From one way of reading this commentary, I agree just about 100%. From another read, it got me thinking about the premise. Take the quote by Susan Rice and her attending meetings at the State Department. About her not seeing others that looked like her sitting around the table. I imagined myself sitting at that table and finding most looking like me but not thinking like me. That I wouldn't identify with them. So, are Susan Rice and I sitting at the same table (assuming I was qualified to sit there)? Or what? Maybe it's just about what different communities find interesting when they have opportunities rather than being attracted to what some say they ought to be interested in -- even if the rational argument makes compelling sense.
So true. One of the 7 tenets of Bayard Rustin's organization, Black Americans to Support Israel Committee was "Arab oil prices have had a disastrous effect upon blacks in America and in Africa." I don't think many were thinking about the issue on that level.
Oct 18, 2022·edited Oct 18, 2022Liked by Free Black Thought
English is so widespread as a lingua franca that the need to learn a foreign language to a "business" level is almost non-existent. However, I would say that there's a high return in terms of goodwill on monoglot English speakers learning even just a few friendly words and phrases in other languages. In my experience, there are also so many non-native English speakers out there online yearning to chat with native English speakers on a social level. Thanks for the article.
Can the HBCUs be sistered with foreign universities and become the intellection, STEM and business centers of Africa and the global African diaspore (North America, South America, Caribbean, Europe, Asia)? This would make the HBCUs far more internationally prestigious, respected and influential. Including in STEM research. Vast numbers of high performing foreign African Ancestry students would over a generation likely generate many billions of dollars for collective HBCU endowments.
Can the USA spend many tens of billions of dollars to identify, develop, empower talented African ancestry children abroad and encourage them to study, work or conduct business in the USA?
Many of them won't come to the USA. But if a large percentage come, it would be a large positive technological shock to the US economy.
Plus Americans can make a fortune trading and doing business with African ancestry foreigners. Can African Americans be at the forefront of this?
As someone who lives in the UK and whose children did exchange programmes in Switzerland and in the US, I think HBCUs would be knocking on open doors if they started exchange programmes or indeed glommed on to existing programmes.
The British Commonwealth already encourages students from all over the former British empire to study in various countries including the UK.
In 2019, the UK had 496,570 foreign students attending UK universities. Almost certainly the majority of these attended Russell Group universities, 24 elite UK universities. In 2018-19, 446,450 undergraduates and 155,655 postgraduates were studying at a Russell Group universities. Probably close to half of these were foreign students.
This is a large economic benefit to the UK and a large global projection of UK soft power.
What do Americans, particularly those who identify as black, think about the disparity in resources allocated by the USA and other rich western nations to Ukraine compared to places with even worse humanitarian crises like in the horn of Africa and various parts of the Middle East? I would be interested in knowing, not to pick a fight.
I think Ukraine is generally globally seen as a de facto war between [NATO+ (some NATO allied countries that are not part of NATO too) + Ukraine] vs Russia.
I don't think it is seen as a "humanitarian" crisis per say.
I think it is obscene that Africa gets so little foreign aid from the international community. However I don't think many people seem to strongly hold this view--including African ancestry people in Europe, Canada, USA, Caribbean, Mexico, Central America, South America.
What do you think?
What parts of the middle east do you think need additional foreign aid? Yemen? Sudan? South Sudan? Libya? [Don't think Chad is middle eastern.]
Yemen is probably generally seen as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, between shiites and sunnis. [Yemen is in a multi-sided civil war which is also a regional war. Parts of Yemen are now ruled by Al Qaeda and Daesh]
Libya is not generally understood. [LIbya is still in a multi-sided civil war. Al Qaeda and Daesh control parts of Libya.]
In general I would argue that the middle east is treated better than Africa and helped more than Africa.
Thanks for the reply. Good points. In the UK, a lot of funds have been raised for humanitarian assistance for Ukrainians. I would prioritise humanitarian assistance - whether in war zones or not - over military support for wars. Under the current economic and political order, it's clear that an American or European life is worth a lot more than an Arab or African life. However, IMO the biggest impact is just from prime time media attention on the plight of real people in desperate situations - you don't need people to understand structural theories explaining poverty IMO.
Why in your view are European, North American, and to a lesser degree Latin American, Arab, Asian lives valued more than subsaharan African lives?
