The Creators of Soulaan define it’s meaning
Many people have been curious about the origin of the term Soulan aka “Soulaan” and what it means and who created the term Soulaan, Soulan? Soulaan was created by its creators T-Roy, Maroc, and Dwayne Coleman (Midnight), is an ethnic designation rather than a nationality. It is not designated for (black) melanated immigrants and this is not a flat Black nomer. It’s used to describe the native Black Americans of North America, specifically those who are descendants of chattel enslavement in the United States. The term "Soulan" pays homage to the deep cultural association between Black Americans and soul, symbolizing the "Soul people." Who is Soulaan is used in order to establish who is specifically defined under this nomer.
This term distinguishes indigenous Black Americans who descend from slavery in the U.S. and reflects their unique ethnogenesis, we are the indigenous Black population of North America that admixed with the 400,000 Africans brought as enslaved laborers during the 17th-18th centuries with their Anglo-Saxon European colonists that brought them and Native Americans who were also present.
"Soulan" joins other terms used to describe this group, such as African American, Freedmen, Black, Afro-American, Mulatto, Black American, American Descendants of Slavery (ADOS), and Foundational Black American (FBA).
Black Americans’ decision to rename themselves is not new, nor should it be very controversial. In 1950’s it was still common for Black Americans to be called Negros. In the 1960s, the Black Power movement was launched, and people were proud to call themselves“Black Americans.” For so long, “Black” was used in a negative manner, and Black Americans hope to reclaim it.
In the 1980s, civil rights activist Rev Jesse Jackson popularized the term “African American” to promote pan-Africanism among the diaspora. The idea was for Black Americans to realize that they belonged to a larger group of other Black people worldwide. Some pushed back against the term. Some felt there was little to no African replication between us, others argued that it was confusing as many didn’t want to identify with double nationality. Can Africans or other foreign melanated people from places like Nigeria, Haiti, and Brazil be considered Soulan? No.
Here’s the video that started it all:
https://youtu.be/UkPdPidilnM?si=C7UD5Yb-sF57Kl6E
How did the name Soulaan come about?
The creators came together for an interview to explain the origin. T-roy, Maroc, and Midnight agree Soulaan was created in 2020 with just one A used to define Black Americans after an infamous video T-Roy posted on TikTok. According to T-Roy another A was added about a year later to mean “Autochthonous American” introduced by Dwayne only to change it solely for aesthetic purposes as an idea from Dwayne (Midnight). As of September 2024 a council of peers including the creators felt the two A’s needed a meaning and have since went back to claim “Autochthonous American”. It has since grown to be a recognizable staple of social controversy, especially on TikTok. You can find the full interview streaming on all platforms for podcasts, follow Soulaan by Maroc Horus.
Why Soulan?
It’s another popular social nomer/identifier to legitimize ourselves.
What is the Soulan / Soulaan Flag:
The Soulan flag or Soulaan Flag was designed by Maroc in 2024 with the creative approval of Dwayne (Midnight) & T-Roy. Formally announced August 9, 2024 with much satisfaction of other fellow Black Americans. The flag includes the modern standard American flag with the golden sword and wreath found on the Black American Heritage Flag to pay homage. With the presence of indigo being a primary cultivation in Black American culture included in the American Flag, it was pivotal to recognize Grace Wisher and other Black Americans who helped to design and stitch it.
The Black American Heritage Flag was created by Melvin Charles and Gleason T Jackson in 1967 in response to the things that took place during the Civil Rights Movement. They were hoping to do something to make progress for the Black American community and finally decided to make a flag that would serve as a representation of Black American culture.
The flag features a Blunted sword in the center, surrounded by a wreath of figs. The blunted sword symbolizes pride and the ability to blunt the early. The flag features red and black stripes. The black represents the pride of having Black pigmentation. The red represents the blood that Black women, men, and children have shed in the fight for freedom, equality, justice, and human dignity all across the globe. The gold represents prosperity, intellect, and peace.
Melvin Charles is quoted as saying they faced opposition to the flag, but others supported it. Just like today.
What is Black American / Soulan Culture?
Black American culture was born out of creativity, and our ethnogenisis of African, European, Native, and Indigenous Black American roots.
Black Americans are a unique North American ethnogenesis, with ancestral ties to five to six continents. Despite the trials of enslavement, they cultivated agricultural wealth and built foundational cities in the U.S. They also established Historic Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and registered over 50,000 U.S. patents between the mid-1800s and mid-1900s. Black American mathematicians were instrumental in calculating the trajectories for the NASA moon landing.
Black American athletes broke barriers across more than fifty sports, earning numerous national titles and Olympic gold medals. Legendary groups such as the Tuskegee Airmen, Buffalo Soldiers, Wild West figures, abolitionists, and civil rights activists are celebrated as icons in film and history. Humanitarianism remains a core principle in Black American politics.
In the culinary world, Black Americans created the rich traditions of Soul Food, Louisiana Creole, and Cajun cuisine. They also developed and preserved distinct languages such as Gullah Geechee, Louisiana Creole, Afro-Seminole Creole, and Tutnese, a secret language forged during enslavement. The Black American dialect, known for its ability to express complex ideas succinctly, is spoken globally.
Black Americans have earned prestigious honors, including Oscars, Grammys, Emmys, Tonys, Golden Globes, Nobel Peace Prizes, military distinctions, and awards in fields such as dance, choreography, art, literature, teaching, and humanitarian work.
Their beauty standards have left a lasting influence, popularizing afros and braids during the Hippie movement, in films like "10," and on 70s TV shows like "The Brady Bunch." Cultural movements like Black Power ("Say it Loud, I'm Black, and I'm Proud"), the Harlem Renaissance, and hip-hop have ignited global cultural revolutions. Black American music and dance styles are imitated and embraced worldwide.
The Black American musical legacy includes genres such as work songs, spirituals, gospel, ragtime, jazz, American folk, blues, country, boogie-woogie, big band jazz, swing, scat, rock and roll, doo-wop, bebop, jump blues, bluegrass, rhythm and blues (R&B), soul, Motown, funk, disco, Philadelphia sound, house, hip-hop, rap, and military cadences like the "Duckworth Chant/Sound Off!" Soul.
You can follow the creators on social media
Collective Account:
T-Roy:
Twitter - @PREZIEH
TikTok - @tywontletshitfly
Maroc:
Twitter -@Maroctv_
Tiktok - @Marochorus
Instagram - @Marochorus
Midnight:
Twitter - @Soulchild868
Tiktok -blkd892
Check out the Creators interview on the latest episode of #StraightFacts podcast by Maroc Horus.