Comparative perspective, 1930-1950s" by Darien J. Davis and Judith Michelle Williams
This text examines how environmental decline is closely tied to political and economic systems that shape everyday life in marginalized communities. It raises questions about who controls access to land and natural resources, and how decisions made by governments and powerful institutions can deepen poverty and inequality. It also highlights how women are often at the center of these struggles, carrying responsibility for farming, water collection, and family survival while having the least political power. In response, it explores how collective organizing at the local level can challenge corruption, promote sustainability, and improve living conditions. The key point is that environmental issues are inseparable from social justice. Protecting the environment is also about addressing inequality, empowering communities, and challenging systems of political and economic exploitation.
"Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai" by Lisa Merton and Alan Dater