My Introduction to Afrofuturism

Before I attended UCLA, I can recall sitting with my younger brother as he searched YouTube for music for us to listen to. On one of these occasion, my brother began to play a song and a woman sang out to me saying that I should sign up with outer spaceways incorporated if I found earth boring. Oh my, I thought. I did find earth boring, and I was tired of the same thing. I had dropped out of community college and felt like my life was stagnant and I didn't know which direction to guide my life, and suddenly this song was pointing me into the direction of outer space. This song was Sun-Ra’s “Outer Spaceways Incorporated and it had sparked something inside of me. I needed to find a way out of my dull life and this had to be the answer! I began to explore more of Sun Ra’s music, being pulled in by its funky intergalactic chords and space age lyrics. Little did I know that this was my introduction to Afro futurism. The music of Sun Ra spoke to me in a way that said, there is more to life than what meets the eye and it is time to step out of my little box and start living life the way it is truly meant to be lived. It was in this moment that I decided that it was time to give my higher education a second round and I enrolled myself back into community college. Here I am three years later, a senior at UCLA and taking a course on the introduction to Afro futurism. As I continue my journey through Afro Futurism, I am beginning to realize that it is not only Sun Ra that inspired me, but the spirit of Afro Futurism. In class the Professor Due asked us what does Afro Futurism mean to us and I wasn't sure how to answer that question. Now that I reflect on my experience with the music of Sun Ra I can answer that question by saying for me, Afro Futurism means to create an identity for oneself that breaks away from the status quo, creating a life for oneself that is boundless within the mind’s eye. Afro Futurism means to create a reality in which I can connect with the black, white, brown, green and blue people of the universe. The spirit Afro Futurism reminds me that no matter how often I feel like my life was created to keep me oppressed, this is far from truth and it is time to create my own truth within this world.