Mission Statement

“Whatever in the world is to be done, will be done. The question is whether it will be done by you or done to you.” 

We live in a forced collective. Hear me out.

This gathering of people of African descent — whether born in the U.S. or Africa or elsewhere, whether descendants of slaves or free men, whether rich or indigent –this gathering arises out of a need for self-determination and a history of forced subordination and removed relativity to an abstract outsider. We face each other under a banner of survivalist solidarity because regardless of our differences — whether they be our sexualities, our disabilities, our religions or our interests — we are viewed as one. What jerks at one of us sends tremors through all of us. So we need to understand each other.

This space is an area to gather our thoughts — thoughts that we do not or should not expect to mesh into a single river of black unity. Thoughts that we do not write to bolster our Afro-credibility. Thoughts that may seem contradictory at times. We come together to share what we think works best for us as people who have had our fates forcibly woven together. As human beings, however, this weaving can read as a blessing or a curse. These writings, presented by a variety of different perspectives of those cut from the African cloth, intend to explore the mountains and the valleys of the landscape of being a person of African descent. 

What does being a person of African descent mean?  How does it guide individual and collective politics? Does it influence the formation of identity? Should we abandon identity altogether? What problems do we face, and what clear goals should we set to solve them? When should we band together? When should we break apart? Where should our priorities lie? This think tank does not claim any political affiliation; it does not claim any religion; it does not profess any specific philosophy as the guidepost for our people.  Here, we unite to teach and to listen, to share and to withhold, to grow and to develop into people we pride within this forced unifier. We aim to loosen the restraints of these perceptive chains and to join our hands in unity — but only if we choose to do so. 

These stories and ideas are thoughts of action, of ambition, of revelation, and of courage within our collective AfroSphere. We want to be interactive with those who share the above vision and want to add a positive contribution, i.e., their stories and ideas to this collective. We welcome interaction through comments, posts and essays. We will utilize the voices of guest contributors. However, we will have a zero tolerance policy on comments whose goal is to sow dissention, engages in personal attacks and/or attempts to demonize others because of their beliefs and/or opinions. Only positive criticisms, analysis and comments that educate, enlighten and edify will be allowed. This does not mean that we are only looking for those who will agree with our points of view. Far from it. However we are creating a space where discussion, discourse and debate can be exchanged in a respectful environment.

Welcome to AfroSpear. Share your insight.