When the notion of "separatism" is included in any discussion surrounding black liberation, whites immediately cry "reverse racism!" without fully understanding what separatism entails. Separatism can not be understand as a concrete concept, but rather a fluid one that varies over historical periods.
Images of Marcus Garvey’s Black Star Line as a part of the UNIA’s “Back to Africa” Movement may come to mind as an example of a Black separatist movement, yet this was the more reactionary solution that did little to foster Black unity. While historians focus on the physical transport of black people Africa, which was only a small part of the movement, they ignore the most important Pan-Africanist ideal that Garvey stressed: Black pride. His primary objective with the "Back to Africa" Movement was to instill racial pride in Black people, and revive some of the cultural ties with the ancestral homeland that had been severed by slavery and the amalgamation of Blacks into mainstream white culture that created a white superiority complex in many.
To me, separatism means looking out for your own. It means advancing a race that is teetering on the brink of destruction. It signifies the acknowledgement that only unity amongst one another can bring about change, rather than from outside forces or appealing to an oppressive system. Black entrepreneurship is a major component of separatist movement, which causes more money to be pumped into the communities that so desperately needs it, rather than all black expenditure going to a bunch of white men sitting in a board room. Unity is of the utmost importance, especially concerning economics, considering that throughout history Black Civilizations have fought imperialism, slavery, and colonialism through coming together for a common cause: the advancement of the race. The times when blacks have been fragmented, white nations have easily pursued their capitalistic and imperialistic goals at the expense of the near destruction and extinction of the Black race.
History tells us that white Americans have always been hostile towards any Black movement, regardless of whether the movement has sought to include and appeal to whites in the process (as shown by the non-violent movement of the 50's and 60's). Therefore, rather than seeking to include a hostile group or relying on a hostile group to make changes, Blacks must hold self-determination as an ultimate ideal.
