@CAleaseWriter Dr. Michael Robinson: What does ADOS mean?
Dr. Cynthia Alease: ADOS is the acronym meaning African Descendants of Slavery. This term was initially coined by Dr. Yvette Carnell and Antonio Moore, who adapted the original DOS, which was coined by Martin Luther King. I believe they added the "A" for more specificity. I believe there was a method to the addition of the A. Personally; I still think it lacks enough specificity in terms of Race as Color in the United States. I would have coined it BADOE, or Black American Descendants of the Enslavement, because it specifies Race as Color, and descendancy in something far deeper and more profound than "slavery" alone, through the use of the term, "Enslavement."
ADOS's intent as an identifier is to offer a lineage to the Black people taken from Africa and brought to the United States, losing their geographical lineage and heritage in being stolen from various countries on the continent and placed together as one people. Their descendants are the ADOS (BDOE).
Dr. Michael Robinson: Is the ADOS movement divisive?
Dr. Cynthia Alease: I believe the ADOS movement is seen as divisive and for all the wrong reasons. Its divisiveness is due to a complete lack of understanding and empathy about the purpose of the distinction between descendants of the Enslavement in the United States and other people whose ancestors experienced slavery in other countries. There are also elements of reparations that appear divisive, depending on whether the rationale for reparations is coming from White Supremacist ideological thought or ignorance about what reparations would represent.
Dr. Michael Robinson: Why ADOS? Why not just African American?
Dr. Cynthia Alease: As I alluded to in question 1, there was a method to use the A in descendants of slavery. It was done to distinguish the Black enslaved from any other "ancestor" of slavery, including slave owners and anyone not enslaved as long as they lived during the time. As an identifier in terms of lineage, the moniker "African American" can be anyone who comes from the continent of Africa. For example, the popular host of nighttime television, Trevor Noah, is an African American. Charlize Theron, famous for her roles in several movies, is an African American. Neither have any specific lineage or cultural heritage associated with the enslavement of Black Americans during the Enslavement. In essence, to be an ADOS (BDOE) means to be recognized as having a value from being part of a specific lineage, that sense of belonging, whether that lineage or heritage was heinous or not.
Dr. Michael Robinson: Can one be pro-ADOS and not anti-African or black immigrants?
Dr. Cynthia Alease: This is an excellent question, and the answer is a resounding yes. The only reason why it would be considered divisive, as I explained in question 2, is because there is a complete lack of understanding of how the United States treats its descendants of the Enslavement.
The United States only wishes to retain the portion of slavery that sustains White Supremacy and elevates their "Southern Heritage." They would rather erase the memory of the Enslavement in terms of its treatment of those enslaved. To put it bluntly, the United States has been in a virtual war with its descendants of the Enslavement since Reconstruction was overthrown. It continually punishes them through the system of Racism, put into place to deny and discriminate against them in all areas of human activity. The keywords here are "specific," "specifically" and "specificity.".
Many do not realize how specifically Racism as a system of denial was designed. When the Immigration Act of 1965 was enacted, it coincided with the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as amended in 1968, specifically in its design to offer redress to the ADOS (BDOE). However, as is the case with all laws, policies, and regulations designed to help, practical application was no respecter of theory. White, Racist institutions interested in only "black as a color" as opposed to ADOS (BDOE) as a lineage of people used the Act to continue excluding them in favor of immigrants who met the specificity in criteria for "color."
Dr. Michael Robinson: How does ADOS supporters' rhetoric that many have said is spewing hateful, xenophobic dialogue unite people of color in America who remain largely marginalized?
Dr. Cynthia Alease: I have to interject the "not all" here because not all ADOS (BDOE) supporters are xenophobic. Xenophobia is the direct output behavior from anger and resentment, which, like other forms of hatred, are borne out of the ideology of White Supremacy. Xenophobia says even within groups sharing skin color; geographical lineage is mandatory for human value. Striving for fundamental human value among people in a White Supremacist nation considered "without value" drives people to disparage each other and creates an opening for division by Black Americans who desire lineage representation. However, in discussing facts about the need for specificity of lineage in this country for U.S. descendants of the Enslavement, the dialog hits some of the points I generally made in question 4 regarding resentment.
