Why BRICS Should Recognize Diaspora Communities in America — A Bold Vision for Economic Sovereignty

I believe it is the time for bold moves, politically. You have to perceive the momentum of the trends that are taking place, and be decisive about it. And I think people can have a role in shaping the political and economic landscape of the 21st Century. It is not going to look like the last century, and I think you can have a role in determining how it DOES look. I am talking about paradigmatic changes. This is absolutely not a time to be complacent, or defeatist, or pessimistic or timid. Not at all.

We are living through a period of tectonic transitions in global power dynamics. This isn’t the same old “we are at a crossroads” rhetoric that politicians always repeat. There are massive changes taking place in the international order, this transitional period is very real, and it opens up possibilities that were previously unthinkable. So, we need imagination, creativity, and boldness, in my opinion; combined with organisation and discipline and persistence, of course; but I truly believe that we are moving into an unshaped future that we have the power to shape for the first time in a very, very long time.

The West is eating itself. America has been functionally reduced to a regional power, not a global superpower. They are hollowing out the state, Europe is being economically colonized and dismantled. All of the powers that imposed the world order upon us that we have always known are either suffering imperial osteoporosis, anaemia, hemophilia, or dementia. None of the rules and paradigms they imposed need to be retained, none of them need to be maintained or preserved. More important than a power vacuum, there is a vacuum of organizing principles for the world order; and we can actually have a role in filling that vacuum, in my opinion. I am saying, we can actually organize the world differently. All those Western imperialist concepts can be jettisoned. Those concepts they used to divide and rule, to trap, to restrict, to dictate, to set the parameters to define, and so on; to tell us what reality had to look like, how it had to operate, and so forth. We do not have to be bound by any of that anymore.

I don’t know if people really grasp how momentous this is, how significant. Like, ok, you see Trump doing things and proposing things that seem completely out of left field. Buy Greenland. Turn Canada into the 51st state. Leave NATO. Gut the federal government. Defund USAID and the NED. On and on. But what I am telling you is that he is not the only one who can do this. There is no “inside the box” thinking when the box is being taken apart. You can propose and initiate and pursue previously unthinkable things too. And you should.

Prime example is Burkina Faso. The whole Sahel region, actually. But Burkina Faso is consistently taking the lead. Unprecedented steps are being taken. Ibrahim Traore is proposing ideas and policies that would have been things you only daydreamed about on your couch 10 years ago. And things are moving very rapidly. Faster than I have ever seen in my lifetime. And here’s the thing; that vacuum is going to get filled rapidly as well. So, again, now is the time for bold ideas and movements.

The Article 6 campaign is such a movement. It would have been impossible to imagine expelling the United States from the United Nations just a decade ago, but it is completely feasible today. We already have 100,000 signatures on the petition, and we are moving forward with that campaign.

But also, for instance, I mentioned the idea of using the logic of Trump’s Gold Card Visa program, which commoditizes American citizenship, he is selling US residency and citizenship for $5 million; which turns citizenship into a product, into an asset; so, you can use that same logic to push for Americans to have the right to sell their own citizenship for either a fixed price or a negotiated price, because why not? I’m not joking. Do it. Start a petition for that, start a movement for that. Organize. Demand that right. You should. There is no reason whatsoever why you shouldn’t push for that. There is no telling where that can go, and the kind of impact and outcome you can achieve from something like that. Don’t be timid. It is the wrong time to be timid.

You know, I also mentioned quite some time ago that African-Americans, if they constituted a country, well, they would probably apply to join BRICS. They would be a significant developing economy. Well, I think you should take that seriously too. Not just African-Americans, but all so-called minority groups in the United States. All members of the global majority living in America.

Bear with me here.

This is an idea that could fundamentally shift the economic and political landscape for so-called minority communities in the United States: the prospect of these communities gaining recognition within BRICS as economic extensions of their ancestral nations. This is not just a theoretical discussion; this is about real empowerment, real economic sovereignty, and real political leverage. But again, you have to be bold enough to imagine it and to bring it into reality.

Let’s just stick with African-Americans, Black Americans for the moment.

If we assessed the African American community as if it were a sovereign country using the BRICS admission criteria, the results would be compelling. One of the requirements, or part of the criteria for BRICS membership is that you have to be a Large and Growing Economy. OK, let’s look at that.

