{"id":22450,"date":"2024-09-25T20:24:14","date_gmt":"2024-09-26T00:24:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/georgetown-law-journal\/in-print\/volume-112\/volume-112-issue-6-june-2024\/afrofuturism-and-the-law-a-manifesto\/"},"modified":"2026-07-02T12:41:18","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T16:41:18","slug":"afrofuturism-and-the-law-a-manifesto","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/georgetown-law-journal\/in-print\/volume-112\/volume-112-issue-6-june-2024\/afrofuturism-and-the-law-a-manifesto\/","title":{"rendered":"Afrofuturism and the Law: A Manifesto"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s2\">Afrofuturism seems to be everywhere these days. It\u2019s front and center in the award-winning fiction of N. K. Jemisin\n\t\t<span class='js-footnote footnote'>\n\t\t\t<button type='button' aria-controls='abstract_footnote_22450_1' class='footnote_inline_btn js-footnote-toggle-btn' aria-describedby='footnote_btn_text_abstract_footnote_22450_1'>\n\t\t\t\t<sup class='footnote_inline_btn_number'>1<\/sup>\n\t\t\t\t<span id='footnote_btn_text_abstract_footnote_22450_1' class='visually_hide'>Open footnote #1<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\n\t\t\t<cite id='abstract_footnote_22450_1' class='footnote_content_cite js-footnote-content'>\n\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content_wrap'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<button type='button' class='footnote_content_number js-footnote-toggle-btn' aria-controls='abstract_footnote_22450_1' tabindex='-1'>1<\/button>\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content_wrap_inner'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='visually_hide'>Footnote #1 content: <\/span><i>See, e.g.<\/i>, sources cited <i>infra <\/i>note 185.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_close_btn_wrap'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button type='button' class='footnote_close_btn js-footnote-close-btn' aria-label='Back to content'>close<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/cite>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/span><span class=\"s3\">\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"s2\">and Nnedi Okorafor.\n\t\t<span class='js-footnote footnote'>\n\t\t\t<button type='button' aria-controls='abstract_footnote_22450_2' class='footnote_inline_btn js-footnote-toggle-btn' aria-describedby='footnote_btn_text_abstract_footnote_22450_2'>\n\t\t\t\t<sup class='footnote_inline_btn_number'>2<\/sup>\n\t\t\t\t<span id='footnote_btn_text_abstract_footnote_22450_2' class='visually_hide'>Open footnote #2<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\n\t\t\t<cite id='abstract_footnote_22450_2' class='footnote_content_cite js-footnote-content'>\n\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content_wrap'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<button type='button' class='footnote_content_number js-footnote-toggle-btn' aria-controls='abstract_footnote_22450_2' tabindex='-1'>2<\/button>\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content_wrap_inner'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='visually_hide'>Footnote #2 content: <\/span><i>See infra <\/i>note 183 and accompanying text.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_close_btn_wrap'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button type='button' class='footnote_close_btn js-footnote-close-btn' aria-label='Back to content'>close<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/cite>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/span><span class=\"s3\">\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"s2\">It\u2019s in the pop music of Janelle Mon\u00e1e and Outkast and Erykah Badu,\n\t\t<span class='js-footnote footnote'>\n\t\t\t<button type='button' aria-controls='abstract_footnote_22450_3' class='footnote_inline_btn js-footnote-toggle-btn' aria-describedby='footnote_btn_text_abstract_footnote_22450_3'>\n\t\t\t\t<sup class='footnote_inline_btn_number'>3<\/sup>\n\t\t\t\t<span id='footnote_btn_text_abstract_footnote_22450_3' class='visually_hide'>Open footnote #3<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\n\t\t\t<cite id='abstract_footnote_22450_3' class='footnote_content_cite js-footnote-content'>\n\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content_wrap'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<button type='button' class='footnote_content_number js-footnote-toggle-btn' aria-controls='abstract_footnote_22450_3' tabindex='-1'>3<\/button>\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content_wrap_inner'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='visually_hide'>Footnote #3 content: <\/span>For examples of Mon\u00e1e\u2019s work, see, for example, sources cited <i>infra <\/i>note 134. For a discussion and some examples of Afrofuturist themes in the work of Outkast and Badu, see Tony Bolden, <i>Afrofuturism in Black Music<\/i>, CH: TIMELINE OF AFR. AM. MUSIC, https:\/\/timeline.carnegiehall.org\/ stories\/afrofuturism-in-black-music [https:\/\/perma.cc\/Q65J-7GY7] (last visited May 27, 2024).