Today's focus is obviously on the supporters of ADOS as a movement designed by Dr. Carnell and Mr. Moore because they are the most outspoken advocates for the rights of specificity in lineage among Black Americans. Because they have gained popularity and notoriety, much of what they say is misconstrued for sowing seeds of division among the various non-white people in the U.S.
Dr. Michael Robinson: Do you believe there is a need to be any form of distinguishing black Americans from black immigrants?
Dr. Cynthia Alease: Absolutely. I explained in question 4; the United States only wishes to retain the portion of slavery that sustains White Supremacy and elevates their "Southern Heritage." They would rather erase the memory of the Enslavement in terms of its treatment of those enslaved. To put it bluntly, the United States has been in a virtual war with its descendants of the Enslavement since Reconstruction was overthrown, and continually punishes them through the system of Racism, put into place to deny and discriminate against them in all areas of human activity.
Black Americans are the ONLY group of non-white people WITHOUT a geographical lineage. No other country, save for DNA today, distinguishes Black American descendants of the Enslavement from anything other than an entire continent as a reference, with no individual country of origin. Not important? Think again. When the only country you know does not want you to exist and would rather corral you so that you disappear into the color wheel without the value of lineage representation, then your existence and significance as a human being diminish.
Dr. Michael Robinson: Is the ADOS movement only about reparations, or is there more to the movement that some may be missing?
Dr. Cynthia Alease: The ADOS movement is more than a desire for reparations, even though reparations for the Enslavement atrocities are due to them, as were those descendants of the Holocaust, Chinese internment, and Indigenous displacement. Many would make this the only platform upon which the movement stands since the idea of "paying" Black Americans for being descendants of slavery is abhorrent to most white people and Black people who want to leave all vestiges of slavery behind. However, ADOS means identifying people as an integral part of Americana, not just identifiable as "people with color," "people of color," or African American. It means the specificity in value of those who came directly out of the bowels of the Enslavement here in America.
It is crucial to history and its people that the descendants do not simply disappear into the color wheel as though slavery was just some "peculiar institution," and the Enslavement never existed. These people existed. They have a right to be counted, as do their descendants.
Dr. Michael Robinson: To what extent does the ADOS movement create tension between African Americans, Africans, and Afro-Caribbean people?
Dr. Cynthia Alease: When non-white immigrants came to the United States, it had to be essential to conform to "American" culture, to blend in. Albeit inherently Racist and White Supremacist, many wanted just what ADOS (BDOE) wanted out of life here. Many probably thought they could use their geographical lineage as the primary identifier instead of their Race. Knowing Race as Color is the direct identification for distinction in American society; no one could blame any non-white immigrant arriving from Africa, South America, or the Caribbean for wanting to steer as far away from the stigma of being an "American Black."
Here in the U.S., not only was Race as Color the standard by which non-whites were judged, Race as Character was also employed with condemning stereotypes as stagnant and averse to prosperity as White Racist rhetoric could define. Who, by virtue of skin color, would want to be associated with American Blacks. This is what contributes to many of the problems faced between the two non-white cultures. At the same time, no one wants to be associated with the stigma of being "Black" in America or with "Blackness" as expressed negatively through stereotypes. For example, Afro-Caribbean countries, whose desire to be considered "different" from the "American Blacks" is palpable, producing the illusion of intra-racial superiority and inferiority. This places the ADOS (BDOE) into a position of sheer resentment of being put down by both white and Black people based on White Supremacist America's definition of Black Americans.
Dr. Michael Robinson: Is it safe to say that whether a person is ADOS or a Black immigrant, you are equally subjected to the various aspects of Racism in America?
Dr. Cynthia Alease: I would contend that ADOS (BDOE) are marginalized more than other "people of color" in the United States. The advent of color inclusivity, the corralling of anyone with an ounce of Melanin, created a vacuum where all ADOS (BDOE) were swept into, a place where they were rendered virtually invisible. This is not happenstance, either. This is what White Supremacist America wants to make of the Black American descendants of the Enslavement. Of course, the vacuum helped produce the kinds of resentment exhibited by people who identify as ADOS (BDOE); many believe non-white immigrants enjoy what few benefits derived from the civil rights and fight for freedom movements in this country on the backs of centuries of ADOS (BDOE) struggle. Ironically, this constant push-pull of color inclusivity is imposed upon all except those who identify as the color "white."
