Are black Americans in danger of going extinct? That seems to be the suggestion of an antiracist group at the University of Florida.
In 2020, school faculty formed an alliance with the goal of hosting “antiracism training.” They called it “Academics for Black Survival and Wellness.”
According to official website Academics4BlackLives.com, the association aims toward “healing for black folx, accountability for non-Black folx.”
An official description:
Academics for Black Survival and Wellness (A4BL) is a personal and professional development initiative for Non-Black academics to honor the toll of racial trauma on Black people, resist anti-Blackness and white supremacy, and facilitate accountability and collective action.
Additionally, it’s a safe space:
A4BL also is a space for healing and wellness for Black people.
Two years ago, black Americans had been murdered by whites to an endless degree; the founders had had enough:
A4BL was launched in the Summer of 2020 on Juneteenth in response to the countless murders of Black people at the hands of white supremacy.
Things got off to an amazing start:
The initiative began as a week-long initiative and call to action for academics to support and be accountable to Black liberation. With over 10,000 participants from across the world, the initiative provided Non-Black participants with training materials to make actionable change to address anti-Black racism in their personal lives and academia. Black participants were provided with virtual community wellness events to build their coping and resistance toolkit.
To that end, A4BL hosts events. June 10th saw a sponsored showing of the horror movie Master, a film “almost too true about surviving and not surviving the microaggressions and violence from the institutional racism of the ivory tower.”
Following the film, a discussion was had with “counseling and clinical psychologists, about the racial trauma and institutional racism Black folks experience while navigating Academia.”
For Christmas, A4BL has issued a guide called “Making Holiday Conversations Bright.” Per the pamphlet, there are four keys to staying “Black-Liberation Focused”:
- All Black people are worthy of wellness
- Remember that Black liberation is about getting free from all forms of oppression and being free to experience holistic wellness, dignity, and thriving.
- Consider multiple aspects of Black wellness.
- Keep Black folx at the center of the conversation.
The directive calls for “radical systemic change” and tells practitioners to stay the course:
Because anti-Black racism is systemic, we encourage you to be diligent about maintaining a system-level (rather than anecdotal) frame for the conversation.”
The guide gives examples of “Black people who experience multiple forms of oppression” — “Black disabled, elderly, transgender, and/or unemployed folx.”
A4BL is doing a lot “for Black folx;” beneath a tab bearing that very label, assorted workshops are advertised:
As for “Black-Owned Healing,” one section is titled “Twerk the Stress Away.”
The group’s “antiracist” goals certainly aren’t rare in the realm of education:
State University Seeks Professor of ‘Structural Racism, Oppression, and Black Political Experiences’
Tufts University Hosts ‘Unpacking Whiteness’ Program, Declares the ‘Game Is Rigged’
Extremely White College Professor Fights the Lie — and ‘Disease’ — of Whiteness
‘Exhausted’ and Trauma-Torn TikTok Teacher Tells White People to Stop Making the World Unsafe
Professor Prescribes ‘Reregulation’ to Help White People Stop Their Racist Violence
As for all the above, the country is clearly on a path of attempted repair. An oft-chosen way to improve America: separation. Those in charge have evidently decided our decades of increasing racial unity were misspent. Segregation is the new order of the day, and not just where race is concerned; it seems more than likely the oppressors being fought by the most progressive among us are deemed to be conservative.
Then again, togetherness is actually occurring at the University of Florida, amid an effort to save from extinction “Black folx”: Of all the educators depicted on the Academics for Black Survival and Wellness website, the majority are not black.
Perhaps we’ll attain unity after all.
-ALEX
See more content from me:
New Children’s Production of ‘The Wizard of Oz’ Sees the Wicked Witch Played by a Man
College Prep School Hosts Seminar for Those Guilty of ‘Parenting While White’
Deftly Defying Reality, California Still Insists COVID Vaccination Protects ‘Everyone Close to You’
Find all my RedState work here.
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