Black Dignity

Black Dignity: The Struggle against Domination by Vincent W. Lloyd

This book feels like an enumeration of events in search of an underlying philosophy. The closest I can get from it is the the theme that Blacks will always be oppressed. Everyone else can become "white", but Blacks cannot. Slavery was just one instance of the oppression. Additional different identities of Blacks (gender, sexuality, etc.) can lead to greater oppression. While there are legitimate causes for concerns, the work seems to be much more about justifying existing behavior than finding a way forward. There was a complaint that Black intellectuals were no longer able to maintain their positions based on emotion instead of academic rigour. Then towards the end, Black intellectuals are viewed as eventually becoming necessary after a revolution. There is a desire to fight the system that enslaves. Yet, identity is driven by the experience of slavery and the fight against master system. Multiculturalism, white allies and all western institutions are all part of the problem. Even many previous Black activism is criticized. It would be interesting to see how conflict would be handled in this post-revolutionary utopia.