Why do think the world gives Africa so little structural long term help, aside from temporary short term drive by help during natural disasters? Why is almost the only coverage of Africa outside of Africa poverty porn and war zone porn?
Why are Africans criticized so much for participating in the Belts and Roads initiative and becoming Chinese strategic clients? Most African countries have "CHOSEN" to be Chinese strategic clients and proxies. What other option to African countries have? Are the other great global powers (North Americans, Brazil, Europe, Japan, India, Australia, South Korea, Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan) willing to make a similar offer of hundreds of billions of dollars in investments in Africa?
Hard questions and I am a humble observer of world events but not a specialist. One issue is how wealth is generated. In the western world, businesses have for 200+ years created vast amounts of wealth by borrowing to source production costs, investing in capital assets, selling goods and services, and encouraging constant consumption, in a context of political and legal stability, and relative ease of movement of goods, people and money. There is no similar social and economic infrastructure in sub-Saharan Africa, as far as I know, so Western investors won't make available enough cash to establish this infrastructure. They will only invest enough to get raw materials out of Africa. Of course, the Chinese now do have this kind of cash.
There's a moral case for large-scale reparations by the UK and other countries for colonial exploitation. I think we in the UK will only start to see most Africans as fellow human beings on the same level as us once we are forced by our global weakness to accept the need for reparation. That time is getting closer, IMO
"so Western investors won't make available enough cash to establish this infrastructure. They will only invest enough to get raw materials out of Africa. Of course, the Chinese now do have this kind of cash."
Why do you use the word "Western" versus "global" or "international" or "free world" or the "globalized world"? Asia minus China has a higher PPP GDP than the EU. The non Chinese Asian block has a lot of economic and military power that Europeans should try their best to ally with, collaborate with and leverage to advanced shared values and long term interests.
There are also powers in Latin America; which Europe minus Spain and Portugal mostly ignore. Europeans can do a lot more collaboration with Latin America to empower Africa.
The reason the international community might consider partnering with Africans is to prevent the large majority of African countries from becoming CCP puppets or being conquered by Daesh/ISIS or Al Qaeda linked networks.
The Asian anti Chinese block should put up much of the capital and foreign aid for this. And the Europeans, North Americans, Chile (unlikely since Chile is now a Chinese strategic client), Brazil should join them on a large scale.
One of the reasons that almost all African and Latin American countries have supported Putin and Russia against Ukraine is because they are Chinese strategic clients and China told them to.
Now if Asia minus China, Europe, North America and Brazil don't offer an alternative to the CCP to Africa and the rest of Latin America; what choice do African and Latin American countries have other than to be CCP proxies? The CCP is too powerful for them to resist. Which is why I think the criticism of African and Latin American countries for supporting Putin against Ukraine by the global woke was unfair. [Trump is more popular in Africa and Latin America than Biden and Trump is globally associated with Putin, whether it is true or not. Trump or a Trumpian is seen as coming back to power in 2024, which might strengthen Putin and Russia. This adds to African and Latin American support for Putin.]
If the English people want to pay "large-scale reparations", shouldn't the English people focus on getting rich first, Singapore and Hong Kong style? This means most English children need to ace their GCSE and A levels and focus on becoming rich or upper middle class. If the ethnic English people could only be as successful as [Chinese + Indian + Russian + Nigerian + Ghanaian + Jewish Britons], England the UK might become the richest country in the world per capita. And then the UK can do a lot to socio-economically empower Africa.
" I think we in the UK will only start to see most Africans as fellow human beings on the same level as us once we are forced by our global weakness to accept the need for reparation. That time is getting closer, IMO"
English imperialism = wokeism = toxic saviorism.
The English people need to smash their ego and recognize how great, powerful, wise, intelligent and creative Africans are; and learn from Africans with humility. And collaborate with Africans as true friends in equality.
The English people need to engage in soft power reparations to Africans and Asians . . . not for Africans and Asians (they will take care of themselves), but for England.
If England promoted globalized capitalism, business, trade and cross border product development in Africa, and defended Africans from woke psychological and propaganda attacks, it would make a huge difference. Any foreign aid should be in close collaboration with Africans and aimed at facilitating a quantum leap in African competence, capacity, excellence and perfection.