It is safe to say that anyone identifying today as a "person of color" will be subjected to various forms of discrimination, denial, and limited apportionment due to the system of Racism in the United States, but equally? That is not easily determined unless more studies on Black immigrants and ADOS (BDOE) indicate equality or disparity in that regard. This question makes me eager to explore further.
BIO
Dr. Cynthia Alease Smith is an antiracism essayist and educator, a writer, novelist, and editor, specializing in literary contemporary fiction, nonfiction stories inspired by real events, and occasional ghostwriting. Dr. Smith’s writing includes a novel, “The Gatekeeper,” published in 2009, “With Eyes from Both Sides,” a true-life story of Philadelphia’s most prolific gangster queen, Thelma Wright, published in 2011, and another novel, “The Fosters,” published in 2013. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Technology, summa cm laude, with honors from Kaplan University, Davenport, Iowa, and is a member of the Epsilon Delta Pi National Honor Society for Computer Sciences, National Scholars Honor Society, and the Alpha Beta Kappa National Honor Society.
She also holds a Master of Arts in Writing Studies, summa cm laude, from St. Joseph’s University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and is a member of the Alpha Epsilon Lambda National Honor Society for Graduate Students. She received her Doctorate in Educational Leadership, summa cm laude, from Gwynedd Mercy University, Gwynedd Valley, Pennsylvania. Since her retirement, Dr. Smith enjoys educating others by writing thought-provoking essays for her website and creating presentations on Facebook Live, as well as commentary on the various political and other stories shared on her social media feed. She also includes her Facebook Live video essays on her YouTube Channel called, “Dr. Cynthia Alease Smith, ‘The Doctor is in’.” Dr. Smith enjoys engaging others through her social media pages in discussions where she evaluates radicalized words, memes and pictures and their subliminal racialized impact, as well as delving into issues concerning race, racism, white supremacy from perspectives not generally considered in daily experiences in the United States.
Dr. Smith is married with three adult children and five grandchildren
Dr. Cynthia Alease: ADOS is the acronym meaning African Descendants of Slavery. This term was initially coined by Dr. Yvette Carnell and Antonio Moore, who adapted the original DOS, which was coined by Martin Luther King. I believe they added the "A" for more specificity. I believe there was a method to the addition of the A. Personally; I still think it lacks enough specificity in terms of Race as Color in the United States. I would have coined it BADOE, or Black American Descendants of the Enslavement, because it specifies Race as Color, and descendancy in something far deeper and more profound than "slavery" alone, through the use of the term, "Enslavement."
ADOS's intent as an identifier is to offer a lineage to the Black people taken from Africa and brought to the United States, losing their geographical lineage and heritage in being stolen from various countries on the continent and placed together as one people. Their descendants are the ADOS (BDOE).
Dr. Michael Robinson: Is the ADOS movement divisive?
Dr. Cynthia Alease: I believe the ADOS movement is seen as divisive and for all the wrong reasons. Its divisiveness is due to a complete lack of understanding and empathy about the purpose of the distinction between descendants of the Enslavement in the United States and other people whose ancestors experienced slavery in other countries. There are also elements of reparations that appear divisive, depending on whether the rationale for reparations is coming from White Supremacist ideological thought or ignorance about what reparations would represent.
Dr. Michael Robinson: Why ADOS? Why not just African American?
Dr. Cynthia Alease: As I alluded to in question 1, there was a method to use the A in descendants of slavery. It was done to distinguish the Black enslaved from any other "ancestor" of slavery, including slave owners and anyone not enslaved as long as they lived during the time. As an identifier in terms of lineage, the moniker "African American" can be anyone who comes from the continent of Africa. For example, the popular host of nighttime television, Trevor Noah, is an African American. Charlize Theron, famous for her roles in several movies, is an African American. Neither have any specific lineage or cultural heritage associated with the enslavement of Black Americans during the Enslavement. In essence, to be an ADOS (BDOE) means to be recognized as having a value from being part of a specific lineage, that sense of belonging, whether that lineage or heritage was heinous or not.
