Brief Summary
Lurie Daniel Favors discusses the historical roots and present-day manifestations of whiteness culture, emphasizing its role in perpetuating systems of domination and enslavement. She urges white individuals to reconnect with their pre-whiteness ancestral identities and cultures, as whiteness culture is inherently dangerous and incompatible with a just and equitable society. The conversation covers historical events like the Wilmington insurrection of 1898, the importance of Black history in understanding and resisting fascism, and contemporary issues such as ICE's expanded powers and the rise of mega detention centers.
- Whiteness culture was created to provide cover for slavery and stealing land from indigenous people.
- Black history is America's clearest record of sustained resistance to fascism.
- ICE's expanded powers allow agents to arrest essentially anyone they encounter.
- Whiteness culture requires a slavery class.
- White people need to reconnect with who they were before whiteness.
Introduction
Lurie Daniel Favors introduces herself and welcomes viewers to the show, encouraging them to like, subscribe, and share the video. She promotes her website, lariedanielfavors.com, where people can sign up for her mailing list to gain access to her online community, Sanca Connections, which is launching soon. She emphasizes that Sanca Connections is an affinity, support, and education space for members of the global majority.
The Origins and Impact of Whiteness Culture
Lurie Daniel Favors stresses the importance of remembering that slavery is white people's history and how Black people survived it is Black people's history. She explains that the concept of race and whiteness is a European construct created to justify the enslavement of African people and the theft of native lands. Before whiteness, Europeans identified by their tribal affiliations, such as Dutch, Scots, or Germans. She urges white people to remember their pre-whiteness identities, as whiteness has led to widespread destruction and havoc.
The Wilmington Insurrection of 1898
Lurie Daniel Favors discusses the events in Wilmington, North Carolina, in the late 1890s, highlighting it as an example of integration before Jim Crow. Wilmington was a port city and an "island of hope" where Black residents formed a political force and exercised their rights of citizenship guaranteed by the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments. Despite deadly white violence against Black voters and organizers across the South, Wilmington had a biracial fusion alliance where poor whites, blacks, and indigenous people worked together in a political party known as the fusion party. The city had black aldermen, health inspectors, postmasters, magistrates, policemen, and black-owned banks.
The Coup and Destruction of Black Progress
Powerful white leaders, including the president of Wilmington Cotton Mills Company, the editor of the Raleigh News and Observer, and the chairman of the state Democratic Party, opposed the fusion party's success. They launched a white supremacy campaign, spreading falsehoods about Black men and targeting fusion officeholders and the Black newspaper, the Daily Record, co-owned by Alexander and Frank Manley. Alexander Manley's editorials objecting to lynchings and challenging the narrative of white women being preyed upon angered whites. On November 10, 1898, a coup d'état occurred, with former Confederate Colonel Alfred Moore Wadell inciting violence against Black voters. Red shirts, militia men, and white mobs massacred Black people, torched the Black newspaper office, and installed Wadell as the mayor, forcing hundreds of Black residents to flee.
The Power of Black History
Lurie Daniel Favors emphasizes the importance of studying Black history, stating that it reveals truths and provides lessons for the present. She plays a clip from Garrison Hayes, who explains that the erasure of Black history is an attempt to take away the clearest record of sustained resistance to fascism. Black history offers a blueprint for how to overcome fascism, providing insights into what has happened, what will happen, and how to respond.
Targeting of the Black Press and Independent Journalists
Lurie Daniel Favors discusses how Don Lemon, as part of the Black press, has been targeted for his coverage, similar to how the Black press was eliminated in Wilmington. She plays a clip of Donald Trump advocating for Republicans to take over and nationalize voting. She highlights the importance of free and independent journalists, especially Black journalists, in telling the truth and holding power accountable.
The Persecution of Righteous Whites and Expansion of ICE Powers
Lurie Daniel Favors shares the story of Walter Masterson, a white man who protested a Democrat's support for ICE and is now being investigated. She plays a clip of Masterson explaining that he and his friends are being targeted under the same act used against Don Lemon. She then discusses a new memo from ICE's acting director, Todd Lions, which expands the arrest authority of ICE agents, allowing them to arrest anyone they encounter if they suspect the person is an undocumented immigrant likely to escape. This expansion of power means ICE agents can arrest essentially anyone, regardless of their citizenship status.
The Looming Threat of Mega Detention Centers and Remigration
Lurie Daniel Favors notes that ICE is buying mega warehouse detention centers across the country, raising concerns about who will be detained once all the immigrants have been "dealt with." She reminds the audience that whiteness culture requires a slavery class and that America started as a penal colony. She explains the far-right ideology of remigration, which aims to close borders to non-whites, remove non-whites who are legally present, and eliminate white people who do not align with whiteness culture. She points out reports that the State Department was opening an office of remigration.
A Call to Reconnect with Ancestral Roots and Abandon Whiteness
Lurie Daniel Favors urges white people to reconnect with their pre-whiteness ancestral roots and cultures, as whiteness culture is dangerous and incompatible with coexistence. She encourages them to embrace their identities as Irish, Scottish, Dutch, or German, and to abandon the degenerate ideology of whiteness. She argues that whiteness culture is a multi-century temper tantrum based on jealousy and an inability to connect with humanity. She calls on white people to meditate, connect with their ancestors, and reclaim their humanity.
Conclusion
Lurie Daniel Favors reiterates that the world is over whiteness culture and that those who cling to it will be left behind. She emphasizes the importance of reclaiming heritage, connection to land, righteousness, and community. She concludes by reminding viewers to sign up for her mailing list at lariedanielfavors.com to gain access to the Sanca Connections community.
