Afrofuturism Bog Post #1

 The short Afrofuturism film (1992) Space Traders written by Derrick Bell follows a cosmic supernatural collision that leaves the country facing an ultimate dilemma. Following the paranoia of the arrival of the year 2000, otherwise referred to as Y2K an alien species arrives on the planet (specifically the U.S) where they initiate an epic proposal. The extraterrestrials offer to give Americans unlimited gold, energy, and military resources in exchange for all of the African American population being abducted into space for undisclosed purposes. The aliens demand a decision be made by January 17th which is coincidentally Martin Luther King day. Gleason Golightly a well-known Black American conservative is included in the governmental debate of the space trade, Golightly adamantly rejects the trade as he speaks to the humanity that Black the right to their unalienable free will. The dominantly white congressional cabinet can only see the value of Black Americans for how the major corporations can exploit them economically in the commerce-based society that dominates the country’s socio-economic landscape. Blacks were valued purely based on frivolous matters, ranging from athletic wear retail consumers to provide a substantial portion of the United States military. The aliens demand anyone darker than a standard paper bag must be released to their care if the trade is authorized. This carried the reminder of Jim Crow eras, such as the Dred Scott case and the complex process of infrastructural racialization. After much political strife among countering committees the trade passed by a 70/30 margin, showcasing that the majority of the population valued the resources offered by the aliens over the humanity of nearly 20 million African Americans. The female family members of the Golightly family attempt to lighten and or darken their skin as a maneuver from being captured; however, their attempts fail and like the rest of the Black population they are forcibly rounded up to be transported to submit to the cryptic will of the alien race. To provide a comparative analysis of the short film, it illustrates the continued disregard for the shared humanity and claim to the personhood of African Americans. Historically speaking. African Americans have been oppressed and systemically barricaded from access to all societal institutions for equality. There was plenty of rhetoric that was symbolic of the Trump and Reagan era of politics, which included dangerous generalizations and a pro-white mentality that disregarded the systemic hardships of minority demographics.