For too long, Black people have been told that anti-Blackness is primarily an American problem. The evidence says otherwise.
From Europe to Asia, from social media platforms to courtrooms, from political movements to cultural institutions, anti-Blackness remains one of the most globally accepted forms of discrimination. It changes language, geography, and appearance, but the message remains the same: Black lives, Black dignity, and Black humanity are often treated as less valuable.
That reality should disturb us. But it should also clarify an important point.
The solution will not come from those who benefit from the system. It starts with us.
A global problem
The latest example comes from China, where the so-called “Natasha Doll” controversy has sparked outrage worldwide. Videos circulating online show a Black baby-shaped doll being brutalized, stomped on, stretched, and otherwise abused for entertainment and “stress relief” content. Critics have argued that the trend reflects deeper anti-Black attitudes that have too often gone unchallenged.
Nor is China alone.
Across Europe, anti-immigrant and “Remigration” movements have gained visibility and political influence. While supporters present these efforts as immigration policy, many critics view them as attempts to remove or marginalize non-white populations, particularly people of African and Middle Eastern descent.
At the same time, white nationalist organizations continue to recruit, organize, and expand throughout the United States, Europe, and other majority-white nations. The language may be polished, and the suits may be expensive, but the underlying message remains familiar: Preserve white power and limit Black advancement.
None of this is accidental.
As the late South African leader Steve Biko observed, “The most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed.”
The persistence of global anti-Blackness depends on Black people believing we are powerless to stop it.
America 101
Many Black Americans point to recent legal cases as examples of a justice system that appears to apply different standards depending on who is involved.
The conviction of Karmelo Anthony in Texas generated intense debate over self-defense, race, and the legal system. A jury ultimately rejected Anthony’s self-defense claim and convicted him of murder.
For many Black observers, the controversy was not simply about one case. It was about a larger question: Why do claims of fear, self-defense, and protection often appear more credible when asserted by non-Black defendants than when asserted by Black people?
Whether one agrees with that assessment or not, the perception itself reflects a longstanding crisis of trust between Black communities and institutions that are supposed to deliver equal justice.
That crisis did not begin with one verdict, and it will not end with one.
Deafening silence
Perhaps equally troubling is what does not get covered.
Stories involving anti-Black discrimination around the globe rarely receive sustained attention from major Western news organizations. Meanwhile, many Black newspapers, Pan-African media outlets, and independent Black journalists continue documenting these issues week after week.
The Black Press has long served as an early warning system for problems others ignore.
Historically, when mainstream institutions refused to acknowledge lynching, segregation, colonial violence, and discrimination, Black media documented the truth anyway.
That responsibility remains as necessary today as it was a century ago.
Consequences change behavior
Human history teaches a simple lesson: Behavior changes when consequences become unavoidable.
People rarely stop harmful actions because they suddenly discover morality. They stop when harmful actions become costly.
That principle applies to nations, corporations, institutions, and individuals.
If anti-Black behavior carries no meaningful consequences, it will continue. If politicians can demonize Black communities without losing support, they’ll keep speaking from the same racist script. If corporations can profit from anti-Black imagery without losing customers, they’ll keep doing what they do. If governments act as if they “can’t stop” ignoring Black concerns without facing organized resistance, they “won’t stop.”
Building what we need
The answer isn’t endless outrage; it’s institution building.
Schools. Businesses. Banks. Media companies. Technology platforms. Political organizations. Cultural institutions. International networks.
The late Marcus Garvey understood this. So did Kwame Nkrumah. So did Malcolm X. So too did the “Father of Black Liberation Theology,” the late Rev. Albert B. Cleage Jr., who constantly said, “Power resides not in money or titles, but rather power resides in institutions that we own and control.”
Each, in different ways, argued that respect follows power, and power grows from organization. Without institutional power, without any real mechanisms to deliver consequences and repercussions to those who disrespect and demean us, they will continue to treat us “in any kind of way.”
Even the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. came to this conclusion during the last two to three years of his life. King said not only must those who claim to stand against racism, poverty, and rising militarism “redistribute the pain” (via economic boycotts), but Black people must buy Black, bank Black, and support Black.
Sacrifice required
Most Blackfolk in America are all for Black student-athletes refusing to take their talents to SEC schools in states where those school administrators, alumni, coaches, and funders are the main ones funding the rampant voter suppression efforts that seek to silence the only power we presently have. Yet, there are Black people who say the opportunity to access NIL dollars is too great for Black World to ask such a sacrifice of our athletically-gifted youngfolk.
But those who side with anti-Blackness regularly and willingly sacrifice the things they claim are most dear to them in order to maintain the anti-Black status quo.
White and white-identifying individuals regularly, predictably, emphatically, and enthusiastically vote for anti-Black politicians and policies that undercut their own ability to access universal healthcare, free college, student loan forgiveness, worker protections, environmental justice policies, the democratic ideal of “one person, one vote,” and democracy itself in favor of authoritarianism. They’re even willing to sacrifice their supposed Christian faith, turning their backs on the foundational teachings of Jesus in order to exalt anti-Blackness.
They are willing to sacrifice everything “and they mama” for anti-Blackness, while some of us want to hold onto some damn coin.
Ironically, those same anti-Black politicians are now moving to dismantle the system that allows college athletes to get paid. I guess, there’s too much money going into Black hands. So those Blackfolk who are against taking a stand against those SEC/confederacy schools are actually supporting the very politicians who are working to pull the plug on NIL and other monies. It literally never pays to go against what’s right for the interests of Black people.
When Black communities possess strong institutions and the communal mindset needed to build them, and place greater emphasis on what’s best for us collectively, we become less vulnerable to others’ prejudices, whims, and hostility.
Global anti-Blackness did not begin with us. But reducing its power over our lives starts with us.
The day we build enough institutions to protect our interests, amplify our voices, and defend our communities is the day anti-Blackness stops being our defining challenge and becomes someone else’s failed strategy.
