Tyrone Thomas Jr.

Lately, a controversial narrative has resurfaced in Black spaces: the claim that Black people in America are the "original Indians" or indigenous to this land in a way that supersedes documented Native American history.

I'm not writing to litigate the historical accuracy of this theory. Scholars across disciplines have addressed its flaws—and importantly, embracing it wholesale erases both the genocide against Native nations and the Middle Passage trauma that defines much of the African diaspora's experience in America.

What concerns me far more is the effect of this debate: it's fracturing us at the precise moment we need unity most.

While we argue—emotionally, publicly, exhaustively—over contested origin stories, systems of economic exclusion, political disenfranchisement, and cultural erasure remain firmly intact. We're turning inward to fight each other while the architecture of oppression continues unchallenged.

This isn't accidental. Divide-and-conquer is one of colonialism's oldest, most effective weapons. History shows the pattern clearly:

• Enslaved Africans pitted against indentured Irish servants
• Colorism hierarchies engineered to create internal caste systems
• Modern algorithms amplifying tensions between Black and Brown communities

When a narrative emerges that triggers emotional warfare within an oppressed group—especially one that lacks broad scholarly consensus—we must ask: Who benefits when we're too busy fighting each other to build together?

Unity doesn't require uniformity of thought. It requires enough shared purpose to move collectively while honoring complexity. We can:

• Respect that some Black Americans are Indigenous (e.g., Freedmen descendants) without collapsing all Black identity into a single origin story
• Honor Native sovereignty and African diasporic trauma without erasing either
• Channel historical curiosity into constructive identity work—like reconnecting with specific African ethnic roots—rather than speculative theories that breed division

The needle moves not through viral debates, but through tangible building:

• Cooperatively owned housing and farmland
• Investment networks that keep capital circulating within our communities
• Digital ecosystems that protect our data, reward our creativity, and foster genuine collaboration
• Political strategies rooted in shared interest, not fractured identity

Our liberation depends on trust. On love. On choosing to build together even when we don't agree on everything.

Let's stop expending precious energy on theories that divide us—and redirect that power toward infrastructure that liberates us.

The greatest act of resistance isn't winning an argument online. It's building something lasting together—while those who benefit from our division watch, powerless, as we choose unity over fragmentation.

What are you building today that outlasts the noise?

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#BlackUnity #LiberationEconomics #CommunityBuilding #DivideAndConquer #EconomicSovereignty #CollectivePower