Dr. Michael Robinson: Can one be pro-ADOS and not anti-African or black immigrants?
Dr. Cynthia Alease: This is an excellent question, and the answer is a resounding yes. The only reason why it would be considered divisive, as I explained in question 2, is because there is a complete lack of understanding of how the United States treats its descendants of the Enslavement.
The United States only wishes to retain the portion of slavery that sustains White Supremacy and elevates their "Southern Heritage." They would rather erase the memory of the Enslavement in terms of its treatment of those enslaved. To put it bluntly, the United States has been in a virtual war with its descendants of the Enslavement since Reconstruction was overthrown. It continually punishes them through the system of Racism, put into place to deny and discriminate against them in all areas of human activity. The keywords here are "specific," "specifically" and "specificity.".
Many do not realize how specifically Racism as a system of denial was designed. When the Immigration Act of 1965 was enacted, it coincided with the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as amended in 1968, specifically in its design to offer redress to the ADOS (BDOE). However, as is the case with all laws, policies, and regulations designed to help, practical application was no respecter of theory. White, Racist institutions interested in only "black as a color" as opposed to ADOS (BDOE) as a lineage of people used the Act to continue excluding them in favor of immigrants who met the specificity in criteria for "color."
Dr. Michael Robinson: How does ADOS supporters' rhetoric that many have said is spewing hateful, xenophobic dialogue unite people of color in America who remain largely marginalized?
Dr. Cynthia Alease: I have to interject the "not all" here because not all ADOS (BDOE) supporters are xenophobic. Xenophobia is the direct output behavior from anger and resentment, which, like other forms of hatred, are borne out of the ideology of White Supremacy. Xenophobia says even within groups sharing skin color; geographical lineage is mandatory for human value. Striving for fundamental human value among people in a White Supremacist nation considered "without value" drives people to disparage each other and creates an opening for division by Black Americans who desire lineage representation. However, in discussing facts about the need for specificity of lineage in this country for U.S. descendants of the Enslavement, the dialog hits some of the points I generally made in question 4 regarding resentment.
Today's focus is obviously on the supporters of ADOS as a movement designed by Dr. Carnell and Mr. Moore because they are the most outspoken advocates for the rights of specificity in lineage among Black Americans. Because they have gained popularity and notoriety, much of what they say is misconstrued for sowing seeds of division among the various non-white people in the U.S.
Dr. Michael Robinson: Do you believe there is a need to be any form of distinguishing black Americans from black immigrants?
Dr. Cynthia Alease: Absolutely. I explained in question 4; the United States only wishes to retain the portion of slavery that sustains White Supremacy and elevates their "Southern Heritage." They would rather erase the memory of the Enslavement in terms of its treatment of those enslaved. To put it bluntly, the United States has been in a virtual war with its descendants of the Enslavement since Reconstruction was overthrown, and continually punishes them through the system of Racism, put into place to deny and discriminate against them in all areas of human activity.
Black Americans are the ONLY group of non-white people WITHOUT a geographical lineage. No other country, save for DNA today, distinguishes Black American descendants of the Enslavement from anything other than an entire continent as a reference, with no individual country of origin. Not important? Think again. When the only country you know does not want you to exist and would rather corral you so that you disappear into the color wheel without the value of lineage representation, then your existence and significance as a human being diminish.
Dr. Michael Robinson: Is the ADOS movement only about reparations, or is there more to the movement that some may be missing?
Dr. Cynthia Alease: The ADOS movement is more than a desire for reparations, even though reparations for the Enslavement atrocities are due to them, as were those descendants of the Holocaust, Chinese internment, and Indigenous displacement. Many would make this the only platform upon which the movement stands since the idea of "paying" Black Americans for being descendants of slavery is abhorrent to most white people and Black people who want to leave all vestiges of slavery behind. However, ADOS means identifying people as an integral part of Americana, not just identifiable as "people with color," "people of color," or African American. It means the specificity in value of those who came directly out of the bowels of the Enslavement here in America.
It is crucial to history and its people that the descendants do not simply disappear into the color wheel as though slavery was just some "peculiar institution," and the Enslavement never existed. These people existed. They have a right to be counted, as do their descendants.