\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_close_btn_wrap'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button type='button' class='footnote_close_btn js-footnote-close-btn' aria-label='Back to content'>close<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/cite>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/span><span class=\"s3\">\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"s2\">and in the jazz of Flying Lotus and Kamasi Washington and Sons of Kemet.<\/span><span class=\"s3\">\n\t\t<span class='js-footnote footnote'>\n\t\t\t<button type='button' aria-controls='abstract_footnote_22450_4' class='footnote_inline_btn js-footnote-toggle-btn' aria-describedby='footnote_btn_text_abstract_footnote_22450_4'>\n\t\t\t\t<sup class='footnote_inline_btn_number'>4<\/sup>\n\t\t\t\t<span id='footnote_btn_text_abstract_footnote_22450_4' class='visually_hide'>Open footnote #4<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\n\t\t\t<cite id='abstract_footnote_22450_4' class='footnote_content_cite js-footnote-content'>\n\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content_wrap'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<button type='button' class='footnote_content_number js-footnote-toggle-btn' aria-controls='abstract_footnote_22450_4' tabindex='-1'>4<\/button>\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content_wrap_inner'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='visually_hide'>Footnote #4 content: <\/span>For a discussion and some examples of Afrofuturist themes in the work of these jazz artists, see Miles Marshall Lewis, <i>Jazz and Afrofuturism: From Sun Ra to Flying Lotus<\/i>, CARNEGIE HALL, https:\/\/ www.carnegiehall.org\/Explore\/Articles\/2022\/02\/09\/Jazz-and-Afrofuturism [https:\/\/perma.cc\/EY8Q- NVYG] (last visited May 27, 2024) and Thomas Hobbs, <i>Sons of Kemet\u2019s Afrofuturist Jazz Is the Sound of Youthful, Modern London<\/i>, CRACK (Oct. 25, 2018), https:\/\/crackmagazine.net\/article\/live-reviews\/sons-of- kemets-afrofuturist-jazz-is-the-sound-of-youthful-modern-london\/ [https:\/\/perma.cc\/N9DA-Y4BA].\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_close_btn_wrap'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button type='button' class='footnote_close_btn js-footnote-close-btn' aria-label='Back to content'>close<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/cite>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/span>\u00a0<span class=\"s2\">It\u2019s even in folk music, through artists like Jake Blount. It\u2019s in the art of Wangechi Mutu and <\/span>Nick Cave. It\u2019s certainly in the blockbuster films <i>Black Panther<\/i>\n\t\t<span class='js-footnote footnote'>\n\t\t\t<button type='button' aria-controls='abstract_footnote_22450_5' class='footnote_inline_btn js-footnote-toggle-btn' aria-describedby='footnote_btn_text_abstract_footnote_22450_5'>\n\t\t\t\t<sup class='footnote_inline_btn_number'>5<\/sup>\n\t\t\t\t<span id='footnote_btn_text_abstract_footnote_22450_5' class='visually_hide'>Open footnote #5<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\n\t\t\t<cite id='abstract_footnote_22450_5' class='footnote_content_cite js-footnote-content'>\n\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content_wrap'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<button type='button' class='footnote_content_number js-footnote-toggle-btn' aria-controls='abstract_footnote_22450_5' tabindex='-1'>5<\/button>\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content_wrap_inner'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='visually_hide'>Footnote #5 content: <\/span>BLACK PANTHER (Marvel Studios 2018).\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_close_btn_wrap'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button type='button' class='footnote_close_btn js-footnote-close-btn' aria-label='Back to content'>close<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/cite>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\t<span class=\"s1\">\u00a0<\/span>and <i>Wakanda Forever<\/i>,\n\t\t<span class='js-footnote footnote'>\n\t\t\t<button type='button' aria-controls='abstract_footnote_22450_6' class='footnote_inline_btn js-footnote-toggle-btn' aria-describedby='footnote_btn_text_abstract_footnote_22450_6'>\n\t\t\t\t<sup class='footnote_inline_btn_number'>6<\/sup>\n\t\t\t\t<span id='footnote_btn_text_abstract_footnote_22450_6' class='visually_hide'>Open footnote #6<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\n\t\t\t<cite id='abstract_footnote_22450_6' class='footnote_content_cite js-footnote-content'>\n\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content_wrap'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<button type='button' class='footnote_content_number js-footnote-toggle-btn' aria-controls='abstract_footnote_22450_6' tabindex='-1'>6<\/button>\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content_wrap_inner'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='visually_hide'>Footnote #6 content: <\/span>BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER (Marvel Studios 2022).