Time Travelling While Black

[@ellapastoral]

Personally for me, time travel movies are always subtle horror movies for me. Never knowing what the hell is actually going on, and then you add racism there too, oh lord i would hate this for me and my friends. Great video by the way.

[@Aishyo]

Understandable, but if I could choose when and where it would be pre colonial Africa. Kingdom of Benin although not too confident in my Yoruba 😅

[@tamiausten873]

​@@Aishyo I don't think it's so great either. It could be a nice place to visit and leave after a short while. Maybe if you are over 30 everything will be fine, unless you are a man then you can stay as long as you like. Africans were free but some rules and traditions have been abandoned for the better, trust me. I especially like the idea of no rent, bills or school though 😂😂😂. Just eat from my family farm and go to sleep, never knowing what a landlord's visit sounds like 😂😂😂.

[@Aishyo]

Oh yeah for sure just a short visit to see how things were

[@beyiokuibukun9602]

​@@Aishyomy yoruba would be the reason they would have killed me 😂

[@gamingwhileitshot8040]

​@@AishyoWhat about becoming a superhero while black? I just bumped into your channel as a new independent comic creator, my first issue is nearly done and decided to ask you what do you think of my synopsis? Christina Nightbird Little Wolf Cesar is transcended more by her Haitian and Native American backgrounds rather than by her unusually unique name. Her two backgrounds are two cultures paralleled in the belief of the supernatural. She is haunted by consistent dreams compounded with strange and mysterious pains that are rooted in a tragic time in her life. There are two murders, possibly linked to one another, being investigated by Officer Castillo that may have implications of danger for Christina. It all comes to a head when the person who is the source of the dreams and pains makes their way to claim Christina s life. She is protected by her loving mother, Claudia Little Wolf Cesar, who is of Haitian descent. Shilah Little Wolf, her uncle who is of Native American descent, juggles the tasks of getting revenge for his brother s murder and risking his life to protect his niece. The protection she gets from her family is also in combination with help from her late father, whom she s never met. Her best friend, Cecilia Cruz, treks on an adventure as Christina s life continues to hang in the balance. The indomitable power of the one who searches for Christina cannot be easily stopped by her Native American culture. They receive a small glimmer of hope from Madame Moise, a Haitian voodoo priestess. There is, literally, a race against time to save Christina s life before it is too late.

[@Did.You.Forget]

I asked my mom once what time would she go back to if she had a Time Machine and (me, being an optimistic child anticipating a beautiful answer) she told me stone-faced “well you know we can’t go back too far into history, we’re black.” That hit me like a ton of bricks.

[@Here_is_Waldo]

You can go as far back as you want. Anyone time traveling would have to avoid certain periods to stay out of harm, but there's plenty of African history to explore.

[@vullord666]

@@Here_is_WaldoThis. I mean it's really unfortunate (and shows just how racist our society still is) that there's such a concept that the only "history" is white European. Humanity literally BEGAN in Africa. And humans themselves are one of the most recent species to come about on the Earth. It sucks that every time travel story (including the ones that aren't specifically trying to make commentary about the reality of America and other countries racist history) are so closed minded in thinking time travel means colonial America or Victorian England.

[@availanila]

As a black disabled woman, I wouldn't time travel even to the 90s and I was alive in the 90s. It's only getting easier and easier for me as time goes on. Also, I'm African in Africa from an African tribe.

[@helper809]

honestly, I would want to go to the future or go to my tribe in Africa before colonial times. But, mostly to the future, life gets easier as time move on, and i would really want to see how life would be in the future.

[@baddreams4368]

@@helper809 Wouldn't necessarily say life gets easier tbh.

[@EdwardGaydosIII]

@@helper809 imagine a futuristic Africa, oh of Jack panther did that. I'm white but that's pretty interesting to me.

[@vullord666]

Why not just time travel to not post colonial America? I mean modern science puts the origins of the entire human race as starting in Africa. Just because the majority of time travel Sci fi is written by white people who don't take the time to understand they aren't the center of everything doesn't mean you're limited to traveling to where they think history starts and stops.

[@mychannel-rt2gn]

I will never shut up about how Josephine Bakers banana dress was meant to satirize how the French treated her like a dancing monkey who they would present to the Americans and say “See! Look how well we treat our blacks” But the French didn’t get it to the point that one of their recent Miss Universe contestants, who was a black woman, was put in a banana dress for the competition. It’s been nearly a century and they still think they were so great and progressive. Imagine my second hand embarrassment for an entire country. These people are just different

[@no.6377]

I honestly had no idea that was the point of the banana costume. I did find it somewhat irksome that it was a banana costume Ms.Baker chose because of the monkey comparisons we've had to deal with for centuries. But the satire flew right over my head. Thank you so much for this explanation.

[@BravoRox]

If the French think they're so progressive. Ask them to return the money they gotten from Haiti for freeing themselves from the French. 💁🏿‍♂️

[@melgross122]

She expressed how she felt she was treated better, more as a human by the French, which is why her performances could expand. The banana skirt was one of her first costumes, a response to her early dancing days (in the US) in which she was not considered attractive enough to be just 'sexy' she also had to be funny and provocative, so she leaned into minstrelsy. Not to excuse the French from anything, but there's a reason she adopted it as her home and even volunteered to spy for them in the second world war.

