Who Get’s to Be A POC?: Self-Identifying & Privilege

 

Riosucio The one-drop rule was a construction of a white supremacist colonial system that depended on classifying race in order to protect its grip on power.


I don’t actually know any “white” person who goes around saying they’re black. But I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say that’s not a conversation I necessarily think we should shut down every single time. While they may not carry a “political” experience of blackness, there may be cultural, geographic even gendered, classed or religious reasons why a white person may say “hey, I’m black”.

I think sometimes we’re too quick to say “nuh-uh, you can’t just come over here and say that. Stay in your box. You can’t understand this pain, you can’t get this identity.” And we play misery poker and shut folks down.

I know plenty of Latin@s who are definitely “white-presenting”, but who consider themselves POCs because of language, culture, national ties etc. I also know some folks from South Asia and the Middle East (ex: Persians) who are officially considered to be “white/Caucasian” but who consider themselves POCs as a result of their identities as immigrants, as post-colonial subjects or even because of the dramatic shift in how the U.S. viewed people from South Asia, the Middle East and North Africa after 9/11. buy Lyrica online ireland Marginalization and oppression don’t draw neat little lines and racism is often tied up with classism, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia etc. etc.”

 

Community Village‘s insight:

 

My highlights from a great article from one of Steven Riley’s (of Mixed Race Studies) favorite blogs, Mixed Dreams, towards a radical multiracial/ethnic movement.

 

PS: POC means Person of Color

 

@getgln

See on mixedreamers.blogspot.com