Looking to the Future during Black History Month

For Black History Month at Greenwood, our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee has chosen to shine a spotlight on Afrofuturism and the importance it holds.

For the past few weeks, the DEI Committee has been working to educate Greenwood on Afrofuturism. When I spoke to the DEI Committee’s execs, Maurya, Erin, and Teagan, they told me that at its core, Afrofuturism really means “a cultural aesthetic that combines science-fiction, history, and fantasy to explore the African-American experience and aims to connect those from the Black diaspora with their forgotten African ancestry”. It can frequently be seen in books and movies such as the Oscar-winning film Black Panther. 

The term “Afrofuturism” stems from African-American science fiction and is used to refer to other forms of literature and media that explore the African-American experience. The term was coined in 1993 by Mark Dery but was used as a concept and a way of thinking long before then. 

The use of Afrofuturism provides an opportunity for Black people to see themselves in settings that they are often excluded from in the mainstream media. In addition, it also allows “Black people to imagine themselves a future, often in an act of resistance against oppressors who tried very hard to make sure they didn’t have one” as explained by the DEI Committee. Reimagining the past using Retro Afrofuturism is also important, as it allows unheard stories to be shared.

When speaking with the DEI execs, I was curious as to how they selected Afrofuturism to focus on this month. They explained to me that the committee chose Afrofuturism in order to showcase an aspect of Black history that is often not focused on, as typically during Black History Month a lot of the content consumed has an emphasis on Black suffering. While that is still important to learn about, it is also important to recognize all of the Black lives and voices that have made, and will continue to make, a difference. Choosing to delve deeper into Afrofuturism still takes the oppression that greatly affects the Black experience into account, but also “recontextualizes it as well as provides hope for a better future”(DEI Committee Execs). In addition, Afrofuturism maintains the valuable ability to showcase some amazingly talented Black creators.

To put a spotlight on Afrofuturism this month, the DEI committee has organized in-class lessons and discussions on the topic of Afrofuturism to introduce the school to Afrofuturism and provide them with an opportunity to discuss the importance and connection to Black History Month. In addition, the DEI Committee has provided students with a list of Afrofuturist movies to watch and a Google form for students to fill out after viewing any movies from the list. This morning, we were honoured to welcome guest speaker Dr. Audrey Hudson who is the Chief of Educating & Programming at the AGO. Dr. Hudson works to educate students on the importance of culturally significant artwork and social change. During her presentation this morning, she focused on Afrofuturism and its significance in art.