[@MsElizaRae]

Highkey I thought she just thought the banana look was kooky and artsy or something..

[@haywoodjablowmi1427]

Embarrassed for a whole country ? Good this none of what you’re talking about was done by the whole country I guess. The misinformation is strong with that one. She literally said herself she felt like she was treated like a human over there, she chose this country. She said she never felt afraid in France. She chose to serve as a spy for the French resistance during World War II, she was decorated for that. She even actively participated in French propaganda under De Gaulle ( the man who basically liberated France ). She loved the country, she was naturalized French. And today she in the pantheon, next to Nobles, scientists and philosophers. She faced racism of course, that doesn’t change the fact that she was shocked to see how she and other black people were treated better in France than in America. Baker wanted to be scandalous ( she said it explicitly) . She did all sort of things to challenge the conservative norms. The banana belt as well as her dancing, the background etc was supposed to represent exoticism and eroticism. She played with these stereotypes and used them to her advantage to shock. And she eventually broke free from them and established herself as a literal French hero. What you’re talking about is a modern interpretation that isn’t a fact…it’s one of the potential interpretations of her art. Did she fight against racism ? Yes. But you’re painting it as if she was awfully treated in France and she was actively complaining about it when she literally willingly dedicated a huge part of her life to France, helping the French and became French herself. It’s a blatant rewriting of history, you’re just injecting your hatred for the French when she objectively was in love with the country. Why would she choose France if she was just a dancing monkey to them ? Why would she do all this ? Why would she get naturalized ? Why would she risk her life for France by joining the Resistance during a world war ? To me, implying that she was treated like that while continuing to be so adamant about her love for the country sounds like an insult to her intelligence and legacy. And I must’ve missed the referendum that French people participated in to choose the Miss’s outfit. How could these 68 million people miss the point so hard ? Embarrassing that this whole nation ( and definitely not a small committee of less than a hundred people ) could be so ignorant 🤦🏾‍♀️ ( /s) ( sorry if I write too much, but I also am passionate about the subject and her as a person. I tried to put spacing to make the reading easier lol sorry again.)

[@Randalftown]

I loved that you went over the black knight because people need to know that racism as we know it didn't always exist. Medieval Europeans knew that other people that looked different existed, but they didn't have pre conceived ideas of what they were like based on their appearance. There are many accounts of people from Asia and Africa writing about their experiences in Europe and having very different experiences, not based on what they looked like, but what their status in society was.

[@lewa3910]

God that time when conservatives tried to clown on Angela Davis learning she was descended from Slavers as if it invalidated her work was so stupid. They're just boasting about how inhumane they are at that point, ignoring about the rampant SA happening by their white daddies. Absolute brainrotten conservatives. I remember catching The Black Knight on tv during the holidays as a 90s kid visiting my cousins in Bangladesh. I mostly remember thinking it was a fun comedy back then so id def wanna rewatch it. Only know about the 'Kid in King Arthurs court' from nostalgia critic, that seems fitting. Nice Haruhi reference xD I think the timeloop movie i've rewatched the most is 'Edge of Tomorrow'. See You Yesterday looks amazing, and I definitely need to check it out, despite the heavy subject matter. Along with Kindred and Timewasters. 26:00 floored me XD

[@Aishyo]

I'm just learning the same thing happened quite recently with another Black woman who went on the show to find out about her lineage so no lessons were learned

[@carrington2949]

They act as if the mixed race children of these unions went on to inherit the property and continued the family line. 😂 You can literally find posters in books of mulatto children for sale. There are flyers for runaway slaves listing “ One Negress and her mulatto child” wanted for capture. Then again they are trying to rewrite history.

[@TheBasalte]

Hi. I'm not from the states and I've seen a reaction of the Angela Davies clip. Since then I'm wondering why the comments under the video were so homogeneous. Are every political content or channel from US only watched by people who supports that political idea ?

[@lewa3910]

@@TheBasalte what's the problem with that? Or do you think that's even a problem?

[@TheBasalte]

@@lewa3910 That's a problem for me because homogeneous environment like that or not being confronted to others political ideas allow the emergence of extreme ideas like terrorism. Ps: I'm learning English.

[@The482075]

I loved how Umbrella Academy acknowledged the racism of 1960's America. Sure it was watered down heavily, but hey Doctor Who rarely factors this in.

