Speculative Toolkit: The Secret Society of Imperio
I’m continuing my visual interpretation of a key section of Sutton E. Griggs’s Imperium in Imperio: A Study of the Negro Race Problem. I’m calling attention to the subtitle, “A Study of the Negro Race Problem,” as a way to think about the political perspective offered by Griggs. Often seen as a father of the black nationalist perspective, Griggs is linked to community activism, often described as “racial uplift” ideology. What distinguishes Griggs from later figures is the inclusive logic employed by Griggs.
“During slavery this organization confined its membership principally to free negroes…”
From my perspective, this section of the book offers the strongest speculative element. The careful consideration of the creation of the secret society weaves elements of black history into a tale of black agency that is compelling for the contemporary audience. The black scientist Griggs described can only be Benjamin Banneker. Banneker’s career as a mathematician, astronomer, and naturalist is well documented. Famously he corresponded with Thomas Jefferson about slavery and racial equity, offering important counterpoints to Jefferson’s racist ideology.
“…as those who were yet in physical bondage were supposed to have aspirations for nothing higher than being released from chains, and were, therefore, not prepared to eagerly aspire to the enjoyment of the highest privileges of freedom.”
By taking up this real history in the context of his fictive work, Griggs reminds his black readers that African American had done much to resist racism since the founding era of the United States. This point, that his readers are African Americans, is crucial to the liberatory aim linked to the work. The problem Griggs is trying to address is the systemic racism facing black people. The idea of uniting in opposition to this racism is a common response in the black experience. Yet, the approach offers hinted here is to demand space and control the future in a manner that give black people choices that slavery had long denied. I can only imagine the idea was thrilling to a black reader in 1899 or 2024.
