ABOS / FBA is Not Only Bullshit but Dangerous Bullshit.

[admin]

The following was written by Arthur Rickydoc Flowers and is an excerpt from his substack post.

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So recently on Substack I was made aware of the FBA (Foundational Black Americans) and ABOS (American Descents of Slavery) movements, etc, and expressed my contempt for this latest expression of Black insecurity boosting itself with petty bullshit cutting us off from the Diaspora.

 

I was responding to an informative piece (link below) on the phenom and I was like whats FBA and boy did I get impassioned responses, including from my sister, Elise, who apparently been in contention with them for years, I am truly out of the loop, I don’t really do social media, I’m only on Substack cause of Trump, decided its a good venue for raising up the Hoodoo Legions against him.

 

Came up in here expecting to be exhorting mi legions to the barricades, battle has come to us, but I quickly deduced what Im really doing is raising the consciousness of the Legions, (matters like this one,) to make of them more effective cultural custodians, a longer more invested process but such is struggle and I am comfortable with the glacial pace of cultural change.

 

To my everlaqsting shame Ive become a Substack scold. A gentle scold.

 

But, after expressing my surprise and dismissal of these FBA folk, I received the following missive from one George Dawson, MD, I’m not used to social media folk trying to dispute me, usually my narrative gravitas preclude anybody being fool enuf to come at me, so this defense of FBA world kinda tripped me out. Folk had told me about it but I guess I didn’t really believe Blackfolk could be so clueless.

 

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Wait. What is wrong for a people, our people attempt at defining/refining who and what we are based on our experiences on this land? People refer to us as: akata, lazy, no culture ..... on and on. So, who is being dismissive? Are we not allowed to respond? To protect our dignity? Meanwhile, while some are slinging these derogatory memes at our folks, any at the same time, they have no problem with exploiting the perks and opportunities we have gained by fighting for here on these shores. Fighting with our blood sweat and tears. Really? Further, being non-deportable, has, seemingly, created an air of resentment against our people, as well. With all this, we can’t define ourselves anew. That is, define us based on our lived experiences on these shores. Our lineage. That is offensive? This lineage. Created/developed here, over 4 centuries or so. Let us just dismiss it? Really. I could go on but I will stop here. I am an old head and as such, been through a few things for plenty decades or a few scores of years. Respect what people, our people are trying to clarify. Some of these folks have showed us how they feel about our Americanness. These young people have every right to define us anew, if it is required. Let them/us work it out. On our homestead, so to speak

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OK, I don’t usually wrestle in the mud with confused folk, I will state my position for the historical record but I don’t try to convince nobody of nothing. I will tell you what you need to hear one time. If you ready you will hear it, if not come back when you are,

Okay, before I get to snarling, I had written the following in hot rage but before pushing send I went to check his site out, figured Id find Black MAGA but he aint really that bad, just got confused. But once I became conscious of him as a fellow Black person trying I had to snarl less personal. I’m spose to be a spiritual force, a holyman, and not caught up in Black online dialogue as mortal combat. I lost my grace with these folk, they piss me off, bit I went thru and cut back the afterburners, still harder than you generally get from me but you shoulda read it before I let him get humanized by reading his posts.

 

So less personal I will say, for the historical record, why I think this ABOS / FBA etc is not only bullshit but dangerous bullshit.

 

One, we are a weak minority, we need all the help we can get. Folk invented the Diaspora so we could be a global folk. All the true players of the world are global folk, whitefolk, Jews, Arabs, Chinese, etc, they globalfolk.

 

So what yall want to do is move us back into global weakness, cut us off from one of our greatest strengths in global competition and domestic empowerment. Classic Divide & Conquer. And then you got the nerve to complain that they not deportable, I believe thats what pissed me off.

 

And if there are folk in the Diaspora who are as confused as you FBA folk rant about, well, you always gon have some folk who just not ready, you and yours being exhibit A.

 

But we don’t let the weak links define us, do we, we tolerate, we educate when we can, cripple when we can’t.

Don’t nobody question our unique history, brother, but to think it somehow exalts us over otherfolk, you just replicating evil.

 

My brother, these is portentous times and you on the wrong side of history, when the story is told you will be judged wanting. A stalking horse for the right perhaps, a MAGA disinformation campaign.

