Chapter 2: Language

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X

Language plays a crucial role in acknowledging identities while also following rules that adhere to imposed gender roles. The significance of X is intentional in acknowledging identities that have been erased due to misogynistic language and suppression. The X alludes to the identities beyond the English language incomprehension. The English language is limited and Anglo-Saxon based, which is rooted in patriarchy. In acknowledging the vastness of gender and escaping the binary, X is a gender-neutral language. It is a language that is not rooted in the oppression of groups that have been oppressed and silenced. It is the intentionality of correcting a wronged history.

An example of this intentionality of recognizing those silenced is using X in the word folX. "Folks" have traditionally been seen and accepted as a gender-neutral term. The inclusion of X in reference to titles and nouns that refer to humXns is a means to highlight those who have been impacted and affected by misogyny. No group is exempt from colonial influence, either be directly or indirectly.

Another example includes using the X with words with "man" or "men." Examples of this include changing "woman/women" to womXn and "humans" to humXns. In this manifesto, particularly, "amendments" and "commandments" are changed to amXndmXnts and commXndmXnts.

Each time "men" appear in sequence, "e" will be replaced with X regarding gender and authority, such as “men” and “amendments.” Correcting gender-identifying words means correcting the default language of masculinity that has impacted and formed the English language (Kerr, 2019). In pointing out misogyny and intentionally adding X, it acknowledges an oppressive system.

The deliberate and intentional inclusion of the X when referring to womXn and folX is a radical act in acknowledging identities that has been silenced by language and limited by it. It is the deliberate inclusion of identities that have been overshadowed or not acknowledged. X acknowledges that gender and sexuality are fluid, with varying identities existing and coexisting at once. The X is a push against the standard, gender confining language. It allows for Black folX to be as they please.

Thy Shall

Having been raised in a Southern Baptist Church, words such as "rules," "forbidden," and "laws of God" are centralized in the Christian belief and verbiage. These rules are centered around the "10 Commandments." These commXndmXnts establish morality and governance that humXns must abide by for soul security in the afterlife. This fear and laws drive those to "do good" and into submission. This same fear and irrefutable laws are used as grounds for repression and suppression. The "10 Commandments" were used as grounds of obedience with the penalty of being deprived of entering the pearly gates of Heaven.

The beginning of the manifesto opens with the "Afrofuturistic CommXndmXnts." In replicating the original "10 Commandments," the "Commandment" language takes an authoritative tone. There is no room for debates or questions. These commXndmXnts are absolute. The commXndmXnts are rules that humXnkind must follow. In mimicking the authoritative and absolute tonnage of the "10 Commandments," the Afrofuturist CommXndmXnts sets a tone in the art process that allows for Black folX to exists. The commXndmXnts serve the purpose of elevating Black WomXn while also protecting them. In addressing a world and safe space for Black WomXn to prosper, we must first create a model that is free of misogyny and the effects of colonialism. The commXndmXnts sets a stage that protects Black WomXn rather than suppressing them into a patriarchal, submissive, demeaning will. Rather than establishing actions and forbiddance, the Afrofuturist CommXndmXnts serve the role of establishing a physical, emotional, and mental space that is free of symbols of oppression. They serve as a protection rather than establishing morality that is Eurocentric based.

Black WomXn

When referring to Black folX, the “B” will be capitalized.

In capitalizing womXn, it will happen in the sequence where Black is first. Black WomXn is a title that is synonymous with being a noun.

[3] (Laws, 2020)