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🌍 TUMBLR BLOG PROJECT: "Afrocentricity in Action"

Post 1: “Afrocentricity Is Not a Vibe—It’s a Framework”

📸 Image: https://www.google.com/imgres?q=afrocentrism%20pictures&imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fm.media-amazon.com%2Fimages%2FI%2F719-7dtUDDL.AC_UF1000%2C1000_QL80.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FAfrocentrism-Mythical-Pasts-Imagined-Homes%2Fdp%2F1859848737&docid=D5HpGJO683uHSM&tbnid=IvNhH3qQZg5ecM&vet=12ahUKEwjm89-78LCNAxVRMlkFHf_fM7UQM3oECBcQAA..i&w=665&h=1000&hcb=2&ved=2ahUKEwjm89-78LCNAxVRMlkFHf_fM7UQM3oECBcQAA

Afrocentricity isn’t just an aesthetic—it’s a methodology. In “Anthropology, Afrocentricity and African American Studies,” Gayles stresses that Afrocentricity provides a framework for placing African people at the center of their own historical narratives, not just stylistic cues or fashion choices. This meme playfully critiques those who think being Afrocentric is about wearing kente cloth or burning sage—it’s deeper than that. As Gayles says, this approach challenges Eurocentric knowledge systems and reorients inquiry toward African subjectivity.

Post 2: “Black Joy is a Political Act”

📸 GIF: Issa Rae dancing in Insecure 🔗 Source https://media2.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTc5MGI3NjExcmQyazFrcDRtNjNpZXc4cjVveGdydHdjYngxeTJiMGg2Nmk1OGg4bSZlcD12MV9pbnRlcm5hbF9naWZfYnlfaWQmY3Q9Zw/cmNNboaBLIGbr6xfkz/giphy.gif

We talk a lot about Black trauma—but what about Black joy? Afrocentricity teaches us that joy isn’t a distraction from the struggle; it’s part of the liberation. As seen in the image above, Issa Rae’s joyful dancing in Insecure is a perfect example of Black self-expression unapologetically on display.

Joyce Gayles emphasizes that Afrocentricity offers a way to reclaim humanity—not by focusing only on oppression, but by celebrating culture, community, love, and laughter. Joy, in this framework, is radical resistance.

Cited: Gayles, Joyce E. “Anthropology, Afrocentricity, and African American Studies” Tags: #BlackJoy #InsecureHBO #Afrocentricity #BlackLiberation

Post 3: “Who Gets to Study Whom?”

For centuries, anthropology allowed white scholars to study African peoples as if they were exotic others—objects of curiosity. Gayles directly critiques this legacy and asks: Why don’t we center the people being studied as the scholars themselves?

Afrocentricity asserts that Black people are not subjects to be analyzed but rather experts of their own experience. It demands a shift in academic authority—from observing Black life to living it and interpreting it through our own frameworks.

Cited: Gayles, Joyce E. “Anthropology, Afrocentricity, and African American Studies” Tags: #Anthropology #DecolonizeAcademia #AfrocentricLens #BlackScholarship

📸 Image: White anthropologist with clipboard 🔗 Source https://www.freepik.com/premium-ai-image/male-anthropologist-is-sitting-his-desk-chair-while-carrying-clipboard_387560744.htm

Post 4: “Pan-African Vibes: From Accra to Atlanta”

📸 Image: Burna Boy performing 🔗 Source https://www.instagram.com/officialhiptv/reel/C60_aXHNPrG/

From Afrobeat to hip hop, from Burna Boy to Kendrick Lamar—Black culture spans continents. Afrocentricity helps us see the unbroken lines between the African continent and the diaspora. This musical connection is just one example of the Pan-African cultural memory that links Black people worldwide.

As Gayles reminds us, we must approach African-descended people from their own cultural logic. That means recognizing that rhythm, music, resistance, and pride aren’t random—they’re rooted in shared history.

Cited: Gayles, Joyce E.; Class module on Pan-Africanism Tags: #PanAfricanism #Afrobeat #DiasporaConnections #AfrocentricCulture

Post 5: “Decolonize the Syllabus”

📸 Image: Black Looks: Race and Representation by bell hooks https://aboutabicycle.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/bell-hooks-black-looks-race-and-representation.pdf

Too many syllabi still center white thinkers—even in classes about race and power. Afrocentricity demands a new academic canon—one that includes bell hooks, Frantz Fanon, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, and Toni Morrison. These thinkers provide frameworks rooted in African and diasporic experience.

