STATEMENT of UNITY
ALIGN & DEFY unites with the theory of African Internationalism, which states that the foundational wealth, of global capitalism is slavery, genocide, war crimes and the perpetual looting of Africa and the rest of the world by the colonizing nations, Europe and America. Thereby establishing a colonial relationship between colonial nations and their colonial subjects, Black (Africans of the diaspora), indigenous and oppressed peoples around the world. It is the latter, colonial subjects that we are in solidarity with, and through this analysis, we contextualize the modern-day lynching of George Floyd and other colonized peoples.
We do not isolate the lynching of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Eric Garner, Philando Castile, Aiyana Jones, Trayvon Martin, Sean Bell, Amadou Diallo and Emmett Till from the protracted history of colonial violence, war crimes, perpetuated against colonial subjects globally. The knee-on-neck colonial technique has been employed internationally, from the streets of America to the streets of occupied Palestine. Hence, this current moment is not occurring in isolation, it’s connected to a protracted domestic and international struggle against colonialism, the domination and exploitation of a nation, by a foreign nation, which is the hidden hand connecting all oppression in the world. Two of the common expressions of colonialism experienced by colonial subjects, are racism and capitalism, both born out of colonialism. Racism being the ideological rational for colonial domination and exploitation, and capitalism, being the financial exploitation, the looting.
The president of the American Psychological Association stated, “We are living in a racism pandemic, which is taking a heavy psychological toll on our African American citizens. The health consequences are dire. Racism is associated with a host of psychological consequences, including depression, anxiety and other serious, sometimes debilitating conditions, including post-traumatic stress disorder and substance use disorders. Moreover, the stress caused by racism can contribute to the development of cardiovascular and other psychical diseases.” However, as Dr. Iain Ferguson affirms, “it is the economic and political system under which we live—capitalism—which is responsible for the enormously high levels of mental-health problems which we see in the world today.” Furthermore, as Dr. David Matthews states, “Capitalism can never offer the conditions most conducive to achieving mental health. Oppression, exploitation, and inequality greatly repress the true realization of what it means to be human. Opposing the brutality of capitalism’s impact on mental well-being must be central.”
ALIGN & DEFY offers it’s condolences to all that have experienced the mental health consequences of colonialism, the source of racism, capitalism, occupation and war crimes. We encourage those experiencing such consequences to connect with family, friends, faith/support systems, self-care practices, seek professional help, and gain political education and reparations.
“The evils of capitalism are as real as the evils of militarism and the evils of racism.” -Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.