I think that one of the most radical things that anyone in this world can do is imagine that black people have a future.
N. K. Jemisin, author (2016)
Below are the resources for Afrofuturism for Advent. For each session, there is typically something to read and something to watch, along with a “Deep Dive for Later” list. Click each heading to see the material.
We will meet on Mondays, November 24, December 1, 8, and 29, at 6 pm in the Jackson-Thorpe Room.
Materials for Week 1 – November 24
This week, we will consider the themes of Afrofuturism and Eschatology.
- Please read “The Comet” by W.E.B. Dubois. You can download a PDF here or listen to the story here (Spotify). ***Warning: a racial slur is used twice at the end of this story.***
- Watch “Afrofuturism: From Books to Blockbusters” (YouTube Video)
- Deep Dive for later:
- Ytasha Womack – Afrofuturism Imagination and Humanity (Video)
- Afrofuturism: The World of Black Sci-Fi and Fantasy Culture by Ytasha L. Womack (Book)
- Afrofuturism: A History of Black Futures edited by Kevin M. Strait (Book)
- The Dreamer and the Dream: Afrofuturism and Black Religious Thought by Roger A. Sneed (Book)
- Black Panther and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (Movies – Streaming on Disney+)
- Black Panther by Ta-Nehisi Coates Collection (Comic)
Materials for Week 2 – December 1
This week, we will explore Octavia E. Butler’s work and discuss her short story “The Book of Martha.” We will also briefly look at Black Liberation Theology.
- Read Octavia Butler’s short story “The Book of Martha” or listen to it here.
- Watch: Remembering Octavia Butler (YouTube Video); Why this text matters: Black Theology and Black Power (YouTube Video)
- Deep Dive for later:
- Why should you read sci-fi superstar Octavia E. Butler? – Ayana Jamieson and Moya Bailey (Video)
- More by Octavia E. Butler
- Explore how the religion of the Parable series is being made a reality: https://godischange.org/
- Lovecraft Country and The Destroyer of Worlds (Books) by Matt Ruff (Also a HBO limited series)
Materials for Week 3 – December 8
Afrofuturism reaches beyond the world of sci-fi and fantasy and is an aesthetic movement in the arts. Take some time to listen, watch, and view the artists below.
- Read “How Long ’til Black Future Month?” by N.K. Jemisin
- Listen to Gil Scott-Heron – Whitey On the Moon
- Browse the artwork of Laura James
- Browse the artwork of Kehinde Wiley
- Watch clips from Sun Ra’s “Space is the Place” – Clip 1 and Clip 2
- Watch Janelle Monae’s “Dirty Computer” (at least part) and “Americans“
- Browse Afrofuturist visual artists shaking today art world
- Watch Jake Blount on the Inspiration Behind ‘The New Faith’ [Mini-Documentary]
- Deep Dive for later:
Materials for Week 4 – December 29
Using all that we have learned in this season of Advent, we will practice world-building. Using AfroRithms from the Future (a storytelling game), we will shape a future where Black people thrive.
- Read “A Few Rules For Predicting The Future by Octavia E. Butler“
- Deep Dive for later:
- Practicing New Worlds: Abolition and Emergent Strategies by Andrea Ritchie
- Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds by Adrienne Maree Brown
- This Here Flesh: Spirituality, Liberation, and the Stories That Make Us by Cole Arthur Riley
- Black Liturgies: Prayers, Poems, and Meditations for Staying Human by Cole Arthur Riley (Jan. 2024)
Kelley Hudlow 