Gayles calls on African American Studies to reject colonial models of knowledge. Real learning means centering Black thought in Black studies—not treating it as an optional supplement.

Cited: Gayles, Joyce E.; Class readings on Decolonization Tags: #DecolonizeEducation #bellhooks #BlackIntellectuals #AfrocentricCurriculum

Post 6: “The Media Can’t Frame Us”

Image:https://www.etsy.com/market/afro_flag

Caption:

Look at most headlines, and you’ll see how Black people are framed through crime, tragedy, or despair. This image contrasts the narrative—showing a joyful, thriving Black family, which mainstream media often ignores.

Afrocentricity tells us that Black communities contain our own cultural logic. Gayles challenges us to stop letting media shape our self-image. The truth is, we are more than the frame they put us in.

Cited: Gayles, Joyce E.; Class discussion on Media Representation Tags: #MediaRepresentation #BlackFamilies #Afrocentricity #ReclaimTheNarrati

Post 7: “From the Cotton Fields to Congress”

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/08/Fannie_Lou_Hamer_1964-11-22.jpg

Caption:

Fannie Lou Hamer’s activism helped fuel the Civil Rights Movement, and her legacy lives on in today’s leaders like Cori Bush. Afrocentricity reminds us that these movements are not isolated—they're part of a Black radical tradition that spans generations.

Gayles argues that African American Studies must remain politically grounded. Studying our past isn’t about nostalgia—it’s about preparing for future fights.

Cited: Gayles, Joyce E.; Class module on Black Political Thought Tags: #BlackActivism #FannieLouHamer #AfrocentricPolitics #CivilRightsLegacy

Post 8: “Diaspora, Defined”

Image:https://www.etsy.com/listing/1132367749/afro-boricua-black-puerto-rican-flag-3x5?ls=s&ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=afro+latina+flag+sculpture&ref=sr_gallery-1-2&sts=1&content_source=6e29cfd76a134399fd65ca3011d7ec254f676918%253A1132367749&search_preloaded_img=1&organic_search_click=1&logging_key=6e29cfd76a134399fd65ca3011d7ec254f676918%3A1132367749

Caption:

Afrocentricity teaches us that the African diaspora is not scattered or broken—it’s connected and strong. Whether Afro-Caribbean, Afro-Latinx, African American, or continental African, we share rhythms, stories, and spiritual roots.

Gayles reminds us to study these diasporic identities through African-centered perspectives, not colonial ones. We are many, but we are also one.

Cited: Gayles, Joyce E.; Module on Diaspora Studies Tags: #DiasporaPride #AfroLatinx #PanAfricanism #OneAfrica

Post 9: “Hip Hop is a History Book”

Video Clip: 🎧 Kendrick Lamar – "Alright" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-48u_uWMHY

Caption:

Kendrick Lamar’s "Alright" isn’t just a song—it’s a protest chant, a history lesson, and a vision of hope. In class, we talked about how music documents and reflects real Black experiences. Through Afrocentric analysis, we see hip hop as an archive of Black thought.

As Gayles might argue, Kendrick’s lyrics are a form of scholarship. They’re rooted in community, lived experience, and generational memory.

Cited: Gayles, Joyce E.; Class module on Cultural Expression Tags: #KendrickLamar #HipHopHistory #AfrocentricMusic #BlackVoices

Post 10: “We Are the Methodology”

GIF:https://media.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTc5MGI3NjExMGt2aG9qb2FlaDYxZWd1N21mcnhzYmhibzNhdDE1OGYzMjBkZzIzZiZlcD12MV9naWZzX3NlYXJjaCZjdD1n/Is56yA3aBVdEk/giphy.gif

Caption:

Audre Lorde once said, “Your silence will not protect you.” Afrocentricity is about breaking silence—not just in voice, but in method. As Gayles points out, African American Studies must have Black-centered methodologies—our own questions, frameworks, and truths.

We’re not just content in someone else’s textbook—we are the text. The method. The mirror. The meaning.

Cited: Gayles, Joyce E. “Anthropology, Afrocentricity, and African American Studies” Tags: #AudreLorde #AfrocentricMethod #BlackStudies #WeAreTheMethod