[@Deepseadread6]

Yeah I’m a white doctor who fan, I’ve watched every episode at least twice and it’s commentary on racism is entirely either vague and allegorical eg: aliens as standins for marginalised people, or like super brief single lines from black characters that are never explored or elaborated on. The whole show has very big “all racism is to me is white people being kind of mean to black people” vibes. Speaking as someone with a lot of love for doctor who its attitudes towards race are definitely its biggest problem for me and for sure have limited my enjoyment in the past. Martha especially brought out some really cringe moments from the tenth doctor that are pretty hard to overlook. Sorry for the rant I’m autistic about doctor who lol

[@LadyLocket]

I love Dr Who (and similar shows like it) and they rarely show what it would truly be like for anyone who wasn't a well-educated, wealthy-appearing male. They do often do a quick nod or reference to it, usually with little consequence but move quickly on to the main story. People with ‘poor’ accents/birthplaces, limited vocabulary/speaking skills, lower education, someone from the ‘weaker sex’ or ‘lesser races’ would find time travel to the past as very difficult, scary or very dangerous depending on the location and time. Should Dr who address it with the weight and gravity it deserves, in my opinion, no. Dr Who is meant to be a fun impossible romp through a fictional space and time, with a lot of heart. It never tries nor claims to be anything else and it regularly ignores science and reality to tell its stories. It's regularly historically inaccurate, very loose with time loops and lasting butterfly effects. We need fun silly escapist fantasies where anyone can have adventures regardless of who you are and where you are from, just as much as we need serious stories that tell and teach reality. However, if a program wants to be seen as serious writing and representing true history then it immediately invalidates itself by not writing storylines/characters that would naturally come up against these issues as true obstacles and situations with knowledge and good research.

[@Jadealanee]

@@Deepseadread6really? I personally liked that they touched on it with Bill ( meeting the blue man on the ship where the Doctor goes blind) and they had an episode where they saved Rosa Parks (one of the very first episodes with the lady Doctor). I liked how they did it because I think the show covers discrimination and prejudice in many ways that I think can slip in and touch people’s sensitive parts before they see it overtly.

[@Deepseadread6]

@@Jadealanee yeah it’s definitely gotten better in recent years, but up until the 13th doctor they hadn’t had a single non white writer and it showed. I’m not saying there’s never been good moments in doctor who covering race, just that it’s always been pretty shallow. Like to me even with bill it didn’t feel like insightful commentary or anything with a deeper understanding behind it, it more just read like they were crossing it off a checklist. I’m not an authority though I’m completely just an outsider speaking on my own knowledge of doctor who and what I’ve talked about with other fans who aren’t white, so I’m open to the conversation!

[@vullord666]

I love Doctor Who but it's a British TV show literally from the 1960s. And it shows. The show hardly ever explored beyond a white euro centric view of earth's history and when it did, it never did it quite well... I mean as a black viewer I can appreciate attempts at trying but it's clear when people are just completely ignorant of the issues they're trying to highlight.

[@MIchelle4reel]

I’m so sad kindred was cancelled. Never really given a chance

[@Thed538dhsk]

It had a terrible trailer. I saw the trailer and thought it was going to be awful.

[@Kniero]

Read the book! Also read other works by Octavia E. Butler. She was such a wonderful writer.. it's a shame that she was lost so soon. Much of her work focuses on femininity, androgyny and what it means to be a black person in settings where being such is seen as either bizarre or threatening.

[@seeleunit2000]

Well, at least there's a graphic novel and the original book.

[@seeleunit2000]

​@@KnieroYou're right. I started reading Kindred and it was a good book.

[@theblankpanther]

I wouldn’t even trip at its cancellation if it had been super faithful adaptation. I’m even more upset bc there’s enough changes from the original text, that I would have really like to see where they would have taken the story in the way they were telling it. So many things left in the air, plus I really liked the cast and the acting choices made.

[@NextToToddliness]

As an indigenous person native to the land now called America, this thought has always crossed my mind, when thinking about what time travel would be like for myself or someone like me. It wasn't until I saw Timewasters that I really felt like that question was answered, but in the most comical way possible. Great video!

[@john2g1]

I can't remember the exact seasons, but I think it's 5 and 6 of a show called Outlander. It's centered around a WW2 era White British woman who travels back in time to Scotland just before the last failed war for Scottish independence. Yada yada season (?) picks up in British colonial America. Unfortunately it's told from the perspective of the main protagonist, but we find out the ability to time travel is genetic. A group of various First Nations peoples travel back in an attempt to alter the course of history before America becomes a thing. Given the massive success of Prey and Reservation Dogs; it wouldn't shock me if an Indigenous American time travel show was coming.

[@JoJoOnYouTube]

Oh im a descendent of indigenous people of Mexico and I would imagine we'd face a lot discrimination.

[@kennethhymes9734]

Angela Davis is a hero, a great moral philosopher, a leading light of political theory and practice. Her invisibility in the present moment speaks volumes about the ongoing sickness of amerika.

[@92JazzQueen]

She's a bigot

[@ebonyangel951]

There was an episode of the Animated series "Static Shock" called Future Shock, where the main character Virgil (aka Static) travels 40 years to the future to the Batman Beyond future and meets his future adult self. Not sure if that's exactly what you're looking for, but it's the closest I could think of.

[@suki9268]

That last quote "..the future is free" was short but so powerful. There's so many perspectives I didn't even consider about time traveling before this video. This video made me realize how much unexplored territory there is of time traveling involving race or any intersecting identities too. I'm indigenous and I hope to see something similar of natives being the main protagonists one day. Lately I've been imagining the everyday life of my ancestors, pre-colonialism or even during the late 1800's. I daydream about time traveling and being a fly on the wall of my ancestors. On the optimistic side, the time traveling trope seems like it can be a powerful tool for POC. Face to face conversations with history and the present, unable to separate ourselves or our identities for convenience or comfortability of others. If there was a positive rather than trauma based take of this trope in a film, to me I imagine it would be bittersweet, some resentment of what was taken and lost, fun and exciting moments and some appreciation for our ancestors. There is so much untapped potential in this trope I hope to see one day.