The total African American GDP (if considered as a separate economy) is estimated to be $1.8 to $2.0 trillion, making it roughly equivalent to the economy of Brazil — a founding member of BRICS — or South Korea.

Now, when we look at the Black American community, and think of it as a distinct nation, as if it is a country; well, we see that it looks very much like a colonized country. So, for instance, while as an economy, it is quite substantial, economic growth rates lag behind other BRICS nations due to systemic barriers like wage disparities, lack of wealth accumulation, and limited economic sovereignty. Just like a colonized nation. Think about that. You can literally think of the African-American community as if we are talking about a colonized African country that, rather than being invaded from without by colonizers, it was amputated from Africa and brought over to where the colonizers are. It is a colonized African country inside America. Just put that in your mind.

Now, another criteria for BRICS membership is that you should have a Diversified Economy.

Well, African Americans contribute to every economic sector in America — from media to technology, healthcare and finance, to entertainment and sports and so on.

But again, just like a colonized country, there is a lack of control over major industries and corporate ownership. Most economic participation is as consumers and employees rather than business owners or investors. And obviously, a great deal of that is due to systemic impediments — just like a country under colonization.

BRICS also looks at whether you have a Significant Trade Volume. Obviously, African Americans do not control international trade policies but have a high consumption power, estimated at around $1.6 trillion annually, or more. Meaning, they play a major role in America’s overall trade relationships globally.

I mean, think about it. Don’t think of the African American community as just a collection of consumers within the United States, but as a sovereign economic force — a nation with its own global trade relationships;

Like I said, If we took African Americans as a separate economy, it would be worth over $1.6 trillion in consumer spending — that’s larger than most countries. But the question is, are you just a market to be exploited, or will you assert your own interests in global trade? See? This is exactly one of the issues colonized countries have always struggled over.

Look: the only reason countries like China, India, Japan, and South Korea sell as much as they do in the United States is because of you. Your spending power fuels entire industries, yet you have no direct relationship with the nations you trade with. Instead, your role is reduced to being passive consumers, while corporate middlemen dictate the terms of trade on your behalf. On your behalf, but not in your interests.

Why are you allowing yourself to be a colony when you should be a nation?

I’m saying: Take Direct Control of Your Global Trade

Ask yourself this: if African Americans had a sovereign economy, would you let foreign nations extract your wealth without negotiating fair terms? Would you allow others to speak for you in trade deals? Or would you send trade ambassadors to China, to India, to Africa, to negotiate on your own behalf?

1. China: Your Biggest Supplier — So Why Are You Not at the Table?
African American spending drives massive imports from China — clothing, electronics, beauty products, appliances. Without your consumption, many of these industries would collapse. That’s a fact.

So why are you not negotiating with China directly? Why don’t you have African American trade delegations meeting with Chinese business leaders, setting up direct partnerships, bypassing the American corporate middlemen who mark up prices and control supply chains? If African Americans had their own independent economic councils, they could establish direct trade relationships, cutting costs, increasing ownership, and ensuring fair treatment. Do you see what I am saying?

The second largest foreign trading partner of the African American community is India: The Hair and Beauty Industry.
African Americans spend over $1.2 billion annually on hair products — a significant portion of which comes from India. But are you negotiating with Indian suppliers as an equal trading partner? Do you have African American trade ambassadors in India securing direct sourcing agreements? Why allow multinational corporations to be the gatekeepers when you are the ones sustaining this industry?

If you control the flow of capital, you control the industry. You should be setting the terms, not just being a customer. Because look, I know we always act like being a consumer is exclusively a weak position, but it’s not. There is no business without consumers.

Even The European Union: Do you know that you keep The Luxury Market Alive
African Americans spend billions on European brands — Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Balenciaga. What if, instead of just buying, you demanded equity in these companies? What if you had a stake in the very industries you support? You can negotiate. You have leverage. You have the power of your spending. Use it.

And ok, if we think of African Americans as a country unto themselves, then obviously your biggest trading partner of all is The United States itself.

African Americans spend the bulk of their income on housing, healthcare, education, and entertainment, all controlled by American corporations. Right now, you don’t negotiate your role in this economy — you simply accept whatever is given to you. But why should African Americans allow their wealth to be extracted without any reinvestment? This is a dimension of corporate democratization.

You are not just workers or consumers in this system — you are the foundation of wealth for entire industries. So you should be negotiating like a sovereign entity.

