Change a Life 2 Change the World!

Black Indigenous

American children

100 things a Black Indigenous American child should know before 18

Identity, Roots & Lineage

Know that your ancestors were here before the U.S. existed.
Learn your family tree — who your people are, where they lived, and what they overcame.
Understand the term Indigenous Black American — rooted, sovereign, and unbroken.
Learn your last name’s story — whether chosen, inherited, or forced.
Know your clan or regional roots (e.g., Gullah, Louisiana Creole, Geechee, Seminole Freedmen, etc.).
Understand that some Black Americans have Native American ancestry — not as myth, but through real historical ties.
Study the interactions between African and Indigenous communities in the Americas.
Know that many enslaved Africans escaped and merged with Native nations.
Learn about African-descended Indigenous tribes and communities in the South.
Know the value of oral history and storytelling in preserving your family legacy.
Learn about tribal Freedmen and their battles for sovereignty and recognition.
Understand that some tribal identities were erased by colonial classifications.
Know your family's experience during Jim Crow, Reconstruction, and the Great Migration.
Study the stories of elders — their experiences are historical archives.
Learn the importance of land — and how your people were displaced from it.
Understand how enslavement, genocide, and assimilation erased ancestral memory.
Learn to ask questions about your grandparents’ and great-grandparents’ lives.
Know that your identity is not based on colonial labels, but ancestral truth.
Embrace your dual or blended heritage — both Indigenous and African.
Know that your blood carries stories of survival, genius, and dignity.

Pre-Colonial & Colonial History

Know that Black people were in the Americas before Columbus.
Study pre-Columbian African presence in the Americas (e.g., Olmec, Mandé theories).
Learn how the Transatlantic Slave Trade brought millions to the Americas — but not all Black people arrived this way.
Study early maroon communities and runaway slave societies in swamps and mountains.
Learn about the Five Civilized Tribes and their interactions with enslaved Africans.
Know that some tribes enslaved Africans, while others welcomed and intermarried.
Learn about the Black Seminoles and their fierce resistance.
Know about the Indian Removal Act and how it affected Black and Native people alike.
Understand that land theft, broken treaties, and removal impacted your ancestors too.
Learn about the Trail of Tears and the forced migration of Black and Indigenous families.
Understand the difference between freedmen, free Black, and enslaved Black statuses.
Study the role of Black cowboys, fur traders, and frontiersmen in early U.S. history.
Know that many Black towns and settlements were destroyed or erased from history.
Learn about Black Wall Streets across the U.S. — not just Tulsa.
Understand the role of Black soldiers in every American war — from the Revolution to Vietnam.
Study how Black people built this country through forced and unpaid labor.
Learn about the Black landowners and homesteaders in the 19th century.
Know that you are a foundational American, not a foreigner or guest.
Study the concept of double displacement — from Africa and from Native land.
Know that your people built, survived, and resisted at every stage of this country’s creation.

Resistance, Rebellion & Survival

Learn about Nat Turner, Harriet Tubman, Denmark Vesey, and Gabriel Prosser.
Study the Underground Railroad — both as escape and as rebellion.
Know the history of slave revolts in the U.S., Caribbean, and Latin America.
Learn about the Black Seminoles and Maroon societies that fought the U.S. government.
Study the Abolitionist Movement — and its Black leaders.
Understand the significance of Juneteenth.
Learn how Black women resisted — with their bodies, minds, and spirits.
Study African retentions in food, music, healing, and language.
Understand how HBCUs were founded and why they matter.
Learn about Reconstruction and its destruction — the betrayal of freedom.
Study Black codes, convict leasing, and Jim Crow laws.
Know how Black veterans returned from war to fight segregation.
Understand how Black people have defended themselves legally and physically.
Learn about the Civil Rights Movement — beyond MLK.
Study Malcolm X, Fannie Lou Hamer, and the Deacons for Defense.
Learn about the Black Panther Party and its community programs.
Understand the rise of mass incarceration and how it replaced slavery.
Learn about the War on Drugs, COINTELPRO, and state surveillance.
Know that your people have resisted with intellect, music, law, and arms.
Be proud that you come from a legacy of fighters, thinkers, healers, and builders.

Culture, Language & Spirituality

Learn about African American Vernacular English (AAVE) — a legitimate linguistic form.
Know the roots of Gullah, Creole, and Black southern dialects.
Understand how African spirituality survived in America — through the ring shout, call-and-response, and coded prayers.
Learn the difference between Christianity forced upon you and re-Africanized Christianity (e.g., Black church traditions).
Study Hoodoo, Rootwork, and other African-American spiritual systems.
Understand the importance of drumming, rhythm, and movement in ancestral worship.
Learn to cook and appreciate soul food — and its African origins.
Know that African American cuisine is a language of survival and brilliance.
Understand how music saved lives — from spirituals to hip-hop.
Study the Blues, Jazz, Gospel, Funk, R&B, and Hip-Hop — and how they shaped the world.
Learn about Black poets, authors, and storytellers.
Know that braiding, natural hair, and grooming were spiritual and social practices.
Understand the meaning of Juneteenth, Kwanzaa, and Black History Month.
Learn the roots of African American dance: stepping, twerking, line dancing, etc.
Study African-American visual art, graffiti, and muralism.
Know that culture was how we preserved ourselves — when nothing else was allowed.
Learn about Afrofuturism and Black speculative thought.
Understand the role of barbershops, salons, churches, and corner stores in community.
Know that language, rhythm, dress, and humor are all ancestral weapons.
Be proud to create, remix, and innovate — it’s your birthright.

Legacy, Healing & Responsibility

Know that your ancestors were never weak — they were strategic and spiritually fortified.
Learn how to honor ancestors through ritual, memory, and action.
Understand epigenetic trauma and healing — and how it affects your body and mind.
Learn about Black therapists, healers, and mental health movements.
Know that healing is part of resistance.
Study Black educators, scientists, doctors, and engineers.
Learn about reparations and land reclamation efforts.
Support land trusts, Black farming, and Indigenous land back movements.
Know that your voice matters — use it in your school, community, and home.
Understand how to protect your energy in hostile spaces.
Practice financial literacy, cooperative economics, and community wealth-building.
Know the importance of Black-owned businesses and banks.
Study how to build and sustain Black futures.
Find your role in restoring justice, truth, and beauty in the world.
Be proud of your natural body, your spiritual power, and your cultural genius.
Know that you were born on purpose, with purpose.
See yourself as a future elder and ancestor — act like one.
Teach what you know — share it with others.
Love your people — fully, fiercely, and without apology.
Know that you are the living legacy of millions who never gave up — and you are just getting started.

Google Sites

Report abuse