Please listen to the wise Magatte Wade and her ideas for an African economic miracle:
From one way of reading this commentary, I agree just about 100%. From another read, it got me thinking about the premise. Take the quote by Susan Rice and her attending meetings at the State Department. About her not seeing others that looked like her sitting around the table. I imagined myself sitting at that table and finding most looking like me but not thinking like me. That I wouldn't identify with them. So, are Susan Rice and I sitting at the same table (assuming I was qualified to sit there)? Or what? Maybe it's just about what different communities find interesting when they have opportunities rather than being attracted to what some say they ought to be interested in -- even if the rational argument makes compelling sense.
So true. One of the 7 tenets of Bayard Rustin's organization, Black Americans to Support Israel Committee was "Arab oil prices have had a disastrous effect upon blacks in America and in Africa." I don't think many were thinking about the issue on that level.
English is so widespread as a lingua franca that the need to learn a foreign language to a "business" level is almost non-existent. However, I would say that there's a high return in terms of goodwill on monoglot English speakers learning even just a few friendly words and phrases in other languages. In my experience, there are also so many non-native English speakers out there online yearning to chat with native English speakers on a social level. Thanks for the article.
Can the HBCUs be sistered with foreign universities and become the intellection, STEM and business centers of Africa and the global African diaspore (North America, South America, Caribbean, Europe, Asia)? This would make the HBCUs far more internationally prestigious, respected and influential. Including in STEM research. Vast numbers of high performing foreign African Ancestry students would over a generation likely generate many billions of dollars for collective HBCU endowments.
Can the USA spend many tens of billions of dollars to identify, develop, empower talented African ancestry children abroad and encourage them to study, work or conduct business in the USA?
Many of them won't come to the USA. But if a large percentage come, it would be a large positive technological shock to the US economy.
Plus Americans can make a fortune trading and doing business with African ancestry foreigners. Can African Americans be at the forefront of this?
As someone who lives in the UK and whose children did exchange programmes in Switzerland and in the US, I think HBCUs would be knocking on open doors if they started exchange programmes or indeed glommed on to existing programmes.
The British Commonwealth already encourages students from all over the former British empire to study in various countries including the UK.
In 2019, the UK had 496,570 foreign students attending UK universities. Almost certainly the majority of these attended Russell Group universities, 24 elite UK universities. In 2018-19, 446,450 undergraduates and 155,655 postgraduates were studying at a Russell Group universities. Probably close to half of these were foreign students.
This is a large economic benefit to the UK and a large global projection of UK soft power.
+++++++++++++++++++++++
Looked up a list of elite African universities:
https://www.usnews.com/education/best-global-universities/africa
Could the HBCUs closely partner and collaborate with these universities?
What do Americans, particularly those who identify as black, think about the disparity in resources allocated by the USA and other rich western nations to Ukraine compared to places with even worse humanitarian crises like in the horn of Africa and various parts of the Middle East? I would be interested in knowing, not to pick a fight.
I think Ukraine is generally globally seen as a de facto war between [NATO+ (some NATO allied countries that are not part of NATO too) + Ukraine] vs Russia.
I don't think it is seen as a "humanitarian" crisis per say.
I think it is obscene that Africa gets so little foreign aid from the international community. However I don't think many people seem to strongly hold this view--including African ancestry people in Europe, Canada, USA, Caribbean, Mexico, Central America, South America.
What do you think?
What parts of the middle east do you think need additional foreign aid? Yemen? Sudan? South Sudan? Libya? [Don't think Chad is middle eastern.]
Yemen is probably generally seen as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, between shiites and sunnis. [Yemen is in a multi-sided civil war which is also a regional war. Parts of Yemen are now ruled by Al Qaeda and Daesh]
Libya is not generally understood. [LIbya is still in a multi-sided civil war. Al Qaeda and Daesh control parts of Libya.]
In general I would argue that the middle east is treated better than Africa and helped more than Africa.
Thanks for the reply. Good points. In the UK, a lot of funds have been raised for humanitarian assistance for Ukrainians. I would prioritise humanitarian assistance - whether in war zones or not - over military support for wars. Under the current economic and political order, it's clear that an American or European life is worth a lot more than an Arab or African life. However, IMO the biggest impact is just from prime time media attention on the plight of real people in desperate situations - you don't need people to understand structural theories explaining poverty IMO.
Why in your view are European, North American, and to a lesser degree Latin American, Arab, Asian lives valued more than subsaharan African lives?
