BLACK FACES IN HIGH PLACES WON'T SAVE US

As the fascist nature of imperial policy is being amplified by the Trump administration, the neoliberal policies that have paved the way are often overlooked. Far away from the white supremacist aesthetic of MAGA, the Black faces that have pushed imperial policy helped expose the simple fact that “Black faces in high places are not going to save us.” In other words, we cannot assume that fellow Black individuals will protect our rights solely because they occupy positions of professional, political, or economic influence. Today, we revisit a powerful moment from April 2024, when Professor Ruha Benjamin addressed this idea during a speech at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia.

One of the most potent examples of this sentiment, alluded to by Professor Benjamin, is the multiple vetoes by former U.S Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield of UN Security Council resolutions demanding an "immediate ceasefire" in Gaza.

Accusations flung in 2024 by the then head of US Africa Command (AFRICOM), General Michael E. Langley, at Burkina Faso's revolutionary President Ibrahim Traoré is another glaring example. 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 imperalist 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 around Venezuela - poised to pounce on a South American leader who has dared to stand up against fascism and white supremacy. This is another act of aggression that has been met by utter silence from the Black neoliberal ruling class.