Afrofuturism Quotes

“And for a moment (and only a moment), it was as if a gap between two absolute and unquestionably separated columns or encampments of the world had suddenly revealed itself as illusory; that what I had assumed two was really one; and that the glacial solidity of the boundary I’d been sure existed between them was as permeable as shimmering water, as shifting light.”
― Samuel R. Delany, The Motion of Light in Water: Sex and Science Fiction Writing in the East Village

“We have lift off of the third Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF-3) communication satellite at 4:44 a.m”
― Antonia Perdu

“Afrofuturism is the premise that Black people exist in the future.”
― Eve L. Ewing

“I think one of the most radical things that anyone in this world can do is imagine that Black people have a future.”
― N.K. Jemisin

“All of Muungano’s Territory lit up as a hologram projection, from the Dreaming City to Mars to the mining outpost. No borders, per se, not the way O.E. might define them. Only communities of alliance. This was what they had all fought so hard to forge. They needed a new vocabulary to describe the experiment they embarked on. Empire wasn’t it. A budding cooperative cradled in a sweep of stars.”
― Maurice Broaddus, Sweep of Stars

“The condition of being alienated and "othered" reflects the ways in which navigating Western societies as a Black person is an endlessly unsettling experience, something that might be ripped whole from the pages of a speculative novel. Because of this, the search for lost cultural touchstones is a gesture towards survival: it is an Afrofuturistic act. At its heart it is the creation of a possible future based on a reconstructed, or reimagined past. In this way, a ware is wages against erasure.”
― Esi Edugyan, Out of the Sun: On Race and Storytelling

“whenever we encounter the name Octavia E. Butler, some of us feel a shift, a deep, spiritual resonance that defies comprehension. it doesn't matter how many times we engage with her words, that something lingers, stirring, moving, shifting. and as the timeline stretches, the reasons begin to reveal themselves. when the darkness swells in me, i return to these fragments of her life, hoping to witness the absolute breath and depth of my own words in this lifetime. because Octavia E. Butler showed us how.”
― Malebo Sephodi

“The Martian history was not too different from that on Earth. The only exception was that people left the satellites and went to the surface of Mars and eventually after extensive construction found their way under a dozen domes on the red surface of the red planet. There, in the constructed safety of a domed environment the new Martians began to pollute and poison Mars as they had Earth. Garbage was a real problem. The consumption of foodstuffs created waste.”

Excerpt From
Onto a Sea of Stars
Mark Sneed
This material may be protected by copyright.”
― Mark T. Sneed, Onto a Sea of Stars: The Adventures of Christian Drake and The Unintentional Space Pirates

“In space and on Mars the explorers seemed to unconsciously duplicate the problems found on Earth.”

Excerpt From
Onto a Sea of Stars
Mark Sneed
This material may be protected by copyright.”
― Mark T. Sneed, Onto a Sea of Stars: The Adventures of Christian Drake and The Unintentional Space Pirates

“You are the much talked about afronaut leisure class,” said the mustached and shifty eyed third stranger with a knowing smile. “Were you injured?”
“What is an afronaut?” Oggy asked his sister, in a whisper. Zuzu shushed Oggy. Beaumont gave his nephew a cold side eye.”

Excerpt From
Onto a Sea of Stars
Mark Sneed
This material may be protected by copyright.”
― Mark T. Sneed, Onto a Sea of Stars: The Adventures of Christian Drake and The Unintentional Space Pirates

“Okay,” said Oggy. “What did they mean by asking you about being an afronaut?”
Beaumont frowned at the statement. “We’re in space and things have not changed that drastically from two hundred years ago.” The old vet paused. “We are in space and we,” he said lifting his hand and showing it to Oggy. The boy smirked. “We, are the workers, the laborers. They,” Beaumont said, raising his chin in the direction of the three men on the opposite side of the compartment. “They, are the bosses, the managers. So, in this power structure they found a way to label us.”
“We are afronauts,” Zuzu said with a disgusted look and a finger pointing to her hair. “They are astronauts.”
“That don’t sound right,” said Oggy.
“Right or wrong, it is what it is,” Beaumont said.”

Excerpt From
Onto a Sea of Stars
Mark Sneed
This material may be protected by copyright.”
― Mark T. Sneed, Onto a Sea of Stars: The Adventures of Christian Drake and The Unintentional Space Pirates