\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_close_btn_wrap'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button type='button' class='footnote_close_btn js-footnote-close-btn' aria-label='Back to content'>close<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/cite>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\t<span class=\"s1\">\u00a0<\/span>to say nothing of smaller independent films like <i>Neptune Frost<\/i>\n\t\t<span class='js-footnote footnote'>\n\t\t\t<button type='button' aria-controls='abstract_footnote_22450_7' class='footnote_inline_btn js-footnote-toggle-btn' aria-describedby='footnote_btn_text_abstract_footnote_22450_7'>\n\t\t\t\t<sup class='footnote_inline_btn_number'>7<\/sup>\n\t\t\t\t<span id='footnote_btn_text_abstract_footnote_22450_7' class='visually_hide'>Open footnote #7<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\n\t\t\t<cite id='abstract_footnote_22450_7' class='footnote_content_cite js-footnote-content'>\n\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content_wrap'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<button type='button' class='footnote_content_number js-footnote-toggle-btn' aria-controls='abstract_footnote_22450_7' tabindex='-1'>7<\/button>\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content_wrap_inner'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='visually_hide'>Footnote #7 content: <\/span>NEPTUNE FROST (Swan Films 2021).\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_close_btn_wrap'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button type='button' class='footnote_close_btn js-footnote-close-btn' aria-label='Back to content'>close<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/cite>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\t<span class=\"s1\">\u00a0<\/span>and, for that matter, television series like <i>Watchmen<\/i>\n\t\t<span class='js-footnote footnote'>\n\t\t\t<button type='button' aria-controls='abstract_footnote_22450_8' class='footnote_inline_btn js-footnote-toggle-btn' aria-describedby='footnote_btn_text_abstract_footnote_22450_8'>\n\t\t\t\t<sup class='footnote_inline_btn_number'>8<\/sup>\n\t\t\t\t<span id='footnote_btn_text_abstract_footnote_22450_8' class='visually_hide'>Open footnote #8<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\n\t\t\t<cite id='abstract_footnote_22450_8' class='footnote_content_cite js-footnote-content'>\n\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content_wrap'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<button type='button' class='footnote_content_number js-footnote-toggle-btn' aria-controls='abstract_footnote_22450_8' tabindex='-1'>8<\/button>\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content_wrap_inner'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='visually_hide'>Footnote #8 content: <\/span><i>Watchmen <\/i>(HBO 2019); <i>see also <\/i>WATCHMEN (Warner Bros. 2009).\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_close_btn_wrap'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button type='button' class='footnote_close_btn js-footnote-close-btn' aria-label='Back to content'>close<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/cite>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\t<span class=\"s1\">\u00a0<\/span>and <i>Lovecraft Country<\/i>.\n\t\t<span class='js-footnote footnote'>\n\t\t\t<button type='button' aria-controls='abstract_footnote_22450_9' class='footnote_inline_btn js-footnote-toggle-btn' aria-describedby='footnote_btn_text_abstract_footnote_22450_9'>\n\t\t\t\t<sup class='footnote_inline_btn_number'>9<\/sup>\n\t\t\t\t<span id='footnote_btn_text_abstract_footnote_22450_9' class='visually_hide'>Open footnote #9<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\n\t\t\t<cite id='abstract_footnote_22450_9' class='footnote_content_cite js-footnote-content'>\n\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content_wrap'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<button type='button' class='footnote_content_number js-footnote-toggle-btn' aria-controls='abstract_footnote_22450_9' tabindex='-1'>9<\/button>\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content_wrap_inner'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='visually_hide'>Footnote #9 content: <\/span><i>Lovecraft Country <\/i>(HBO 2020).