By

Tarik Kiley

My father, Henry Sterling Kiley, was a member of the Nation of Islam. Their view of politics, as expressed through Malcolm X, initially was based on Black Nationalism. The Nation of Islam also combined Black Nationalism with a form of militarism and capitalism. While I still think that capitalism combined with some aspects of socialism works better than the adoption of the communist model, and I still believe in self-defense, I have begun to wonder whether African Americans should embrace nationalism without deep examination…

Nationalism, as expressed in movements of self-determination against Western imperialism and colonialism, makes sense to me historically. Western (European) imperialism had a racist streak that sought to subjugate anyone who was non-European. Leaders like Mao Zedong in China rose to liberate their people from European and Japanese imperialism, with Japanese imperialism being an offshoot of European imperialism. Also, later, leaders such as Ho Chi Minh fought the Vietnam War against French imperialism, more specifically, and ended up fighting the USA, because the USA came to the defense of France during the Vietnam War.

So, if you are fighting to liberate your people, then nationalism makes sense to me, at least. Identity politics also comes into play, because if you are constantly being reminded that you are not European, and that being European makes you “better than others,” then of course, the reaction will be that no, Europeans are not better or superior, but that subjugated races have value too. In this way, nationalism can help mobilize non-Europeans to take pride in their ethnic identities. This feeling of solidarity can lead people to fight for liberation through protests, such as those done by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. of the USA, or by guerrilla warfare, such as that done by Fidel Castro of Cuba.

But, for African American people in the USA, nationalism can have serious shortcomings. Nationalism often leads to wars between states and ethnicities. White nationalism in America, for example, is based on the idea of ethnically cleansing the USA of non-whites. This is problematic because the USA is a federation and a representative democracy. Citizenship in America isn’t based on race or ethnicity, but rather on birth within its borders and naturalized residency. Much of the USA’s power is based on the idea of equality, and the concept of racial superiority directly interferes with the functioning of a clearly legitimate federation and representative democracy. Only having White Americans in power is a direct contradiction to the idea of equality.

Also, nationalism often degenerates into tribalism. This is concerning because African Americans do not have the political and military power to go it alone. The world also witnessed the societal damage caused by WWI and WWII. African Americans who fought in those wars on the side of the USA saw firsthand how extreme forms of nationalism led to wanton violence and tribalism. African Americans witnessed firsthand the failings of fascism, in particular, in WWII. The idea of “race” fell apart, as Germans, under Hitler, slaughtered other “Whites” of French, English, Jewish, etc., descent.

It could also be argued that tribalism is precisely what many African American leaders have fought against, historically. The idea of being trapped on a reservation, or in a ghetto, is and has been unappealing for many African Americans. We continue to embrace many cultures, and have done so, socially and historically. African Americans have spoken against racism because we know how racism feels. In this way, through our political actions, we reject certain aspects of nationalism.

Also, many of us embrace democracy. Democracy seems to be embedded in American political culture. So, if to be nationalistic is to revere a dictator, then we again reject nationalism.

Additionally, we have witnessed firsthand the results of an us-versus-them mentality. We suffered during Jim Crow and segregation under this type of xenophobia. So, having been discriminated against, why would we discriminate against others?

For the most part, African American culture is multicultural and inclusive. Primarily, we don’t treat other ethnic groups as if they don’t belong, because we know how that feels. We could probably start there, as a people, we don’t exclude others based on nationalistic tendencies. To reject racism, we don’t necessarily need to hate others.

What we could do that requires a certain level of self-defense, though, is to seek protection under international law. This was the last big push that Malcolm X made, after he went on a Hajj to the Middle East and Africa, and realized through observation that the whole world isn’t racist. Something else that he might have learned, had he not been assassinated, is that many other countries fought European imperialism, colonialization, and the racism that came with it, and succeeded in their efforts. Being proponents of international law gives us the protection against conquest and the recognition of our human rights. This does require a global perspective, admittedly.

So, while we might not want to reject nationalism completely, because we have to defend ourselves, at the same time, the hatred that nationalism can bring is definitely not for us. We want to do what is good for African American people, but we don’t want to do this at the expense of other ethnic groups. We have a duty to show empathy for one another as Black people, but we also have a duty to show empathy for the human race.