[@Aishyo]

No you made so much sense. yeah I wish we had more stories that were pre colonial because so much from both our people were destroyed a lot was lost to time and seeing how their everyday lives were back then is so intriguing and any chance to de-centre whiteness I am here for.

[@tauntingeveryone7208]

Very thoughtful video essay. I am curious what your thoughts would be about black people traveling back before the invention of race. I know you kind of touch on it with the Black Knight but it would be interesting seeing stories time traveling back to ancient Greece or ancient Asia. However, the problem with a lot of time traveling stories is that the further you go back the more likely you will just straight up die. I am definitely going to check kindred and time wasters. Both stories sound so interesting.

[@Aishyo]

Thank you. I personally would love to see time travel stories where the protagonist goes to pre colonial Africa racism wouldn't even be an issue. Like Europe and North America shouldn't be the only destinations . I was scrolling through a black romance Booktok hoping to find a Black Outlander type book

[@antonizajkowski9698]

​. Ohhh I would love to read a non-white Outlander

[@planetdrull1701]

The further back you go not just you would die, but possibly anyone that meets you. Diseases have been growing alongside humans for a long time.

[@Here_is_Waldo]

Probably best to avoid Asia. They didn't have the best regards for anyone who looked different, from my understanding.

[@kennethhymes9734]

subscribed. You had me at defending Angela Davis from those ghouls.

[@whatsupariiiii]

min 16 - wow that detail really went over my head when watching see you yesterday while the teacher was warning the kids about time travel he was actually reading kindred

[@mwenyachikwa4685]

Time travel is def my favourite trope. Definitely would travel to pre colonial southern Africa and just document styles and fashion.

[@BravoRox]

I would take pictures and videos, so even further back to Egypt and just record what I can. I would then tea h the African gun powder just to fuck up the timeline

[@Sh12pen]

There was friendly trade in the tudor era between Spain and parts close to it in Africa, to the point where there was a black trumpeter who was close to the king

[@Sh12pen]

So if you went back to that time period as an influential person, africa could butterfly effect to become a powerful continent to rival America

[@Aishyo]

@Sh12pen in Spain? Is there a name attached to the trumpeter or are you talking about John Blanke because I mentioned him at 14:00

[@Sh12pen]

@@Aishyo I didn't watch that far into the video, lol

[@DiaryofDeans]

I haven't heard anyone mention Black Knight in years!!! It's one of my favorite time travel movies 😭.

[@HiroZephyrr]

The graphic novel for the Kindred sections was such a good touch 🔥🔥

[@whullysmo]

Someone who references both Black Knight & Haruhi’s endless 8 is already a real one, great video!

[@CheyenneLin]

so happy that this one finally is out! i know how long it was in the making. glad to see it come to fruition :)

[@Aishyo]

Oh Cheyenne you know all about my struggle 🥹 thank you

[@caramazzola2399]

Goats!

[@s-wo8781]

Wow did not know about that mummy eating part. I'm glad I finished my food before that came up.

[@sarahthomas8670]

PLS😭😭😭

[@chaos4654]

Its all apperantly because someone screwed up in translation with a food called mummia being mixed up with the preserved corpses.

[@solarmoth4628]

I never knew Timewasters got a series two. I have to go watch it right now. I was obsessed with series one in high school. I thought it got cancelled after series one. This is the first video I’ve seen from you, it was really great.

[@Aishyo]

💜💜 Welcome

[@jaetallawah3522]

This video essay was just sooo brilliant, i don’t normally comment on KZbin videos but this video came up on my new to you page and I literally subscribed within the first couple of seconds lol. It’s amazing to see this kind of content that’s unapologetically black and also looks at black British content and isn’t just super American centred. Thank you for the labour and love you poured into this video, I’m putting notifications on IMMEDIATELY and I can’t wait for your next video🫶🏾🫶🏾🫶🏾

[@Aishyo]

Why are you gassing me up like this I'm shy 🫣🫣 but really though thank you

[@morganqorishchi8181]

I adore this video. I do wish you had discussed the first series that made me think about this, though: Time Warp Trio. When I was six to ten years old, I loved reading the books. By the time I was 12, I found it kind of uncomfortable that no one ever remarks on Joe, the main character, being black (and Indian, since his grandmother is from India). He's the main character, he has the book that lets the three of them time travel, we see his great-granddaughter has the book in the future and she's black, and yet the books and the animated show refuse to mention race. He talks to NAPOLEON! The man who made slavery legal again after France had outlawed it! And no mention is made of Napoleon being racist to him or Fred, another member of the trio who is Sephardi (Turkish and Moroccan Jewish). They talk to George Washington without there being a conflict. 16 books and a TV series and race never comes up even once. I'm not black, but I've lived in the South. The idea that no one in the past would even remark on Joe's race felt as uncomfortable to me as the series only being about it would've been - it felt detached from reality entirely. As an adult, it's pretty hard to reread the series knowing what I know now about race. It feels like a lot of media is afraid to engage with race in time travel for fear of making the white people in the audience uncomfortable. I'm really grateful that the KZbin algorithm threw your video my way. While I'm Central Asian and white, and thus very ignorant regarding black topics, I'm trying to learn more and understand the ways in which media is portraying black people and other minority races. As someone who wants to be a writer someday, insights like yours help me in a lot of ways. Many of the things you listed here, I hadn't heard of, and I wrote everything down on a to-watch list. It's good to highlight things like Timewasters that discuss historical realities without veering into the realm of exploitation. I can't imagine how much work goes into being a KZbinr - I can only imagine writing the scripts for video essays takes ages, nevermind the editing process - so it might be kind of hollow coming from me, but I really appreciate the effort that went into this. The world needs these kinds of videos.