Dr. Michael Robinson: To what extent does the ADOS movement create tension between African Americans, Africans, and Afro-Caribbean people?
Dr. Cynthia Alease: When non-white immigrants came to the United States, it had to be essential to conform to "American" culture, to blend in. Albeit inherently Racist and White Supremacist, many wanted just what ADOS (BDOE) wanted out of life here. Many probably thought they could use their geographical lineage as the primary identifier instead of their Race. Knowing Race as Color is the direct identification for distinction in American society; no one could blame any non-white immigrant arriving from Africa, South America, or the Caribbean for wanting to steer as far away from the stigma of being an "American Black."
Here in the U.S., not only was Race as Color the standard by which non-whites were judged, Race as Character was also employed with condemning stereotypes as stagnant and averse to prosperity as White Racist rhetoric could define. Who, by virtue of skin color, would want to be associated with American Blacks. This is what contributes to many of the problems faced between the two non-white cultures. At the same time, no one wants to be associated with the stigma of being "Black" in America or with "Blackness" as expressed negatively through stereotypes. For example, Afro-Caribbean countries, whose desire to be considered "different" from the "American Blacks" is palpable, producing the illusion of intra-racial superiority and inferiority. This places the ADOS (BDOE) into a position of sheer resentment of being put down by both white and Black people based on White Supremacist America's definition of Black Americans.
Dr. Michael Robinson: Is it safe to say that whether a person is ADOS or a Black immigrant, you are equally subjected to the various aspects of Racism in America?
Dr. Cynthia Alease: I would contend that ADOS (BDOE) are marginalized more than other "people of color" in the United States. The advent of color inclusivity, the corralling of anyone with an ounce of Melanin, created a vacuum where all ADOS (BDOE) were swept into, a place where they were rendered virtually invisible. This is not happenstance, either. This is what White Supremacist America wants to make of the Black American descendants of the Enslavement. Of course, the vacuum helped produce the kinds of resentment exhibited by people who identify as ADOS (BDOE); many believe non-white immigrants enjoy what few benefits derived from the civil rights and fight for freedom movements in this country on the backs of centuries of ADOS (BDOE) struggle. Ironically, this constant push-pull of color inclusivity is imposed upon all except those who identify as the color "white."
It is safe to say that anyone identifying today as a "person of color" will be subjected to various forms of discrimination, denial, and limited apportionment due to the system of Racism in the United States, but equally? That is not easily determined unless more studies on Black immigrants and ADOS (BDOE) indicate equality or disparity in that regard. This question makes me eager to explore further.
BIO
Dr. Cynthia Alease Smith is an antiracism essayist and educator, a writer, novelist, and editor, specializing in literary contemporary fiction, nonfiction stories inspired by real events, and occasional ghostwriting. Dr. Smith’s writing includes a novel, “The Gatekeeper,” published in 2009, “With Eyes from Both Sides,” a true-life story of Philadelphia’s most prolific gangster queen, Thelma Wright, published in 2011, and another novel, “The Fosters,” published in 2013. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Technology, summa cm laude, with honors from Kaplan University, Davenport, Iowa, and is a member of the Epsilon Delta Pi National Honor Society for Computer Sciences, National Scholars Honor Society, and the Alpha Beta Kappa National Honor Society.
She also holds a Master of Arts in Writing Studies, summa cm laude, from St. Joseph’s University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and is a member of the Alpha Epsilon Lambda National Honor Society for Graduate Students. She received her Doctorate in Educational Leadership, summa cm laude, from Gwynedd Mercy University, Gwynedd Valley, Pennsylvania. Since her retirement, Dr. Smith enjoys educating others by writing thought-provoking essays for her website and creating presentations on Facebook Live, as well as commentary on the various political and other stories shared on her social media feed. She also includes her Facebook Live video essays on her YouTube Channel called, “Dr. Cynthia Alease Smith, ‘The Doctor is in’.” Dr. Smith enjoys engaging others through her social media pages in discussions where she evaluates radicalized words, memes and pictures and their subliminal racialized impact, as well as delving into issues concerning race, racism, white supremacy from perspectives not generally considered in daily experiences in the United States.
Dr. Smith is married with three adult children and five grandchildren