I do not pretend to have the right to speak for others, nor do I assume to have experience with adversity, based upon my race, gender, or sexual orientation.
However,
I do have the ability to discern what is right and what is wrong.
For many Black Americans, the fundamental right to an unbroken family history has been stolen. The insidious, lingering impacts of the American slave trade continue to harm communities and families, severing ties to cultural heritage. While consumer genome services promise access to genetic histories, they fall short for Black Americans. A webpage listing a handful of allele markers and potential national origins cannot replace the rich, lived histories that have been erased. This piece marks the beginning of my continued exploration into the devastating effects of colonial practices on family culture.
The American right has long demonstrated a violent fear of Black pride, using systemic and cultural tactics to suppress it. Over the last decade, this fear has evolved within a public discourse increasingly defined by xenophobia and an obsession with “American-made” origins. This rhetoric has sparked a cultural backlash against Black Americans—families who literally built the nation and were forced to forge new identities under colonial oppression. Now, they feel the weight of exclusion from the very narrative they helped shape. This rise in nationalist sentiment erases and rejects Black contributions, positioning expressions of Black pride and heritage as threats to an idealized, exclusionary vision of “American-made.”
Together, these forces highlight a stark contradiction: Black Americans are simultaneously foundational to the nation’s identity and excluded from it. The enduring impacts of slavery, compounded by modern cultural rejection, create a double burden of invisibility and scrutiny. This piece seeks to explore the interplay of history, identity, and systemic erasure, while challenging the exclusionary narratives that deny Black Americans their rightful place within the story of America.
To move forward, we must confront the legacies of slavery and colonialism that continue to shape our society. Educate yourself on the histories and contributions of Black Americans that have been systematically erased. Challenge exclusionary narratives wherever they arise, and amplify voices that celebrate Black pride and heritage. True allyship means acknowledging the harm caused by these historical and cultural injustices and actively working to dismantle the systems that perpetuate them. Together, we can create a future where every family’s history is valued, preserved, and honored.