\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_close_btn_wrap'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button type='button' class='footnote_close_btn js-footnote-close-btn' aria-label='Back to content'>close<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/cite>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\t<span class=\"s1\">\u00a0<\/span>There\u2019s even a resurgence of interest in earlier Afrofuturists. In 2020, Octavia Butler\u2019s novel <i>The Parable of the Sower <\/i>debuted on the <i>New York Times <\/i>best-seller list nearly three decades after it was first released;<span class=\"s1\">\n\t\t<span class='js-footnote footnote'>\n\t\t\t<button type='button' aria-controls='abstract_footnote_22450_10' class='footnote_inline_btn js-footnote-toggle-btn' aria-describedby='footnote_btn_text_abstract_footnote_22450_10'>\n\t\t\t\t<sup class='footnote_inline_btn_number'>10<\/sup>\n\t\t\t\t<span id='footnote_btn_text_abstract_footnote_22450_10' class='visually_hide'>Open footnote #10<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\n\t\t\t<cite id='abstract_footnote_22450_10' class='footnote_content_cite js-footnote-content'>\n\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content_wrap'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<button type='button' class='footnote_content_number js-footnote-toggle-btn' aria-controls='abstract_footnote_22450_10' tabindex='-1'>10<\/button>\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content_wrap_inner'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='visually_hide'>Footnote #10 content: <\/span>OCTAVIA E. BUTLER, PARABLE OF THE SOWER (reissued 2019) (1993); <i>accord <\/i>Maiysha Kai, <i>It Took Nearly 50 Years, but This Week, Octavia Butler Made the <\/i>New York Times <i>Best Sellers\u2019 List<\/i>, ROOT (Sept. 4, 2020), https:\/\/www.theroot.com\/it-took-nearly-50-years-but-this-week-octavia-butler- 1844956328 [https:\/\/perma.cc\/WG3L-GMX8].\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_close_btn_wrap'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button type='button' class='footnote_close_btn js-footnote-close-btn' aria-label='Back to content'>close<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/cite>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/span><span class=\"s2\">\u00a0<\/span>her novel <i>Kindred <\/i>was recently adapted for television, and other adaptations are on the way.\n\t\t<span class='js-footnote footnote'>\n\t\t\t<button type='button' aria-controls='abstract_footnote_22450_11' class='footnote_inline_btn js-footnote-toggle-btn' aria-describedby='footnote_btn_text_abstract_footnote_22450_11'>\n\t\t\t\t<sup class='footnote_inline_btn_number'>11<\/sup>\n\t\t\t\t<span id='footnote_btn_text_abstract_footnote_22450_11' class='visually_hide'>Open footnote #11<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\n\t\t\t<cite id='abstract_footnote_22450_11' class='footnote_content_cite js-footnote-content'>\n\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content_wrap'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<button type='button' class='footnote_content_number js-footnote-toggle-btn' aria-controls='abstract_footnote_22450_11' tabindex='-1'>11<\/button>\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content_wrap_inner'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='visually_hide'>Footnote #11 content: <\/span>Judy Berman, <i>FX\u2019s <\/i>Kindred <i>Is a Solid, Long Overdue Adaptation of Octavia E. Butler\u2019s Masterpiece<\/i>, TIME (Dec. 8, 2022, 12:00 PM), https:\/\/time.com\/6238862\/kindred-review-fx\/ [https:\/\/ perma.cc\/VVD3-WFZJ]; <i>see <\/i>Sydney Scott, <i>Viola Davis Is Bringing Octavia Butler\u2019s Novel \u2018<\/i>Wild Seed<i>\u2019 to the Small Screen<\/i>, ESSENCE (Dec. 6, 2020), https:\/\/www.essence.com\/entertainment\/amazon-wild- seed-viola-davis-julius-tennon\/ [https:\/\/perma.cc\/BEP8-M33F]; Julian Lucas, <i>How Octavia E. Butler Reimagines Sex and Survival<\/i>, NEW YORKER (Mar. 8, 2021), https:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/magazine\/ 2021\/03\/15\/how-octavia-e-butler-reimagines-sex-and-survival. \n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_close_btn_wrap'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button type='button' class='footnote_close_btn js-footnote-close-btn' aria-label='Back to content'>close<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/cite>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\t<span class=\"s1\">\u00a0<\/span>The <i>New York Times <\/i>recently profiled her in one issue,\n\t\t<span class='js-footnote footnote'>\n\t\t\t<button type='button' aria-controls='abstract_footnote_22450_12' class='footnote_inline_btn js-footnote-toggle-btn' aria-describedby='footnote_btn_text_abstract_footnote_22450_12'>\n\t\t\t\t<sup class='footnote_inline_btn_number'>12<\/sup>\n\t\t\t\t<span id='footnote_btn_text_abstract_footnote_22450_12' class='visually_hide'>Open footnote #12<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\n\t\t\t<cite id='abstract_footnote_22450_12' class='footnote_content_cite