Become a Nation Within a Nation — and that is for all so-called minority groups in America.

Eeconomic sovereignty does not mean isolating your community economically — it means control. It means that before a single dollar leaves your community, it circulates within your own networks. It means that you dictate the terms of your trade relationships, not corporations that just exploit your spending.

This is what every nation does — unless it is colonized.

So now, the question is: are you going to continue playing the role of a colony, or are you going to take your place as a sovereign economic power within the United States? Because until you do, you will remain what you have always been in America: a resource to be extracted, not a force to be reckoned with.

BRICS also looks at a potential member’s Investments and Infrastructure

Infrastructure (housing, education, healthcare facilities) is largely either corporate or state-controlled, and systemic issues have historically deprived African American communities of equitable investment.

There is an emerging trend of investment in real estate, tech startups, and financial institutions, but it remains relatively small. But this shouldn’t disqualify a nation from BRICS, rather it should be one of the motivations for joining, and for BRICS seeing the potential and promise of such a partnership.

The, what is it, fifth criteria? For BRICS is assessing Human Development

African Americans are highly educated (over 90% literacy rate) and have strong representation in various professions, arts, sciences, and politics. So there is no issue there. But then you have the colonization elements that undermine human development: disparities in healthcare, incarceration rates, and systemically engineered generational wealth gaps, and so on, all pull down overall human development indicators.

Then you have what BRICS calls Global Governance

There is little direct influence on global institutions like the UN, IMF, or World Bank, but African Americans have soft power through cultural influence, activism, and political engagement. So, there is something to be said in that regard.

And the last criteria for BRICS membership has to do with Regional Influence

Well, African Americans have strong political influence within the U.S. and are unarguably a cultural global superpower; they just do not act as a sovereign geopolitical entity.

But, through cultural exports (hip-hop, sports, film), activism (Black Lives Matter), and political influence within both parties, they shape policies domestically and indirectly influence international affairs.

If African Americans were assessed as a nation, they would likely partially qualify for BRICS but face key limitations in trade control, investment autonomy, and geopolitical influence. The economic scale is significant, but the lack of a sovereign state structure and control over resources would be major barriers to full inclusion.

But I am not really talking about full inclusion. Even by looking at BRICS membership criteria, you can see areas to focus on within any so-called minority community. Look at ways to address those key limitations, and so on. The point here is to liberate your thinking from the paradigms and concepts and self-serving rules that the colonizing nations imposed to create the world order of the 20th century, and start pouring in new ideas, new ways of thinking, new concepts and so on, to see what you can develop.

In my opinion, We need to reimagine the status of minority communities in the U.S. African Americans, Latino Americans, Asian Americans — all of whom have historical and ancestral roots in the Global South — should not be seen as mere ethnic demographics within America. They are, in effect, diaspora nations that could function as economic and political entities within the BRICS framework, as extensions of the nations from which they originate. We are talking about an unofficial country within a country, one that maintains active economic ties to their ancestral homelands. The political strategic value of pursuing something like this is incalculable.

Think about Indians. It doesn’t matter how long an Indian has lived in America, or even if they were born in America — according to India, they are NRIs, non-resident Indians. They regard them as a part of their nation, a part of their economy. The ties are strong as steel.

Now, like, for African-Americans, many do not know which specific country, which land, their forefathers were taken from in Africa. They don’t know where their forefathers were when their feet stepped off the soil of Africa onto a slave ship. But, again, Burkina Faso is putting forward a solution to that issue by offering citizenship to any Western descendant of African heritage who was taken into bondage. Meaning, potentially, the African American community could choose to identify as Burkinabe, as part of the Burkinabe diaspora. So, let’s say we do away with the thinking of borders and whatnot, and just think about people. And any Global South nation could include in their population, and in their economy, all of the people in America who come from that nation in the Global South — no matter how long ago they came from there. Or, again, if you choose to take up Burkina Faso’s offer. Then, for instance, Burkina Faso becomes a population of not 22 million, but 63 million, living there and in America. Non Resident Burkinabes. And the same applies to every immigrant and so-called minority community in America. I mean, you know they talk about 2 million Palestinians in Gaza, and 3 million in the West Bank; but no, the Palestinian population on earth is around 15 million people, at least. There are over a billion Africans on earth, you understand? So-called citizenship is nothing but compartmentalization for the purposes of making domination and oppression more manageable. Stop thinking within this framework.

you are an extension of the land you came from, a member of the global majority living in America. And build cohesion, be one community, one community spanning both countries. The in-nation population and the diaspora. And then you can work on a framework for BRICS to recognize a country’s diaspora as an affiliate in its own right. As its own economic entity.

