Thought Process, Terminology,
and Transliterations
At the turn of the twentieth century, African descendant peoples refused to participate in the perpetual smoldering of their dehumanization and made choices to segregate themselves behind the corporate veil of municipality. Few outlets exist to explore the conscious efforts of African descendants who sought autonomy through notions of God and regenerative agricultural practices in frontier spaces. If not distracted by the minstrel-like “Blackness” in popular media, consciously, one may find significance in “Black” sovereignty that extended beyond notions of a fragile freedom. Undergirding the historical significance of “Black” bodies in the Borderlands, Blackdomites struck oil in the 1920s. Finding Blackdom oil was significant because Blackdom ascended to Afrotopia.
Borderland Studies helps to inform this new Black history. This narrative contains remixed “intellectual technology” to help the reader better absorb the methods, breadth, and scope used to reintroduce a story to people who thought they knew “Blackdom” and introduce a narrative to people who have never heard of Blackdom. In an effort to override a systematically imposed ignorance blanketing the United States and the world, I intentionally quarantine a reader to focus on the material presented.
“Black People” was a notion developed by those attempting to craft a narrative of “White” superiority as well as project the normalcy of “White” supremacy using popular media. As Europeans sought to colonize Indigenous places and spaces, they created creature-like cognitive relationships between skin color, labor, and personhood. The history of “Whiteness” reveals an association between the desired signifier of “White” people as the antithesis of “Black” people. The manufacture of “Blackness” in popular media has distorted reality for people of African descent and the identities they subscribed to.
For a more cogent reading of my work, below I define “Black” and all the major corresponding derivatives due to the mass production as well as commodification of “Blackness” in popular culture. Due in part to the soul murder of some Black folks, this book contains material that may appear foreign.
Black, when referencing people of African descent, refers to the intersection of people and politics.
Blackness embodies the constant morphosis of border-dweller bodies, politics, and the existential crisis of “White” hegemonic power.
Black people, the term, embraces the humanity of people under the condition of “Americanism.”
Black sovereignty articulates the exercise of freedom within the “Souls of Black Folk” and the existential manifestations.
Blackdom Townsite Company enabled Black People to reach sovereignty in a legal system designed to assure “White” hegemonic power.
Blackdom, as a term, functions as a catch-all expression with some focus on place.
“Blackdom” has an emphasis on space rather than place for the purpose of including intangible signified notions of Black People.
Blackdomite imbues the bold possession of Black Sovereignty and brands those who engaged in “Blackdom.”
Black colonizer refers to a distinctive experience of Black folks’ centuries-long colonization effort and distinguishes between other colonizing forces that invaded Indigenous lands.
Black cowboy identifies and emphasizes an often untold, mostly unknown, and/or misrepresentation of Black People who engaged “The West.” In this narrative, Black cowboy culture refers to a distinct culture, rather than popular projections of “Cowboying.”
Black consciousness sheathes the intellectual infrastructure of collective notions understood by people under the conditions of American Blackness.
Black colonization continuum assumes the ontology of Black folks’ functions across generations as a guiding light to freedom and sovereignty.
Black ministers nurtured the sovereignty impulse of Black folks throughout the Black colonization continuum.
Black military personnel commanded respect in such a way that they helped shift and shape an often “illiterate,” yet wise, community.
Black Freemasons were an outgrowth of Black folks’ striving and a signature institution in part responsible for Black folks’ cognitive and multidimensional engagement of Mexico’s northern frontier.
If the Black colonization continuum had a destination from its messianic trajectory, Afrotopia explains the manner in which “Black” people existed in diaspora. Moreover, the standardization of their archetypal course of striving demonstrates their cognitive adaptability to learn from the past and replicate a prosperous present. Afro-Frontier defines a specific course for “Blackdomites,” who adapted in Mexico’s northern frontier, “frontier” space White colonizers stole from Native and Indigenous peoples. Afro-Frontierists were opportunists and beneficiaries in an era of “American frontierism.” Blackdom was a microcosm of hegemonic society: separate-but-equal.
Afro-Frontierism unifies the thought process above. Afrocentric notions of utopia often hinge on a mythologized trajectory of victimhood and or redemption. Most often, “promised land” functions as an invocation of physical space divinely prepared for the faithful. In this narrative, Blackdom was both “promised land” and “promised (government) lands” confiscated from Indigenous peoples.
My intent is to be respectful of this era’s skepticism of experts. Considering all known information can be accessed with a touch of a screen in the palm of your hands, misinformation also exists in the same space. Often reconciling competing narratives works to the advantage of hegemonic society, and I do not desire to further distract the reader. For example, throughout this piece, I consent to using “Black” when referencing people of African descent; even though race does not exist, racism does. Although “Black” was a Europeanized bastardization of Africanity, through a refined process of struggle, “Black people” wrestled with the colonization, and we must do the same.