American Descendants of Slavery
American Descendants of Slavery (ADOS) is a term referring to descendants of enslaved Africans in the area that would become the United States (from its colonial period onward), and to the political movement of the same name. Both the concept and the movement grew out of the hashtag #ADOS created by Yvette Carnell and Antonio Moore.[1]
The ADOS movement focuses mainly on demanding reparations for the system of slavery in the United States.[2] They want colleges, employers and the federal government to prioritize ADOS and argue that affirmative action policies originally designed to help ADOS have been used largely to benefit other groups.[2]
Supporters of the ADOS movement say they should have their own ethnic designation on census forms and college applications, and should not be lumped in with other Black people—namely modern Black African immigrants to the United States and Black immigrants from the Caribbean.[2]
Founders, views, and controversies
The American Descendants of Slavery movement was founded by Yvette Carnell and Antonio Moore,
The ADOS's website says that it seeks "a New Deal for Black America" including, among other things,
A distinguishing feature of the ADOS movement is its explicit emphasis on black Americans who descended from slavery and its disagreements with
The ADOS movement's leaders say that it is nonpartisan,
In 2019, some ADOS activists challenged
The group's first national conference, held in October 2019 at Simmons College in Louisville, Kentucky, attracted more than a thousand attendees; guest speakers included Marianne Williamson and Cornel West.[2] Congressman John Yarmuth attended a session at the conference.[6]
In a 2020 article in Misinformation Review, a journal published by the
Size of movement
The movement is "tiny but outspoken";[3] the number of active supporters is believed to be in the thousands.[2]
Reception
New York Times writer Farah Stockman called ADOS "the most polarizing subject that I have ever tackled". Stockman questioned in November 2019 whether the movement was large enough to warrant discussion on a national level but decided to print an article about the group in The Times.[9]
Hubert Adjei-Kontoh of
Alvin Bernard Tillery, Jr., an associate professor at Northwestern University, states that the issues ADOS raised on who should receive reparations will have to be reflected upon by the black community.[12] William A. Darity Jr. believes the ADOS' premise is based on a distinctive ethnic identity that exists among the descendants of American slaves.[12] He defended ADOS against nativism claims[13] and believes they are supporting people who have not benefitted in the current American system.[2] Cornel West stated at an ADOS conference in Louisville, Kentucky that the ADOS movement was resuming the work started by Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.[9]
See also
- African-American culture – Pattern of human activity and symbolism associated with African Americans
- History of civil rights in the United States
- People of African descent– People descending from indigenous Africans living outside Africa
- Race and ethnicity in the United States
- Reparations for slavery debate in the United States
- Foundational Black Americans(FBA)
- Indigenous Black Canadians, a term used to distinguish Black Canadians of earlier ancestries (including Black Nova Scotians) from more recent arrivals from the Caribbean, Latin America and Africa
References
- ^ ISSN 1539-7459. Archived from the originalon June 4, 2020. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Stockman, Farah (November 8, 2019). "'We're Self-Interested': The Growing Identity Debate in Black America". The New York Times. p. A1.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Scherer, Michael; Wang, Amy (July 8, 2019). "A few liberal activists challenged Kamala Harris's black authenticity. The president's son amplified their message". Washington Post. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
- ^ a b c "Black Agenda – #ADOS". Retrieved December 1, 2019.
- ^ "About ADOS – #ADOS". Archived from the original on November 12, 2019. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
- ^ Corsey, Gil (October 4, 2019). "New justice movement with eyes on slavery reparations brings national conference to Louisville". WDRB.
- ^ Herszenhorn, Miles (January 24, 2022). "Harvard Kennedy School Misinformation Review Retracts Article, Admitting Editorial 'Failure'". Harvard Crimson. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
- ^ "Complaint for Damages" (PDF). Courthouse News Service. July 22, 2022. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
- ^ a b Stockman, Farah (November 13, 2019). "Deciphering ADOS: A New Social Movement or Online Trolls?". The New York Times. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
- ^ Adjei-Kontoh, Hubert (November 21, 2019). "The tortured logic of #ADOS". Power. The Outline. Archived from the original on January 8, 2020. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
- ^ Cokley, Kevin (February 21, 2020). "Don't pit slavery descendants against black immigrants. Racism doesn't know the difference". USA Today. Archived from the original on February 21, 2020. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
- ^ a b c d Lynn, Samara (January 19, 2020). "Controversial group ADOS divides black Americans in fight for economic equality". ABC News. Archived from the original on January 19, 2020. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
- ^ Lowery, Wesley (September 18, 2019). "Which black Americans should get reparations?". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 10, 2020.