[@Here_is_Waldo]

From what I understand, Napoleon didn't really want to bring back slavery at first, he was talked into it by others. Later in life he did abolish it again, and It's been that way ever since. It's entirely possible that Napoleon wouldn't really have cared about someone's race if they were of other interest to him.

[@Mahawww]

Great video! Black to the future should definitely be a thing!

[@malayka2175]

I didn't realize how much I needed this video. If youre still seeking Black recommendations, I'm not sure if you read The Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler (which is technically set in a dystopian future, though race isn’t a MAJOR part of the plot). You're so honest and candid, I hope you’ll do more essay type videos like this. ♡ Subscribed!

[@morganqorishchi8181]

The Parable of the Sower is so underrated. It highlights the intersection of race and poverty in ways that feel natural and flesh out the sci-fi setting while also echoing how racism functions in our world today. It really deserves more love.

[@dre_withwithout]

The Black Knight knowledge is really appreciated 😂

[@morivice6835]

I'm screaming just got home I'm gonna get a snack so I can enjoy this

[@MxFourhornes]

37:46 I’d like to mention, if I’m not jumping the gun. Mike Pondsmith, a black game designer created Cyberpunk 2020 RPG. He was influenced by previous artists like Philip K Dick but he influenced many artists afterwards like Yukito Kishiro and Neal Stevenson.

[@Griot-Guild]

Yo I didn't know this, thanks for the info seems like an interesting dude!

[@redjohniii8665]

I did not know this, thanks for the info. Yukito Kishiro is one of my favorite manga creators so it's nice to know where some of his inspiration comes from

[@MxFourhornes]

@@Griot-Guild he is a VERY interesting guy. He should be just as if not more famous than Gary Gygax.

[@MxFourhornes]

@@redjohniii8665 I’m a die hard fan of cyberpunk because of Alita and inspired works. I wouldn’t know who Pondsmith was without Kishiro

[@redjohniii8665]

@MxFourhournes I feel the same about being a fan of cyberpunk bc of Alita. Could you recommend any fiction books that are similar to Alita that I could read? I know of manga that are similar but when it comes to books I'm not familiar with cyberpunk themed stories. Other than Philip K Dick like you mentioned

[@zainmudassir2964]

My favourite historical black person travel abroad is Mansur Musa,King of Mali. He with his entourage went to Makkah for Hajj and along the way inadvertently caused inflation in Egypt because he donated so much of his wealth.

[@papi_sativa]

He owned slaves

[@DestinyNeoGirl]

@@papi_sativawhat a non-sequitur

[@qazwsx014jsbd8]

​@@papi_sativa bro it was the 1300s! So many people had slaves back then that doesn’t even seem indicative of a bad character. Slavery has existed for millenia, and the transatlantic slave trade (and the racial tensions that came with it, at least towards black people) only came about in the 16th century. Beforehand, slavery was a prevalent and normalised part of many African and western cultures. Yes, slavery is obviously terrible, but we shouldn't take people from our extremely distant past and judge them based off of present morality systems - that was just how things worked back then.

[@kertagin1]

@@qazwsx014jsbd8 while I agree with you, Mansa was not just an owner he was part of the active supply chain, as well as a user (those salt and gold mines needed constant resupply of workers) by any standard you or I would recognize Mansa was a horrible human being. but by his day he was just one more ruler prizing wealth

[@reggiechapman7275]

Well you just got a fan on the title of this video alone, i remember when my mom broke this truth to me after the 100th "hey ma im going to time travel one day".Her exact words were "You know you black right?"😂😂😂

[@reggiechapman7275]

Just finished the video,WOW

[@EezhamDemon]

Omg I watched BLACK KNIGHT so much as a kid. Great to see you back. Loved this piece. TIMEWASTERS looks hilarious. Keen to check it out

[@Rodanguirus]

Shoutout to Animorphs, when they end up in an alternate past U.S. and run into some open racists. Cassie, the one black member of the team, asks if they'd prefer she was white, then proceeds to turn into a polar bear and terrorize them.

[@InvasionAnimation]

There was a time travel show called secrets of sulpher springs starring a black girl and her white friend going back in time to the 1990s and 1960s to save someone's life, it is a mystery themed kids show though.

