BLACK FACES IN HIGH PLACES WON'T SAVE US

For a long time, many Black people were under the illusion that more representation in positions of power would result in a more equitable society. Yet, year in, year out, we see Black people ascending to powerful positions only to become champions of the very values - or lack thereof - that the status quo represents.

Today, we bring back this powerful moment from April 2024 when professor Ruha Benjamin challenged this notion in a speech delivered at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia. Her message was simple yet poignant: ‘Black faces in high places are not gonna save us.’ That is, we shouldn't expect our rights to be defended by fellow Black people simply because they hold professional, political or economic power.

Her words are highly relevant following the unfounded accusations flung by the head of US Africa Command (AFRICOM), General Michael E. Langley, at Burkina Faso's revolutionary President Ibrahim Traoré. Langley - just like former US President Barack Obama, who oversaw US military operations across the African continent - is simply an imperial mouthpiece. Faces and voices like theirs are used to advance Western interests and maintain systems of global exploitation, as well as the US military-industrial complex, all under the illusion of inclusion.

Somalia and Libya have already been on the receiving end of US power. Today, Washington appears to be circling round West Africa - poised to pounce on an African leader who has dared to stand up against the West. And laying the groundwork for that, is a Black face in a high place: General Langley.