Foundational Black Americans (FBA) are the descendants of enslaved Black individuals who built the United States, with a unique cultural and historical identity rooted in their lineage.

Definition and Historical Context

Foundational Black Americans refer specifically to Black individuals in the United States who can trace their ancestry directly back to enslaved Africans brought to America. This term emphasizes a distinct lineage that is separate from more recent Black immigrants. The concept of FBA highlights the unique historical experiences and contributions of these individuals to the development of the United States.

The FBA community often emphasizes the importance of recognizing their unique struggles and experiences, particularly in discussions about reparations and systemic inequalities. Many advocates argue that the historical injustices faced by FBA individuals warrant specific acknowledgment and reparative measures.

The history of FBA is often traced back to the arrival of enslaved Africans in the early 1600s, but proponents…

Goals:

• Providing black men with another option

• To teach black men skills that pay bills

• Build Vocational Training schools in Minority Neighborhoods

• Auto Body, Plumbing, Electrical Training, Welding, Masonry & More

The best way to get reparations for African Americans involves multifaceted approaches, including direct cash payments, community investments (education, housing, business), land redistribution, educational/financial programs (like tuition, homeownership grants), and formal acknowledgements like apologies, often coordinated by commissions (like H.R. 40) and involving government, private sector, and community efforts, focusing on closing the wealth gap caused by slavery and systemic discrimination. source

Key Proposed Methods:

• Direct Financial Compensation: Cash payments, trust funds, or endowments for eligible descendants to use for assets (homes, businesses, education) to build wealth and autonomy.

• Community Investment: Funding education (free college, K-12 curriculum), infrastructure, healthcare, and cultural institutions in Black communities.

• Policy & Systemic Reform: Creating policies for fair zoning, cannabis industry rights, and dismantling discriminatory practices.

The stereotype of Black people as lazy was systematically promoted by former slaveholders, pro-slavery politicians, and economists in the 19th century, particularly in the post-Civil War era. source

This propaganda was used to justify continued exploitation and to deny formerly enslaved people economic and social equality. 

This racist myth has roots dating back to the start of slavery in America and was reinforced over centuries. source

The purpose of the stereotype

During slavery, the laziness myth was used to justify the brutal system of forced labor and dehumanize enslaved people. After slavery was abolished, it was used to: 

Justify oppressive laws. The "lazy" stereotype was a key rationale for implementing Jim Crow laws and Black Codes, which forced Black people into labor systems like debt peonage, convict leasing, and sharecropping.

Whites know by heart the negative stats about black people (like crime) and repeat them daily. But do they know the negative crime statistics about white people?

In the context of crime statistics, White individuals are arrested more often for violent crimes than individuals of any other race. In 2019, White individuals accounted for 59.1 percent of those arrested for violent crimes. source

• Studies analyzing "lone wolf" domestic terrorists—individuals who act primarily on their own—show a majority are white, though perpetrators from other racial backgrounds also commit such acts. source

• White individuals account for a significant proportion of drug use and drug-related arrests in the United States.

  
  

• For example, national surveys have consistently shown that white Americans use illicit drugs at similar or higher rates than Black Americans, yet Black individuals have historically been arrested and incarcerated at disproportionately higher rates. source

  
  

Crimes where white offenders are more represented than…

New York Times article titled "Top Colleges Take More Blacks, but Which Ones?" published on June 24, 2004 by Sara Rimer and Karen W. Arenson.

Key insights from the article:

• While top colleges like Harvard had increased Black student enrollment, a large proportion were West Indian or African immigrants or their children, rather than descendants of American slavery.

  
  

• Professors Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Lani Guinier raised concerns that native-born African Americans—those whose families have been in the U.S. for generations—were being underrepresented.

  
  

• The article questioned whether affirmative action was truly benefiting the group it was originally intended to help: Black Americans disadvantaged by centuries of systemic racism.

  
  

• Researchers at Princeton and Penn found that 41% of Black students at selective colleges identified as immigrants, children of immigrants, or mixed race—far higher than their proportion in the general Black population.

Diaspora wars refer to the conflicts and tensions that arise among different groups within the African diaspora, often fueled by cultural misunderstandings and historical divisions.

Diaspora wars are characterized as cross-cultural conflicts among various ethnicities within the African diaspora. These conflicts can manifest as disagreements or tensions that arise from differing cultural practices, identities, and historical experiences. The term highlights the divisions that can occur despite shared heritage and experiences among people of African descent.

Cultural Misunderstandings: Differences in customs, beliefs, and practices can lead to misinterpretations and conflicts among groups. For instance, individuals may feel their cultural identity is invalidated or disrespected by others within the diaspora. 2

Historical Context: The legacy of colonialism, slavery, and systemic racism has created complex identities within the diaspora. These historical factors contribute to feelings of superiority or inferiority among different groups, leading to tensions. 2

Social Media Influence: In recent years, social…