js-footnote-content'>\n\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content_wrap'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<button type='button' class='footnote_content_number js-footnote-toggle-btn' aria-controls='abstract_footnote_22450_12' tabindex='-1'>12<\/button>\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content_wrap_inner'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='visually_hide'>Footnote #12 content: <\/span><i>See <\/i>Lynell George, <i>The Visions of Octavia Butler<\/i>, N.Y. TIMES (Nov. 17, 2022), https:\/\/www. nytimes.com\/interactive\/2022\/11\/17\/arts\/octavia-butler-vision-kindred.html. \n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_close_btn_wrap'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button type='button' class='footnote_close_btn js-footnote-close-btn' aria-label='Back to content'>close<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/cite>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\t<span class=\"s1\">\u00a0<\/span>while the <i>New Yorker <\/i>profiled the Afrofuturist Samuel Delany in another.<span class=\"s1\">\n\t\t<span class='js-footnote footnote'>\n\t\t\t<button type='button' aria-controls='abstract_footnote_22450_13' class='footnote_inline_btn js-footnote-toggle-btn' aria-describedby='footnote_btn_text_abstract_footnote_22450_13'>\n\t\t\t\t<sup class='footnote_inline_btn_number'>13<\/sup>\n\t\t\t\t<span id='footnote_btn_text_abstract_footnote_22450_13' class='visually_hide'>Open footnote #13<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\n\t\t\t<cite id='abstract_footnote_22450_13' class='footnote_content_cite js-footnote-content'>\n\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content_wrap'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<button type='button' class='footnote_content_number js-footnote-toggle-btn' aria-controls='abstract_footnote_22450_13' tabindex='-1'>13<\/button>\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content_wrap_inner'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='visually_hide'>Footnote #13 content: <\/span><i>See <\/i>Julian Lucas, <i>How Samuel R. Delany Reimagined Sci-Fi, Sex, and the City<\/i>, NEW YORKER (July 3, 2023),https:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/magazine\/2023\/07\/10\/samuel-r-delany-profile.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_close_btn_wrap'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button type='button' class='footnote_close_btn js-footnote-close-btn' aria-label='Back to content'>close<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/cite>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/span><span class=\"s2\">\u00a0<\/span>Other indicators of Afrofuturism\u2019s continuing influence? In 2021, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York opened an Afrofuturist period room as an ongoing exhibit.<span class=\"s1\">\n\t\t<span class='js-footnote footnote'>\n\t\t\t<button type='button' aria-controls='abstract_footnote_22450_14' class='footnote_inline_btn js-footnote-toggle-btn' aria-describedby='footnote_btn_text_abstract_footnote_22450_14'>\n\t\t\t\t<sup class='footnote_inline_btn_number'>14<\/sup>\n\t\t\t\t<span id='footnote_btn_text_abstract_footnote_22450_14' class='visually_hide'>Open footnote #14<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\n\t\t\t<cite id='abstract_footnote_22450_14' class='footnote_content_cite js-footnote-content'>\n\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content_wrap'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<button type='button' class='footnote_content_number js-footnote-toggle-btn' aria-controls='abstract_footnote_22450_14' tabindex='-1'>14<\/button>\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content_wrap_inner'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='visually_hide'>Footnote #14 content: <\/span>Jennifer Vanasco, <i>A Wondrous Afrofuturism Period Room Opens at the Met Museum<\/i>, GOTHAMIST (Nov. 6, 2021), https:\/\/gothamist.com\/arts-entertainment\/wondrous-afrofuturism-period-room-opens-met- museum [https:\/\/perma.cc\/A9J9-HZ9L]; <i>Before Yesterday We Could Fly: An Afrofuturist Period Room<\/i>, MET, https:\/\/www.metmuseum.org\/exhibitions\/afrofuturist-period-room [https:\/\/perma.cc\/77KE-WU2K] (last visited May 13, 2024).\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_close_btn_wrap'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button type='button' class='footnote_close_btn js-footnote-close-btn' aria-label='Back to content'>close<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/cite>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/span><span class=\"s2\">\u00a0<\/span>In 2022, Carnegie Hall presented a city-wide Afrofuturism festival.