Diaspora Wars Erupt. Trump's War on Truth Escalates | #TheOtherSideOfChange

The ongoing 'diaspora wars' are not organic disagreements but are often used as a distraction mechanism and a classic 'divide and conquer' strategy. These debates prevent Black communities from building bridges across borders and uniting against common oppressors, who benefit from internal bickering.

Jamira Burley states, 'I think they're being used as a distraction mechanism and oftentimes as a way to stop us from building bridges across... borders with people who look like us.' Bria Baker adds, 'This is classic divide and conquer strategy. While we're bickering with one another, there's someone else who's like, 'Yes, got them.''

At the heart of the 'diaspora wars' is a fundamental struggle over ownership: who defines Black culture, who owns Black stories, and most importantly, who owns Black history. Each group has developed a unique understanding of Blackness, leading to conflict when these understandings are presented as superior or exclusive.

Lula D explains, 'I think the at the heart of the conversation is about ownership. Who owns black culture, who owns the definition of blackness, who owns black stories, and I think most importantly, who owns black history?'

A significant factor contributing to the 'diaspora wars' is fear, particularly among Black immigrants. They often witness how Black Americans are treated and, out of fear, may try to separate themselves and their children from Black American culture, despite sharing a common racial target for discrimination.

Lula D states, 'I think at the root of that is fear... black immigrants specifically... do see how black Americans are treated here and they're fearful of it... a lot of black immigrants do have this conversation with their kids about, oh, we're not a part of them, we don't belong to that culture... which is detrimental to themselves, right? Going against their own best interests.'

Attacks on education are historically and currently linked with authoritarian politics. Efforts to dismantle the Department of Education, cut funding, ban books, and promote child labor are calculated strategies to keep marginalized populations, especially Black people, uneducated and thus easier to control and maintain under the poverty line.

Aaliyah Logan asserts, 'attacks on education have always gone hand in hand with authoritarian politics.' She later adds, 'They're very calculated and they know the steps that they need to take to ensure that people around the country, especially black people, stay uneducated and remain living under the poverty line.'

The Department of Education and public schools serve as crucial safe havens and support systems for millions of vulnerable students, including those with physical or learning disabilities, those living below the poverty line, and the 2.5 million children experiencing homelessness annually. Dismantling these structures would leave these students without essential resources and protections.

Aaliyah Logan highlights, 'My one of my main concerns is with young people who are already being impacted by this... students living with physical disabilities or learning disabilities, those living below the poverty line. 2.5 million children throughout America experience homelessness annually. And schools are a safe haven for them.'

The international community views the United States' recent actions, such as defunding USAID and rolling back human rights protections, as a humiliating and alarming regression. This shift undermines America's historical role as a beacon of democracy and sets a negative example for other countries, particularly those struggling with similar issues.

Aaliyah Logan states, 'It's humiliating. It's sad to see that the United States has taken such like a a complete 180 on the highway at that when it comes to human rights, civil rights and even investments in different organizations and investments in humanitarian aid... America... can't just come in and say we're not going to do this anymore.'