But I dont even have to go there, conspiracy or not you working against us. I’m told yall told the kids not to vote. How did that work out for them. Worked out great for Tramp and MAGA.

 

But Fannie Lou ‘If I fall Ima fall five feet four inches forward in the fight for freedom’ Hamer woulda be shamed of you. And if Fannie Lou ain’t foundational I don’t know who is.

 

But it is even worse, far as the old conjureman concerned, you crippling the tribal soul, and that I cannot allow.

As a practitioner of literary hoodoo, griot and tribal medicine worker, I have been trained to monitor the health of the tribal soul (culture) by monitoring its cultural products, (including ideas) giving the tribal soul what it needs, extracting what it don’t, and it do not need this, my friend,

 

Not only is it political malpractice but its just petty and I can’t let my people get caught up in petty bullshit, I can not let my people be a petty people.

 

I believe the defining feature of the 21^st century in a rapidly globalizing world is which cultures will contribute to the uniworldal culture of the future, which die out and disappear. I would African American culture, as exemplified in Hoodoo, its indigenous spiritual tradition, be one of the world’s Great Ways

 

My vision is that Black folk position themselves as Guide and Guardian of Human Destiny, the Magical Negro wrote large, the Illuminated Children of the Sun, a beacon light unto humanity, forever.

 

Yes, yes, I agree, yet another Chosen Peoples scenario but one based on humble service to the Human Condition. I got to get Blackfolk out of this historical Trickbag, got to transform them souldeep, I need Blackfolk to believe in themselves w/mythic intensity, so confident in their value they realize loud random bullshit like this is beneath them.

This mean I have to shape African American culture / spiritual tradition into one of the worlds Great Ways - one other folk admire and emulate, an African American Way.

 

It is I, Rickydoc Trickmaster, the High Hoodoo of Memphis, come to call thru incandescent hunger, to me, o mighty race, I got the vision, 1stborn, it is in me like fire. Listen 1stborn to the Geas of Rickydoc and I will give you a Mission greater than your Adversity. I will give you a Destiny.

 

It is I, Mganga Maua, Hoodoo Lord of the Delta, come to call you 1stborn, humanity’s living ancestors, gods true chosen, if you would reclaim your legacy as gods holy instrument you must stand on higher ground, I ask only that you be the great and glorious people you were meant to be, the Illuminated Children of the Sun.

 

Not a mean little petty folk who can only feel good about themselves if they stepping on folk as they themselves was stepped on.

 

And then to do it to kinfolk - I am appalled, all of you FBA / ABOS, etc, you bad as Black MAGA, may even be Black MAGA.

 

We got real hammers coming down on us, dawg, we seriously under the gun, we aint got time for made up bullshit that not only don’t empower our generations but instead weakens us, both politically and spiritually. And if you think I’ma let yall cripple the tribal soul with unregulated bullshit you are sadly mistaken.

 

But, that said Ima dismiss your movement, I don’t have bandwidth for silly season, not when my people so in need of true vision. Every chance I get Ima discredit this farce but basically Ima let this silly season bullshit die a natural death,

So, I dedicate this piece to all the Black Generations of the Diaspora, past present & future, we shall overcome, someday - and my brother, next time try googling me before you start talking about all your years of experience

 

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note: this was the piece i was responding to, a more informed strategic analysis of how the movement rooted itself in the culture - be safe, be productive

 

Au'Naturale

Have we gone too far?

Nationalism has been on the rise lately and If you’ve been in black spaces online you know of the FBA (foundational black american) and ADOS (american descendants of slavery) movements. Theres been an ongoing attempt at reclamation of black culture in America. Equally a lot of harmful propaganda going around due to this. I want to address it from the le…

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4 months ago · 13 likes · 3 comments · Ashanique.

[Troy]

While I was never a fan of separating ourselves from the global Black diaspora, would not have characterised it as "dangerous" .... at least until  now. 

 

 

[ProfD]

I do not support demonizing any other group of Black folks.  That is non-productive. 

 

However, I do not have a problem with FBA/ADOS/AfroAmericans defining ourselves.  Regardless of size, it is important from a cultural perspective.