[@usualrandomartist5500]

Amazing video, and of the few times I've seen two issues I think about a lot actually be acknowledged. How what's supposed to be fun little coversations like "what time period you'd like to visit?" just don't work for me since being both mexican AND gay really limits me to only the past decade being safe. Also the issue of how even today one has to purposefully seek out black and brown stories, meanwhile white people have the luxury of just turning on the tv and easily find themselves without even thinking

[@MothsAudioandVideos]

Excellent work as always, Aishyo! So glad to see your name pop up in my notifications.

[@Aishyo]

How sweet thank you so much, likewise

[@jakewiafe9330]

Saw Timewasters in the thumbnail and had to click! Good to finally see some love for such an underrated show (ITV did it mad dirty), was everything I wanted from a depiction of Black time-travellers on multiple levels. Great video! 🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾

[@LikeChattingWithAFriendReviews]

This video is amazing! Thank you! I know this took a lot of effort and it turned out fantastic!

[@devinmitchell4170]

As a sci-fi lover this has always been a subject close to my heart but difficult to explain to my non-black people in my friend group. Shout out from Memphis Tn. Well done love.

[@simmyjester]

35:54 Star Trek: Discovery has Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) traveling from the future (the 23rd century) to further into the future (the 32nd century) between seasons 2 and 3.

[@Aishyo]

Yeah i watched that too, but I was specifically looking for a character from the 21st century going to the far future kinda like Fry in Futurama. I know there's something out there my hunt continues

[@simmyjester]

@@Aishyo I'll keep an eye out too. :)

[@taylor3950]

@@Aishyo okay Series 3 of Doctor Who, episodes 3 and 11 Martha goes to the future. Still haven’t found a full plot line with that premise though!

[@ciggyfreud]

I wasn’t gonna leave a comment but that Erika Alexander interview clip is so good and the interviewer saying “I know that’s right!” at the end made me actually smile, this was such a well done video! The way you described everything has made me wanna check out all the shows you mentioned, especially Time Wasters. You’re so easy to listen to even when it’s rough subject matter, I’m gonna have to go on a binge now ❤

[@Gollybone]

This is an enthralling study I'm so pleased to have found; thought-provoking, entertaining, and well explored. Nicely done. Glad you're better. I too now am looking forward to a black future-travel story. I'm definitely watching Timewasters with family and friends!

[@M4TCH3SM4L0N3]

I LOVE the good vibes interlude, and I LOVE you talking about Black Knight and the historical context of Moorish Knights! Literally, the moment you brought up the movie I was getting ready to talk about how much more accurate it is than so many other more "serious" medieval films! ❤

[@ellebee4112]

You should try the book Woman on the Edge of Time by Marge Piercy. The main character isn’t black, she’s Mexican American. But the book touches on issues of race and gender. It tells the story of a woman travelling to a utopian future. The start of the book is really quite a difficult read and there’s some tough subject matter to get through. But you kind of need the dark to appreciate the hopefulness of the future and just how alien it is to the protagonist. The book asks some really interesting questions and I always wish I could find more people who have read it because I’d love to hear people’s opinions on it!

[@MIchelle4reel]

How about synchronic. I would recommend that movie for black time travel. And the second season of altered carbon

[@Aishyo]

Added to my neverending watch list

[@meltdownremix1996]

So glad to see you back! I hope your health is good this 2024 🍀

[@nicklundy9965]

Well i grew up this special called "Our friend Martin" that was my introduction to the concept of time travel and African American history.

[@d-m.n_--2]

This is an example of something that is painful to watch, but absolutely needs to be seen. Thank you so much for making this.

[@SensetiveKaiju]

lmfaooooo the mortal combat and Shango reference in less than 30 seconds got my subscription so quick 😂😂

[@lainadelpay]

I enjoyed this video essay! I love video essays and to find such a niche one discussing Black people and time travel was a treat. I’ll have to check out Timewasters

[@millsgurl8358]

Glad to see you’re back! Hope you fell better. And this video was excellent and now I’m gonna add Timewasters to a list of shows I must watch.

[@PlantGothKira]

"and that's on Sango and Oya", yeah you get a subscribe. Respect.

[@T4N7]

❤️💜💙 nice sticker :3 Apparently here in Canada it is common practice now to do DNA ancestry tests during an autopsy, which in the case of my father, who was adopted, was very help for me n my sister. Finding out that he had Mezo American heritage didn't really surprise me, somehow it felt like a puzzle piece that I always knew was missing, but then my stupid smart butt went n looked closer at the maths on the percentages n realized that heritage probably did not come consensually. I can only imagine how much worse that realization would've been if I had to witness it first hand. The part about not being able to enjoy the time travel do to racism is sorta something I can understand tho as a trans woman since there r many countries that I would never be able to travel to without endangering myself. Honestly I've never gotten a passport cuz the idea of an emergency layover stopping down in 1 of those countries terrifies me. The bigotry is bad enough here in a country that claims to be progressive, but this means I can never go to Egypt with my fiancé to see his homeland, among many other places. I could pretend to be a cis man when travelling as my legal papers still all use my dead name, but I spent 30 yrs denying who I am for fear of my safety until I realized that by doing so I effectively was alrdy dead inside. Hate me, beat me, rape me, kill me, no matter wut happens I'm done hiding who I am. 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️❤️💜💙 Oh, I hate to be the barer of bad news but Bishop from X-men isn't of African decent, he is an Australian Aboriginal. Defs a black comic icon but his people went thru slightly different hardships, tho only slightly, cuz European colonizers sucked everywhere they went.