\n\t\t<span class='js-footnote footnote'>\n\t\t\t<button type='button' aria-controls='abstract_footnote_22450_15' class='footnote_inline_btn js-footnote-toggle-btn' aria-describedby='footnote_btn_text_abstract_footnote_22450_15'>\n\t\t\t\t<sup class='footnote_inline_btn_number'>15<\/sup>\n\t\t\t\t<span id='footnote_btn_text_abstract_footnote_22450_15' class='visually_hide'>Open footnote #15<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\n\t\t\t<cite id='abstract_footnote_22450_15' class='footnote_content_cite js-footnote-content'>\n\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content_wrap'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<button type='button' class='footnote_content_number js-footnote-toggle-btn' aria-controls='abstract_footnote_22450_15' tabindex='-1'>15<\/button>\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content_wrap_inner'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='visually_hide'>Footnote #15 content: <\/span>Giovanni Russonello, <i>An Afrofuturism Festival Brings an Energy Shift to Carnegie Hall<\/i>, N.Y. TIMES (Apr. 6, 2022), https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/04\/06\/arts\/music\/afrofuturism-festival.html. \n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_close_btn_wrap'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button type='button' class='footnote_close_btn js-footnote-close-btn' aria-label='Back to content'>close<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/cite>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\t<span class=\"s1\">\u00a0<\/span>The Metropolitan Opera recently added an Afrofuturist staging to Anthony Davis\u2019s opera <i>X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X<\/i>.<span class=\"s1\">\n\t\t<span class='js-footnote footnote'>\n\t\t\t<button type='button' aria-controls='abstract_footnote_22450_16' class='footnote_inline_btn js-footnote-toggle-btn' aria-describedby='footnote_btn_text_abstract_footnote_22450_16'>\n\t\t\t\t<sup class='footnote_inline_btn_number'>16<\/sup>\n\t\t\t\t<span id='footnote_btn_text_abstract_footnote_22450_16' class='visually_hide'>Open footnote #16<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\n\t\t\t<cite id='abstract_footnote_22450_16' class='footnote_content_cite js-footnote-content'>\n\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content_wrap'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<button type='button' class='footnote_content_number js-footnote-toggle-btn' aria-controls='abstract_footnote_22450_16' tabindex='-1'>16<\/button>\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content_wrap_inner'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='visually_hide'>Footnote #16 content: <\/span><i>See <\/i>Joshua Barone, <i>Review: Anthony Davis\u2019s Malcolm X Opera Finally Arrives at the Met<\/i>, N.Y. TIMES (Nov. 5, 2023), https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/11\/05\/arts\/music\/review-x-life-and-times-of- macolm-x-met-opera.html.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_close_btn_wrap'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button type='button' class='footnote_close_btn js-footnote-close-btn' aria-label='Back to content'>close<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/cite>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/span><span class=\"s2\">\u00a0<\/span>From March 2023 through August 2024 in the nation\u2019s capital, the National Museum of African American History and Culture boasted as its special exhibit \u201cAfrofuturism: A History of Black Futures.\u201d\n\t\t<span class='js-footnote footnote'>\n\t\t\t<button type='button' aria-controls='abstract_footnote_22450_17' class='footnote_inline_btn js-footnote-toggle-btn' aria-describedby='footnote_btn_text_abstract_footnote_22450_17'>\n\t\t\t\t<sup class='footnote_inline_btn_number'>17<\/sup>\n\t\t\t\t<span id='footnote_btn_text_abstract_footnote_22450_17' class='visually_hide'>Open footnote #17<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\n\t\t\t<cite id='abstract_footnote_22450_17' class='footnote_content_cite js-footnote-content'>\n\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content_wrap'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<button type='button' class='footnote_content_number js-footnote-toggle-btn' aria-controls='abstract_footnote_22450_17' tabindex='-1'>17<\/button>\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content_wrap_inner'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='visually_hide'>Footnote #17 content: <\/span>DaNeen L. Brown, <i>\u2018Afrofuturism\u2019 Navigates Past, Present and Future of Black Experience<\/i>, WASH. POST (May 10, 2023, 1:48 PM), https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/lifestyle\/2023\/05\/10\/national-museum- african-american-history-culture-afrofuturism-history-black-futures\/; <i>National Museum of African American History and Culture Announces New Exhibition Exploring Stories and Futures of Black Liberation<\/i>, NAT\u2019L MUSEUM AFR. AM. HIST. &amp; CULTURE (Nov. 9, 2022), https:\/\/nmaahc.si.edu\/about\/news\/national-museum-african-american-history-and-culture-announces-new-exhibition-exploring [https:\/\/perma.cc\/6J57-T9XP] (last visited Feb. 13, 2024).