Have you heard of Afrofuturism? Today, we’ll learn more about Afrofuturism and the myriad ways it has inspired and continues to inspire Black culture.

“Afrofuturism’s ideals began in diverse African societies and traveled through enslaved Africans’ experiences of slavery and freedom and emerged in our contemporary world. At every point Africans, and then African Americans have envisioned their own freedom. Their ideals, while situated within a distinct African American experience, speak to larger human demands and calls for freedom, for understanding, for expression, for life.

…Afrofuturism enables its authors, thinkers, artists, and activists to interpret the history of race and the nuances of Black cultural identity on their own terms. Reimagining the Black experience of the past provides new templates for reimagining Black futures to come–while also informing Black life in the present…By envisioning a history unimpeded by the restrictions of racism, Afrofuturism provides an alternative pathway for African American artistry and creativity” (Strait & Conwill, 2023, p. 10-12).

References: Kelley, Robin D. G. Freedom Dreams : the Black Radical Imagination. Boston :Beacon Press, 2002.

Strait, K. M. A., & Conwill, K. (2023). Afrofuturism: a history of Black futures. Smithsonian Books.

TODAY’S PRACTICE: Explore the Smithsonian Museum of African American History’s Afrofuturism exhibit here and watch this short video on Afrofuturism.

DAILY REFLECTION: What is one bright and beautiful thing you see in your Afrofuture?

TAKE ACTION: Learn more about Afrofuturism by visiting The National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC.