Black & Indigenous – A Blendian Existence (Knight, Buchanan, and Adofo)
Guest: Kimberly Knight is a Black Indian woman from Eastern North Carolina. She is the Black Indians NC 2021 Powwow Advisory Council Chair, and a member of the Triangle Native American Society. She holds a Master’s degree in Social Work and, as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW-A), Kimberly works in Eldercare and also has professional experience in HIV Awareness.
Guest: Shonda Buchanan is an award-winning poet and educator born in Kalamazoo, Michigan, a daughter of Mixed Bloods, tri-racial and tri-ethnic African American, American Indian and European-descendant families. Her first book of poetry, Who’s Afraid of Black Indians?, was nominated for the Black Caucus of the American Library Association and the Library of Virginia Book Awards. She is a journalist, culture and literary arts ambassador and lecturer, and has a long list of accomplishments.
Guest: Mr. O.A. Adofo is a North Carolina native of Native American & African ancestry. Mr. Adofo is an Educator who received both a Bachelor’s & Master’s degree from North Carolina Central University, and a certificate in Secondary Education from East Carolina University. Among his many passions are history, sociology, & cultural anthropology.
Discussion topics:
- Dual-heritage: Why Black Indians should not have to choose one existence and the risks in being both
- How labeling and re-labeling creates erasure of identity (colored, mulatto, negro, American Indian)
- Indigenous ancestors who hid in plain site by using a different label
- Reclaiming Indigenous
- Psychological enslavement – When is the time for us to “get off our knees” and “stand up” for who we really are as Indigenous people
- Latino and Hispanic people – Indigenous by another name
- Embracing the customs and traditions of our ancestors
Audio recorded and produced by Moe Thomas
Native prayer presented by Verona Iriarte
Host: Jay Winter Nightwolf
