An Afro-Indigenous History of the United States

Look inside
Hardcover
$27.95 US
On sale Nov 16, 2021 | 272 Pages | 978-0-8070-1168-3
The first intersectional history of the Black and Native American struggle for freedom in our country that also reframes our understanding of who was Indigenous in early America

Beginning with pre-Revolutionary America and moving into the movement for Black lives and contemporary Indigenous activism, Afro-Indigenous historian Kyle T. Mays argues that the foundations of the US are rooted in antiblackness and settler colonialism, and that these parallel oppressions continue into the present. He explores how Black and Indigenous peoples have always resisted and struggled for freedom, sometimes together, and sometimes apart. Whether to end African enslavement and Indigenous removal or eradicate capitalism and colonialism, Mays show how the fervor of Black and Indigenous peoples calls for justice have consistently sought to uproot white supremacy.

Mays uses a wide-array of historical activists and pop culture icons, “sacred” texts, and foundational texts like the Declaration of Independence and Democracy in America. He covers the civil rights movement and freedom struggles of the 1960s and 1970s, and explores current debates around the use of Native American imagery and the cultural appropriation of Black culture. Mays compels us to rethink both our history as well as contemporary debates and to imagine the powerful possibilities of Afro-Indigenous solidarity.

Includes an 8-page photo insert featuring Kwame Ture with Dennis Banks and Russell Means at the Wounded Knee Trials; Angela Davis walking with Oren Lyons after he leaves Wounded Knee, SD; former South African president Nelson Mandela with Clyde Bellecourt; and more.
Author’s Note

INTRODUCTION
Afro-Indigenous History

CHAPTER ONE
Indigenous Africans and Native Americans in Prerevolutionary America

CHAPTER TWO
Antiblackness, Settler Colonialism, and the US Democratic Project

CHAPTER THREE
Enslavement, Dispossession, Resistance

CHAPTER FOUR
Black and Indigenous (Inter)Nationalisms During the Progressive Era

CHAPTER FIVE
Black Americans and Native Americans in the Civil Rights Imagination

CHAPTER SIX
Black Power and Red Power, Freedom and Sovereignty

CHAPTER SEVEN
Black and Indigenous Popular Cultures in the Public Sphere

CHAPTER EIGHT
The Matter of Black and Indigenous Lives, Policing, and Justice

CONCLUSION
The Possibilities for Afro-Indigenous Futures

POSTSCRIPT
Sovereignty and Citizenship: The Case of the Five Tribes and the Freedmen

Acknowledgments
Notes
Photo Credits
Index
Kyle T. Mays is an Afro-Indigenous (Saginaw Chippewa) writer and scholar of US history, urban studies, race relations, and contemporary popular culture. He is an Assistant Professor of African American Studies, American Indian Studies, and History at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is the author of Hip Hop Beats, Indigenous Rhymes: Modernity and Hip Hop in Indigenous North America.

About

The first intersectional history of the Black and Native American struggle for freedom in our country that also reframes our understanding of who was Indigenous in early America

Beginning with pre-Revolutionary America and moving into the movement for Black lives and contemporary Indigenous activism, Afro-Indigenous historian Kyle T. Mays argues that the foundations of the US are rooted in antiblackness and settler colonialism, and that these parallel oppressions continue into the present. He explores how Black and Indigenous peoples have always resisted and struggled for freedom, sometimes together, and sometimes apart. Whether to end African enslavement and Indigenous removal or eradicate capitalism and colonialism, Mays show how the fervor of Black and Indigenous peoples calls for justice have consistently sought to uproot white supremacy.

Mays uses a wide-array of historical activists and pop culture icons, “sacred” texts, and foundational texts like the Declaration of Independence and Democracy in America. He covers the civil rights movement and freedom struggles of the 1960s and 1970s, and explores current debates around the use of Native American imagery and the cultural appropriation of Black culture. Mays compels us to rethink both our history as well as contemporary debates and to imagine the powerful possibilities of Afro-Indigenous solidarity.

Includes an 8-page photo insert featuring Kwame Ture with Dennis Banks and Russell Means at the Wounded Knee Trials; Angela Davis walking with Oren Lyons after he leaves Wounded Knee, SD; former South African president Nelson Mandela with Clyde Bellecourt; and more.

Table of Contents

Author’s Note

INTRODUCTION
Afro-Indigenous History

CHAPTER ONE
Indigenous Africans and Native Americans in Prerevolutionary America

CHAPTER TWO
Antiblackness, Settler Colonialism, and the US Democratic Project

CHAPTER THREE
Enslavement, Dispossession, Resistance

CHAPTER FOUR
Black and Indigenous (Inter)Nationalisms During the Progressive Era

CHAPTER FIVE
Black Americans and Native Americans in the Civil Rights Imagination

CHAPTER SIX
Black Power and Red Power, Freedom and Sovereignty

CHAPTER SEVEN
Black and Indigenous Popular Cultures in the Public Sphere

CHAPTER EIGHT
The Matter of Black and Indigenous Lives, Policing, and Justice

CONCLUSION
The Possibilities for Afro-Indigenous Futures

POSTSCRIPT
Sovereignty and Citizenship: The Case of the Five Tribes and the Freedmen

Acknowledgments
Notes
Photo Credits
Index

Author

Kyle T. Mays is an Afro-Indigenous (Saginaw Chippewa) writer and scholar of US history, urban studies, race relations, and contemporary popular culture. He is an Assistant Professor of African American Studies, American Indian Studies, and History at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is the author of Hip Hop Beats, Indigenous Rhymes: Modernity and Hip Hop in Indigenous North America.

Books for Native American Heritage Month

In celebration of Native American Heritage Month this November, Penguin Random House Education is highlighting the stories of our authors who represent the Indigenous Experience. Using #StoriesoftheLand, #NativeAmericanbooks, and #Indigenousreads, join us in putting a spotlight on the rich and diverse stories showcasing the important contributions and experiences of Native people. Here is a selection

Read more

Read Kyle T. Mays’ Author Note for An Afro-Indigenous History of the United States

Beginning with pre-Revolutionary America and moving into the movement for Black lives and contemporary Indigenous activism, Afro-Indigenous historian, Kyle T. Mays argues that the foundations of the US are rooted in antiblackness and settler colonialism, and that these parallel oppressions continue into the present. He explores how Black and Indigenous peoples have always resisted and struggled

Read more