\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_close_btn_wrap'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button type='button' class='footnote_close_btn js-footnote-close-btn' aria-label='Back to content'>close<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/cite>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\t<span class=\"s1\">\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0The District of Columbia <span class=\"s1\">even has an Afrofuturism-themed restaurant, Bronze.<\/span><span class=\"s2\">\n\t\t<span class='js-footnote footnote'>\n\t\t\t<button type='button' aria-controls='abstract_footnote_22450_18' class='footnote_inline_btn js-footnote-toggle-btn' aria-describedby='footnote_btn_text_abstract_footnote_22450_18'>\n\t\t\t\t<sup class='footnote_inline_btn_number'>18<\/sup>\n\t\t\t\t<span id='footnote_btn_text_abstract_footnote_22450_18' class='visually_hide'>Open footnote #18<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\n\t\t\t<cite id='abstract_footnote_22450_18' class='footnote_content_cite js-footnote-content'>\n\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content_wrap'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<button type='button' class='footnote_content_number js-footnote-toggle-btn' aria-controls='abstract_footnote_22450_18' tabindex='-1'>18<\/button>\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content_wrap_inner'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='visually_hide'>Footnote #18 content: <\/span>Cornelia Poku, <i>First Look: Bronze Restaurant Brings Hub of Afrofuturism to H Street NE<\/i>, DCIST (Jan. 27, 2023, 4:12 PM), https:\/\/dcist.com\/story\/23\/01\/27\/first-look-bronze-h-street-dc-afrofuturism- african-caribbean-food\/ [https:\/\/perma.cc\/35M5-YST9].\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_close_btn_wrap'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button type='button' class='footnote_close_btn js-footnote-close-btn' aria-label='Back to content'>close<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/cite>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/span>\u00a0<span class=\"s1\">And of course, there is this special <i>Georgetown Law Journal <\/i>Symposium Issue, <i>Afrofuturism and the Law<\/i>. <\/span><\/p>\n<p>Continue reading <a href=\"https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/georgetown-law-journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/26\/2024\/09\/Capers_AManifesto.pdf\"><em>Afrofuturism and the Law: A Manifesto<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><div class=\"wp-block-pdfemb-pdf-embedder-viewer\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/georgetown-law-journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/26\/2024\/09\/Capers_AManifesto.pdf\" class=\"pdfemb-viewer\" style=\"\" data-width=\"max\" data-height=\"max\" data-toolbar=\"bottom\" data-toolbar-fixed=\"off\">Capers_AManifesto<\/a><\/div><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Afrofuturism seems to be everywhere these days. It\u2019s front and center in the award-winning fiction of N. K. Jemisin\u00a0and Nnedi Okorafor.\u00a0It\u2019s in the pop music of Janelle Mon\u00e1e and Outkast and Erykah Badu,\u00a0and in the jazz of Flying Lotus and Kamasi Washington and Sons of Kemet.\u00a0It\u2019s even in folk music, through artists like Jake Blount. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13235,"featured_media":0,"parent":22046,"menu_order":3,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"abstract.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-22450","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/georgetown-law-journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/22450","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/georgetown-law-journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/georgetown-law-journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/georgetown-law-journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13235"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/georgetown-law-journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22450"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/georgetown-law-journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/22450\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24643,"href":"https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/georgetown-law-journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/22450\/revisions\/24643"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/georgetown-law-journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/22046"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/georgetown-law-journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22450"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}