Below the grounds the only place to be…afro-futurist worldmaking forges an alternative set of property relations by retooling Black art as a collective liberatory project outside white frames of depravity, sanity, and irrationality…the affirmative unlocks and protects the creative potential and re-envisioning of Black intellectual property as a means of creating existence outside white expropriation and legibility.

Asare: Could you share more about afro-futurism? Crentsil: Afrofuturism uses science fiction to reimagine the history of those in the African diaspora and inspire a hopeful vision of an equitable future. It encompasses music, literature, cinema, and fashion. It can be used to explore questions about the earth, societies, and what exists beyond our planet. Examples include the film Black Panther, Janelle Monáe and Missy Elliot's entire musical anthology, and Octavia Butler's literary works. In the music video for Queen by Janelle Monáe, there is a place called ‘the great divide in Metropolis’, which erases past history and culture. Monáe plays a time-traveling rebel that provides faith and resistance for all oppressed peoples…in an effort to create a brighter future. Her tool of resistance is music and dance. Monáe mirrors the historical barriers that BIPOC individuals have faced and how they overcame.  Asare: How is afro-futurism used to help Black people cope with racism and trauma? Crentsil: Afrofuturism can help people cope with racism and trauma by giving them positive representation and a sense of hope and agency, which is not granted in the standard, white-washed K-12 curriculum. Traditional science fiction novels sometimes equate heroism to xenophobia and colonization or have a tendency to practice color-blindness…Afrofuturist works often champion differences in order to overcome issues that harm everyone. This genre also has given us room to express the alienation that [Black] people have endured as a result of colonialism, slavery, segregation, and racism. It allows us to reimagine the past and archetype possibilities of an equitable future. We can reinterpret what Blackness could have been, and what it could look like in the future, where it isn't a hindrance or trait to be diminished or extinguished…it unlocks discussions surrounding the political implications that science and technology have on us at every level. Even the overreliance on technology, and choosing the technological options over ancestral methods are precisely the kinds of decisions that are perpetuating inequality and pushing us away from democracy. For example, the introduction of AI in some cases can make hiring more efficient for companies, however, we shouldn't neglect that biases are essentially being automated. Specifically, algorithmic hiring practices disproportionately affect candidates with ethnic-sounding names, who didn't go to specific schools, or who don't have the ‘right’ personality since these systems are trained on historical data…the implications for neglecting the role AI will play are huge, to say the least. Asare: How do you think Afrofuturism can be infused into our everyday lives? Crentsil: Not all Afrofuturists were called Afrofuturists…they simply embodied what the movement represented, which was working towards a more equitable future, in the medium that suited them…most Black activists and scholars are inherently Afrofuturists and taking in their work is essential to understanding the perspectives that exist and using them in our personal and professional lives. Second, see everything as a tool. Afrofuturists define technology broadly—it is essentially anything that augments [a person’s] life. So, just as social constructs are tools of oppression, so too are the means we use to navigate around them. Third, act. Everyone is a creator within their own field and is endowed with a perspective and skill set that can contribute to change, whether short or long-term. If that means writing a blog post, designing an infographic, starting a room on Clubhouse, creating a course or workshop of your own, or recording a TikTok, express yourself in a medium that suits you and get involved. Ultimately, the greatest thing you can do is educate on this knowledge, since it's empowering and deliberately obscured for that reason. Lastly, take an intersectional and inclusive approach to not only evaluating problems but also when proposing solutions. Collaborate with others from different fields in the short term, but…with a long-term perspective of how this work will inform your field's trajectory, and continue to capitalize on opportunities for partnership. From that, you'll form a shared language and a larger pool of advocates that can advance the work into new places.