Why do think the world gives Africa so little structural long term help, aside from temporary short term drive by help during natural disasters? Why is almost the only coverage of Africa outside of Africa poverty porn and war zone porn?
Why are Africans criticized so much for participating in the Belts and Roads initiative and becoming Chinese strategic clients? Most African countries have "CHOSEN" to be Chinese strategic clients and proxies. What other option to African countries have? Are the other great global powers (North Americans, Brazil, Europe, Japan, India, Australia, South Korea, Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan) willing to make a similar offer of hundreds of billions of dollars in investments in Africa?
Hard questions and I am a humble observer of world events but not a specialist. One issue is how wealth is generated. In the western world, businesses have for 200+ years created vast amounts of wealth by borrowing to source production costs, investing in capital assets, selling goods and services, and encouraging constant consumption, in a context of political and legal stability, and relative ease of movement of goods, people and money. There is no similar social and economic infrastructure in sub-Saharan Africa, as far as I know, so Western investors won't make available enough cash to establish this infrastructure. They will only invest enough to get raw materials out of Africa. Of course, the Chinese now do have this kind of cash.
There's a moral case for large-scale reparations by the UK and other countries for colonial exploitation. I think we in the UK will only start to see most Africans as fellow human beings on the same level as us once we are forced by our global weakness to accept the need for reparation. That time is getting closer, IMO
"so Western investors won't make available enough cash to establish this infrastructure. They will only invest enough to get raw materials out of Africa. Of course, the Chinese now do have this kind of cash."
Why do you use the word "Western" versus "global" or "international" or "free world" or the "globalized world"? Asia minus China has a higher PPP GDP than the EU. The non Chinese Asian block has a lot of economic and military power that Europeans should try their best to ally with, collaborate with and leverage to advanced shared values and long term interests.
There are also powers in Latin America; which Europe minus Spain and Portugal mostly ignore. Europeans can do a lot more collaboration with Latin America to empower Africa.
The reason the international community might consider partnering with Africans is to prevent the large majority of African countries from becoming CCP puppets or being conquered by Daesh/ISIS or Al Qaeda linked networks.
The Asian anti Chinese block should put up much of the capital and foreign aid for this. And the Europeans, North Americans, Chile (unlikely since Chile is now a Chinese strategic client), Brazil should join them on a large scale.
One of the reasons that almost all African and Latin American countries have supported Putin and Russia against Ukraine is because they are Chinese strategic clients and China told them to.
Now if Asia minus China, Europe, North America and Brazil don't offer an alternative to the CCP to Africa and the rest of Latin America; what choice do African and Latin American countries have other than to be CCP proxies? The CCP is too powerful for them to resist. Which is why I think the criticism of African and Latin American countries for supporting Putin against Ukraine by the global woke was unfair. [Trump is more popular in Africa and Latin America than Biden and Trump is globally associated with Putin, whether it is true or not. Trump or a Trumpian is seen as coming back to power in 2024, which might strengthen Putin and Russia. This adds to African and Latin American support for Putin.]
If the English people want to pay "large-scale reparations", shouldn't the English people focus on getting rich first, Singapore and Hong Kong style? This means most English children need to ace their GCSE and A levels and focus on becoming rich or upper middle class. If the ethnic English people could only be as successful as [Chinese + Indian + Russian + Nigerian + Ghanaian + Jewish Britons], England the UK might become the richest country in the world per capita. And then the UK can do a lot to socio-economically empower Africa.
" I think we in the UK will only start to see most Africans as fellow human beings on the same level as us once we are forced by our global weakness to accept the need for reparation. That time is getting closer, IMO"
English imperialism = wokeism = toxic saviorism.
The English people need to smash their ego and recognize how great, powerful, wise, intelligent and creative Africans are; and learn from Africans with humility. And collaborate with Africans as true friends in equality.
The English people need to engage in soft power reparations to Africans and Asians . . . not for Africans and Asians (they will take care of themselves), but for England.
If England promoted globalized capitalism, business, trade and cross border product development in Africa, and defended Africans from woke psychological and propaganda attacks, it would make a huge difference. Any foreign aid should be in close collaboration with Africans and aimed at facilitating a quantum leap in African competence, capacity, excellence and perfection.
Please listen to the wise Magatte Wade and her ideas for an African economic miracle:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5otus3ohAw