Now, obviously: this would not be a simple process. BRICS is a bloc of sovereign nations, so how do we fit diaspora communities into that structure? The answer is to redefine what it means to be part of BRICS — not necessarily as a country, but as a Diaspora Economic Zone (DEZ) or a recognized BRICS extension.

Of course, there are obvious problems or challenges, I mean, The U.S. government would perceive this as a challenge to its sovereignty, so you would have to emphasize that economic self-determination is not political separatism. Historical precedents exist, such as Native American tribal sovereignty, and so on. And, in fact, yes, Native Americans should seriously consider BRICS recognition and membership for themselves as a sovereign people.

And of course, there is fragmentation within so-called minority communities in America. Not every individual within these communities would immediately recognize the value of this movement, so mobilization is critical. And of course, a well-defined legal and economic structure is necessary to make something like this viable, to ensure compliance with both U.S. and international law. But there is no reason why this cannot be hammered out, in my opinion.

To make this vision a reality, minority communities in the U.S. must unify and develop an institutional framework that mirrors a national economic entity. So for instance:

1. Establish a Unified Organizational Structure

We need to form a Diaspora Economic Council (DEC) to serve as a governing body for this initiative. This council would:

• Represent African American, Latino, and Asian communities with ties to BRICS nations.
• Develop leadership roles, regional chapters, and advisory boards with economic, legal, and diplomatic experts.
• Establish a mission statement that aligns with BRICS principles of South-South cooperation, because that is how you have to think of yourselves: as part of the Global South who are incidentally in the North.

2. Build Economic Infrastructure

We must prove our economic viability to BRICS. This means:

• Creating a Diaspora Business and Trade Registry to unite minority-owned businesses.
• Developing Diaspora Investment Funds (DIFs) to pool financial resources.
• Partnering with BRICS-affiliated banks to negotiate investment and trade opportunities.

3. Mobilize Politically and Diplomatically

We must engage directly with BRICS embassies and policymakers. This requires:

• Hosting diaspora summits with BRICS ambassadors and economic leaders.
• Sending official delegations to BRICS forums to advocate for recognition.
• Building alliances with diaspora-friendly politicians within the U.S.

4. Define Legal and Institutional Frameworks

To avoid legal barriers, we must:

• Explore special economic status models similar to tribal sovereignty or Special Economic Zones (SEZs).
• Draft legal agreements outlining how BRICS nations can engage with U.S.-based diaspora groups.
• Assess international legal frameworks that support diaspora economic recognition.

5. Mass Mobilization and Public Awareness

This movement cannot succeed without grassroots support. We must:

• Launch BRICS Diaspora Information Centers to educate and engage minority communities.
• Utilize social media, podcasts, and newsletters to spread awareness.
• Organize town halls and public forums to involve local leaders, business owners, and activists.

6. Engage BRICS Nations Directly

Once we have established our internal structure, we must seek official engagement with BRICS leadership. This involves:

• Drafting a formal petition to BRICS leaders, outlining our proposal and its benefits.
• Securing endorsements from influential figures in BRICS nations.
• Hosting a BRICS-Diaspora Economic Summit to solidify partnerships.

Why This Matters

This is about more than just economic opportunities; this is about rewriting the rules of global engagement. For too long, minority communities in the U.S. have been marginalized within the Western economic order. Aligning with BRICS provides a pathway to bypass economic dependency, reclaim financial sovereignty, and connect with a global network that shares our interests and struggles.

Conclusion

The time has come to think beyond the confines of national borders. We are not merely minorities in America; we are economic and cultural extensions of the Global South, capable of leveraging our collective power for real economic transformation. If BRICS truly aims to challenge Western economic hegemony, it must recognize the strategic importance of engaging with its diaspora. The potential is there, and I think the time is right for pursuing these kinds of things.

Again, just move towards this, and you never know where you will end up. But in the process, you will build bridges, build connections, build networks, open lines of communication, and over the course of pursuing something like this, you will see that you become less and less marginalized, less and less treated as or perceived as minorities, you are part of the global majority,