When Black History Month Is Rewritten: The Problem with the “Transnational” Narrative

During Black History Month, the mission should be singular: recognizing the history, struggles, and achievements of Black Americans. Yet, each year, activist scholars and academic centers attempt to pivot that focus toward contemporary political agendas. A recent example comes from the Center for Security, Race and Rights (CSRR), which has promoted lectures linking the Black American experience to Palestinian nationalism. This framing relies on the theory of “Transnational Countries of Color,” suggesting that oppressed groups across the world share a singular, identical struggle against colonialism.

This narrative often traces back to the 1967 Six-Day War, which served as a catalyst for radical groups like the Black Panther Party and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) to frame the Palestinian cause as a mirror to the fight against American racism. While major figures like Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., and Muhammad Ali engaged with these issues, the movement was deeply divided. Mainstream civil rights leaders often maintained pro-Israel positions to preserve political alliances, yet modern academic retellings often gloss over these tensions to present a unified “anti-imperialist” front. This raises a fundamental question: Is this history being presented with scholarly rigor, or is it being selectively edited to serve modern ideological goals? 

The Historical Reality vs. The Modern Narrative 

It is a documented fact that a portion of enslaved Africans brought to the Americas were Muslim. Figures such as Omar ibn Said and Ayuba Suleiman Diallo left behind written records of their faith that are essential to the American tapestry. However, modern retellings frequently strip away the broader historical context. Large swaths of West Africa did not become Muslim solely through peaceful exchange; rather, the religion spread through centuries of conquest, political upheaval, and forced conversion linked to expanding Islamic empires. 

From the Almoravid expansion in the 11th century to the later Sahelian states, Islamic identity was often inseparable from military and political power. Ignoring this creates a false impression that Islam was the indigenous religion of the enslaved. In reality, the religious landscape of West Africa was a complex battlefield of traditional beliefs, shifting empires, and forced assimilation. 

The Omission of the Trans-Saharan Trade 

Another glaring omission in these narratives is the millennium-long history of slavery within Islamic societies. For over a thousand years, the trans-Saharan and Indian Ocean slave trades moved millions of Africans into the Middle East and North Africa. This system operated in parallel with, and in some regions outlasted, the Atlantic trade. Enslaved Africans in these societies were integrated into rigid social and racial hierarchies, vestiges of which remain visible in parts of the region today. 

Scholars who emphasize the Muslim identities of enslaved Africans in the U.S. to create a “transnational” link rarely address this parallel history. To do so would complicate the resistance narrative they seek to promote, revealing that the history of enslavement was not a Western monopoly. 

Language and Lasting Hierarchies 

The uncomfortable realities of race in the Middle East are often sanitized in Western academic circles. Linguistically, the traces of this history are undeniable. The Arabic word ‘abd literally means slave or servant, but historically, and in some contemporary contexts, it has been used as a racialized slur for Black Africans. Acknowledging these facts is not an attack on any faith; it is a requirement for historical honesty. We cannot selectively edit the past to support a modern narrative of global power structures. 

Why This Distorts Black History Month 

Black History Month should center on the lived experiences of Black Americans and their specific fight against the brutal system of American chattel slavery. Reframing this history through a religious or “transnational” lens, especially one that ignores the complexities of African history, risks distorting the story rather than illuminating it. When universities promote simplified narratives about Transnational Countries of Color, they aren’t just teaching history: they are weaponizing it. 

A Call for Intellectual Honesty 

The story of Africa, Islam, and the Atlantic world is a tapestry of conquest, trade, and cultural transformation. Reducing that history to a political talking point does a disservice to the millions whose lives were shaped by these forces. Black History Month must be a time for clarity, not revisionism. If academic institutions wish to discuss the religious diversity of the enslaved or their links to global movements, they must do so fully, uncomfortable truths included. Only then can we move from using history as a weapon to understanding it as a reality.