[@kathylennerds750]

I had NVER heard of Timewasters but you make it sound absolutely fantastic. Definitely gonna put it on my list!!

[@shifty220]

Great stuff as always and was soo kl to hear yharazayd's voice too!

[@Aishyo]

Thank you, yhara is my fave.

[@KingBonnett]

Thank you for so many great book and digital recommendations, I didn't even know Doc Who is gonna have a black main, I'm gonna get back into the show

[@marshsundeen]

Nctui Gatwa is a wonderful Doctor Who so far. I think this Isa good time to jump into the show. Some episodes are silly, others are more serious.

[@grandsome1]

Octavia Butler's books are brilliant, but depressing af. Too real.

[@MG-mh8xp]

I saw this in my reccommended and I was immediately like "This is something I need to watch"

[@Necrophadez]

Doctor Who: (2 part episode) Human Nature & Family of Blood was an interesting story for the character of Martha Jones, with the situation the Doctor puts her in that she has to navigate.

[@DavidB75311]

I'm so glad the algorithm recommended this video to me. I love Science fiction and as a person of colour with mixed heritage I'm interested in learning more about how race intersects with society. So this video about time travelling while black really appealed to me. But best of all, I have some great story recommendations that i never would have known about otherwise! Thank you so much for doing what you do and I've subscribed!

[@xianxiaemperor1438]

Very interesting video, I hope we see more Black Sci-Fi fiction set in the far future and more Alternate History literature set in Africa like a story based on what if Great Zimbabwe survived and modernized? or what if a Swahili Sultanate was created following a rebellion by slaves breaking away from slavery in East Africa? or what if the British were beat back by a coalition of West African states? etc.... Also just more African Fantasy stuff based on Traditional African Religions like the Serer religion and African mythologies/legends/folktales in general would be great :).

[@shekwaga]

Excellent video! New subscriber!

[@JordanSullivanadventures]

Your comedic timing is incredible XD

[@afroborilafemme]

This was an AMAZING doc!!! You picked such great pieces of sci fi, too. (I didn’t watch Kindred because I read the book and comic and I just didn’t want to be disappointed by it. Though I wish I had watched if only to give it more viewership.) I love sci fi and I love seeing my people in sci fi, but one of the biggest tropes that upsets me is the idea that the future will be some kind of racial utopia. So many sci fi books and films will still feature socioeconomic struggles, but yet racism is nonexistent. All good science fiction is always a reflection of current societal issues. How is it that these worlds always have the same power struggles we deal with today yet so many of them have intermingled or even new mixed races? You can solve racism, but you can’t solve corporate greed and corruption?! 😂 That’s why it’s so important to have POC voices in the seats that matter. Not just writers and film makers, but editors, publishers, producers, and executives as well.

[@parkgeonhees]

YES!!!!! I love Timewasters!!! So glad to see someone talk about it

[@taylor3950]

Thanks for the recs for non-grim black time travel!

[@Samraaaa2]

Doctor who has always been my favourite show and the reason I loved time travel narritive since i was a kid especially seeing Martha Jones the first Black companion arrive in season 3 who i loved as a kid, however in revisiting the show I do not think they did a great job adressing how it would have actually been for a black women in that role. In season 10 the second black companion Bill Potts joined, and she was amazing and they did a slightly better job adressing race with her but really I am just excited to see what they're going to do with Ncuti Gatwas 15th doctor. Since its the same showrunner returning to the show that wrote Martha I am apprehensive as to how they will tackle going into the past but also how the doctor behaves bc when the doc was a white man he kinda moved throughout time with comfortability some of his female companions especially his female companions of colour didn't have

[@The_Nordic_Doctor]

noting, not to be mean or that annoyng person :/, but just noting: 12th punched a racist. I agree the way of how it was done with martha was kinda poor yea, could've and probably should've been more adressed. another thing: yes I know because humans see the dr as a human because of the appearance and the appearance might resemble a white man etc, but I'm just noting that because the dr is a timelord, technically they (not plural) aren't or could possibly not be either a man nor a woman, just with the appearance, time lords look human, humans look time lord etc.

[@CTEagleCeltic]

Glad I stayed till the end… watched the original airing of the 4400, back in the 2000’s… didn’t know they made it again. blessings!!

[@Themoreyoumo]

This video is great !! 10/10 and I’m not even finished with it yet 🎉🎉

[@joyceakrasi3099]

I really enjoyed watching this. Thank you so much!

[@soulresonance4073]

I clicked this video specifically to see if you would mention Kindred. I am not disappointed😂❤

[@imasking1658]

This was a wonderful dive into black experiences in time travel! An intersection of concepts that I especially enjoy. You could have also added the future character of Benjamin Sisko on Star Trek Deep Space Nine. Set in a future where he has complete agency and is allowed to lead without diminishing his blackness or having it be the most prominent feature of his character. There are two standout time travel centered episodes of DS9 relevant to your video essay. Far Beyond the Stars and Past Tense.

