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Hello {{ first name | friends}},
This issue contains something rare for me - three articles with the name of the current White House incumbent, whom I usually refer to as "47" or "the orange one". But they all give useful insights into what's happening, not just in the US but around the globe. This issue also tackles issue on the African content, in the Caribbean, as well as the issue of reparations. The "Of Note" section is pretty juicy, too. Ready to dive in?
1. They believe in racism; do you really believe in anti-racism? by Shay, Black Girl in Maine
This is a timely question, and there are no easy answers. Here, Shay analyses what people's actions reveal about their beliefs:
“What this moment reveals is how deeply entrenched racism is in our psyche. It is revealing that for far too many white folks, Black Lives Matter was just an era, not a way of life—and for all the books and content written on anti-racism, for many people being anti-racist isn’t a deeply held value. Most certainly not something where one would create a little discomfort for themself to uphold and affirm that value.”
2. Trumpism in Nigeria by Nanre Nafziger and Adam Khalid Muhammad
In Black MAGA Whyyy?, I talked about the sign of trumpism I saw on my morning walk. These authors dig deep into what's happening in Nigeria, and the push and pull of two competing paradigms:
“Nigerian praise for Trump and disdain for Obama is not a contradiction—it’s a symptom of overlapping forces: white‑savior fantasies, religious nationalism, unmet expectations of racial kinship, and affective inversions that punish Obama more harshly because he is Black.”
3. African languages, the blind spot of AI by James Maisiri
You've likely heard me say that AI tools reinforce western norms. This article gives more evidence, and highlights some of the initiatives to fight it:
“African institutions are increasingly realizing that if Africa does not shape AI, then AI will shape Africa. To address this, language specialists from the “African Next Voices” project have digitized 9,000 hours of spoken languages from Kenya, South Africa, and Nigeria, creating a dataset for anyone to train their own AI models on local languages. Educational technology companies in these countries can take advantage of this data.”
4. Black Women Are Losing Ground. Now Inclusion Is on Trial. by Frances Murphy (Toni) Draper
When white folx bring racism lawsuits, and traitors get reparations, this is where we are - sigh:
“the question is no longer simply how discrimination is being addressed —but how it is being redefined, and for whom.”