“ There ’ s an identity within Black America , and Black globally , that understands the longer term of the future . That ’ s something that is part of our struggle . It ’ s a part of our story ,” he said . “ We are enormously adaptable .”
“ This might be a little heady ,” Irvin continued , “ but the first thing that we ’ re going to experience , and we ’ re experiencing now , is that the idea of White people at the center of identity is over with . Our ancestors had to deal with that .
“ What I ’ m saying is that the way we think about ourselves , our stories , mind , not their eyes . Too often , Irvin told his audience , “ We look , but don ’ t see ” things that actually predict the future .
Today , as Black people look towards the future , Irvin sees this changing , as we see ourselves in a more global context .
“ Black people will manifest our identity in many different ways with many different kinds of black people ,” Irvin said . “ I ’ m talking about the many different ways we come to our identity around the globe starts to manifest itself more in America and around the world . experience where Black music is not featured . At fitness centers old White people are exercising to rappers . At Kroger ’ s at 9 o ’ clock in the morning , shoppers hear Betty Wright singing ‘ Clean Up Woman .’ They see it in the art . They see it in the literature . They see it everywhere , and it undercuts the notion of white supremacy that America has dealt with since its founding . . . Once you get into the globe and you see intelligence spread , and how intelligence is spread globally and is connected globally , you start to have a different sense of what the possibilities are .
Add to all of that , he said : “ Nevertheless , the most powerful force in the future is who controls the narrative . And that narrative is not going to be the white American narrative that was the case in the past … White people are not populating as fast as they once were , and a number of them are worried about being a minority . They ’ re in an absolute panic .
Irvin said we have to look at the future of African Americans from a global perspective . and the way we think about our lives – the notion that white is better , or that things have to be told from that perspective , is over with ,” Irvin explained .
If you haven ’ t noticed these shifting sands of power , it may be because , as Irvin said during a 2017 TEDx Talk in Charlottesville , Va ., many people view the future through their
“ We can now be in touch with people with similar stories to ours . They can be in Britian . They can be in Ireland . They can be in Spain , and all 54 countries in Africa . They can be anywhere . So , you see this sense of shared story around the globe . That is the threat that some whites in America feel ,” he said “ They see it in the TV commercials . You can ’ t have a major event , or any kind of big live
“ When you look at the future of America only in the context of America , you are seeing a very narrow piece of what ’ s going on in the world . There is a rising of the global South , and I mean specifically for nonwhite people , that wants to rearrange things , rearrange power , and rearrange what the rules are going to be going forward . And these next 25 years , because of the country we live in , and its wealth , African Americans will have a disproportionate impact on how that these things all turn out .
“ When we talk about what the future looks like , we have to also think about how , at the same time black people
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