[@doodle7070]

I watched See You Yesterday a few years ago, with my Cousin, and I remember really liking it. I also remember when Timewasters came out. I really wanted to watch it but I’d never end up doing so.

[@zerechan]

The Haruhi part of the video earned my sub cause SO TRUE

[@evanrachelhood]

I’m so glad I found your channel! Thank you for introducing me to Timewasters and Gladys Bentley 🙌🏾

[@n3rdboink]

you went in on this one holy shit!!!!! amazing video

[@n3rdboink]

fully had to pause this video, watch the first three episodes of Timewasters, and then resume

[@DayliteJones]

I enjoyed this very much. And I'm not surprised there is no media depiction of us traveling to the future. We need that asap.

[@elliot2331]

This is the first time I've ever heard anyone talk about Timewasters, I thought I was the only person to have watched it. It's a great show

[@squarecymbals]

This is such a beautiful video, thank you

[@bishopblack3360]

I'm so happy to have stumbled upon this video! I'll check out all these suggestions.

[@Ochuyyy]

I’m pretty sure in the graphic novel series “Paper Girls” they go to the future and one of the main characters is a bw

[@kiarawatkins762]

even got an Amazon Prime show, but canceled after 1 season 😢

[@Aishyo]

I remember watching it I liked it too. It was buried in my reading list time to actually get to it

[@danikahholdman2609]

See You Yesterday was a fiiiiilllm. It’s what got me into black Afrofuturism. I went on to watch Lovecraft Country, Watchmen and Timewasters series. I found that film Antebellum, so hard to watch.

[@wokeaf1242]

Thank you for introducing me to Timewasters, I did not know this existed before this video.

[@kudjoeadkins-battle2502]

The star of “Kindred” was also gorgeous!!!

[@bzargoodboy]

You really put me on to a lot here. Thank you.

[@gunmayhem1106]

For some reason the first black time traveling character that came to mind is Teferi Akosa, the time wizard from Magic the Gathering, who is one of my favourite characters from that franchise.

[@koladarling3872]

This was so good Aishyo glad you're back to making videos

[@JC_Cali]

Wild to me that there's not present-day black protag that goes to the future. I'm sure it's out there and I've seen it, but can't think of any. I'm looking forward to when they come across our radars!

[@nickjohansen9038]

I'm only 12 minutes in but I really love your video. I really hope you make more. Your message is important and needed rn.

[@JordanSullivanadventures]

I didn't realize the good vibes section had ended so I was definitely waiting for a comedic reversal in the police brutality time loop story starring Marty McFly

[@Aishyo]

Oh no sorry 😅

[@Pirategod23]

I never thought I’d get a video on this, but here I am. Brava.

[@serpentious]

I just read all of Octavia's Lilith's Brood series, although not quite about timetravel it does focus on Lilith a Black woman from contemporary times that awakens later in the post apocalyptic future and has to navigate her life with other survivors and their new Alien overlords.

[@Aishyo]

Omg Dawn! It has been ages since I last read it that I forgot the plot but it counts as time travel because Lilith was in a suspended state. Thank you for reminding me 💖💖 ok time for a re-read

[@serpentious]

@@Aishyo I'm glad I could help. As a black writer myself, I really enjoyed this video and has me thinking of expanding my own time travel narrative. As for Dawn, I really appreciate what it set out to do and I'm planning to make a video discussing the themes within. Thank you for getting me back on task. :)

[@serpentious]

@@AishyoAlso if that counts the Demolition man also.

[@spluff5]

There's an episode of Star Trek Deep Space 9 called Far Beyond the Stars where a character from the 1950s has visions of the far future.

[@PassiveAssassin]

I got way more than I was expecting in this, thank you. Also, I'm definitely rewatching Black Knight tonight while doing my paperwork, I haven't seen that since i was a little, and we still had a wood boobtube with the dials. Either way, I'm subbed now. Also, Dr. Who never got me either but having the guy who played Eric on Sex Ed has me sold, one of the best performances in a series packed with great acting.

[@thefloatingpiano]

welcome back!! i love this video

[@angelr5694]

Thank you for covering Timewasters. Most of the time shows that are promoted to us in America are white shows. So I am super excited to watch this show.

[@playfulpanthress]

My sister, the BEST Dr. Who is the Tenth doctor, David Tenet, in his third series. His companion is Martha Jones (Freema Agyeman) and it is my favorite. Bittersweet, Martha is probably the worst treated companion. Part of that is due to the previous companion, Rose, being a fan favorite. All that aside, series three has some of the best episodes of the show.

[@tiaelise74]

Would like to know if you've seen Timeless? When Rufus is told he has to operate the time machine, he initially says no & states why. It was a great show, that was cancelled too soon.

[@Aishyo]

I did it was one of the many shows that I watched for research

[@tiaelise74]

Great video, by the way

[@vickywicky08]

This is why I tell people that if I find a time machine, I’m destroying it. Not only am I black but I’m also a WOMAN the present is, scarily enough, the safest time for me

[@MsUchenna12]

Agree and don’t want white ppl to get the Hand on it to