“Afrofuturism is an intersection of imagination, technology, the future, and liberation”
-  Ytasha L. Womack, Afrofuturism: The World of Black Sci-Fi and Fantasy Culture 

Afrofuturism offers a lens to imagine ourselves beyond the constraints of the present. Historical figures like W.E.B. Du Bois and Phyllis Wheatley wielded Afrofuturism as cosmic armor, challenging fallacies that predicted Black futures as empty voids. This vision endured through luminaries such as the band OutKast and films such as Black Panther (2018) which featured the late Chadwick Boseman; they reimagined Black existence.

For centuries, Blackness has been treated as alien, as “other.” Through Afrofuturism, that alienation is reclaimed. It becomes a source of creativity and resilience, a way to envision futures that center Black voices, stories, and possibilities. Imagination has kept Black people alive. Many hoped we would perish under the weight of white supremacy, colonialism, and imperialism, yet we dared to dream bigger. Refusing to be destroyed or rendered invisible, we redefined survival.

Our very existence defies a social fabric that never intended for us to survive. Afrofuturism is embedded in each of us—we are still here, thriving, despite attempts to erase us or to keep us tethered to a white man’s leash. With no place made for us, we were forced to imagine spaces where we could exist, as people. It takes imagination to see beyond the confines placed on Black futures, and through Afrofuturism, we are able to envision a world where Black people can live with joy, dignity, and without fear.

In dreaming beyond limits, we affirm that Black futures are boundless.

TODAY’S PRACTICE & REFLECTION: 

Join Samantha on her journey through the Afrofuturism exhibit at the National Museum of African American History and reflect on:

How can you use Afrofuturism to imagine a different future for Black people? 

What do you want to see for Black people in the future?