 

Once FBA/ADOS/AfroAmericans have unity among ourselves, it becomes easier to build strategic alliances with other groups of people globally.

 

The BS is Black folks fighting among themselves when the bigger enemy is the system of racism white supremacy.

[Troy]

7 minutes ago, ProfD said:

The BS is Black folks fighting among themselves when the bigger enemy is the system of racism white supremacy.

 

Yes, and these arbitrary divisions make fighting amongst ourselves so much easier.  

[ProfD]

22 minutes ago, Troy said:

Yes, and these arbitrary divisions make fighting amongst ourselves so much easier.  

IMO, the lack of leadership & organization within the groups is the bigger problem.

 

[Mel Hopkins]

1 hour ago, Troy said:

Yes, and these arbitrary divisions make fighting amongst ourselves so much easier.  

I agree.  These folks refuse to believe other "Black" people have different journeys.  And let us not forget about Black people in the "original packaging" sometimes other   Black Americans.  This entire argument reminds me of the Horror Flick "The Blackening's" question, "Who is the Blackest?" 

[aka Contrarian]

Wow! These dissertations so enlightened me when it came to the existence of the different sects of Blackness whose existence I have,  heretofore, been completely ignorant about!

Finding a niche with those whose opinions I share on many issues was exhilarating, leaving me, at age 92, astounded to learn of the actual existence of an official  movement I could identify with in many areas of thought, like slave descendants having their own unique culture and immigrant Blacks being my personal idea of black carpetbaggers - and a cynicism about the pseudo African affectations of certain black zealots who make claim to everything African and attribute everything everywhere as beimg black in origin, citing skewed history as their source. Not to mention exposing the dysfunctional compensation that takes the form of a black male machismo that is laced with misogny and homophobia.

Still, I'm not totally captivated by the siren song of the ADOs,  having never been an enthusiast of Reparations, and any taint of this group being "MAGA lite" inhibits my formal commitment to their doctrine.

My gut always instinctively recoils at any hint of Conservative right wing white supremacy.

 

In any case, at this stage of my existence, I don't have to make a decision or a choice about such matters, and I remain a spectator,  ever aware of how Society evolves, inevitably subjected to the changes that Time brings -  changes that I, in all probability,  won't be around to witness...

[Pioneer1]

I have mixed feelings on the issue...........

 

Like most philosophical concepts, you have the good with the bad.
As it goes with the FBA movement.

For years and years now I've been hoping for and looking forward to a movement that would be tailor made to fit and highlight OUR culture as AfroAmericans as well as give a little "pay back" to other minority groups who based on my observations tend to be more racist than White Americans themselves.

This is one of the reasons I prefer the term "AfroAmerican" as opposed to simply "Black" or even "African American".
Those terms aren't specific enough for MY lineage and group and culture.

ADOS didn't really do that for me.
Their focus was almost entirely on Reparations.

FBA on the other hand is like a new found RELIGION with very zealot adherents.
These cats are all over social media arguing, challenging, and asking where do WE as Black Americans fit in to whatever conversation is going on at the time and
"if we don't benefit from it....we don't care" is the prevailing attitude.
I'm proud of that.

What I DON'T like is the colorism, anti-Africanism, and Trump-support that seems to be dominant among many of them.

It started out as AfroAmericans highlighting our culture and lineage and delineating ourselves from other so-called "minority" groups who were in love with White folks and didn't want to associate with us in the first place.
Today it has morphed (or been steered) towards targeting Africans specifically.

Most of these FBA dudes talk about "tether this" and "tether that" all day long when it comes to other Black immigrants like Haitians, Jamaicans, and Africans....but won't say a word about the racist Hispanics and Asians who have been replacing many of our people on these jobs for years and have been far more discriminatory against AfroAmericans than not only Africans but even Whites!

 

Some people like our great elder Professor James Small have even suggested that the FBA and ADOS movements are right-wing psychological operations designed to discourage Black people from voting and renounce support for the Democrat party.

 

Regardless.......(richardmurray says "gardless".....lol)...............
I'm both an AfroAmerican Nationalist AND a PanAfricanist....our collective African heritage is what ties all of our people together regardless of nation or culture.