Breaking Barriers - Opening the Conversation of Race in America

Oye, mira.

Let me begin by saying this: It is extremely important, before engaging in any of these topics through literature or through conversation, to give yourself grace. Understand that we don't know what we don't know, and we have the power to learn and expand our minds. Here are some key tools I want you to take with you through your journey to growth and understanding of race.

1.) Identify the difference between white people, and racist white people. To equate racist white people and white people as one and the same should tell everyone where your understanding lies on the subject matter. When people address white people who are being racist on social media, they are only addressing racist white people. Also, not every white person who acts racist, knows they are being racist. There is a difference between ignorance and hate. Ignorance can be educated, however the hateful must be held accountable. Be kind to yourself when coming to terms with however your limited understanding on this topic may be. If you feel any hesitation about people calling out racists, you may have some internalized racism that needs to be addressed and eliminated. It doesn't make you a bad person, it simply means that having that self awareness is one step closer to getting to where you need to be.

2.) Although white privilege is real, we also need to understand that privilege of circumstance also lives in the same space. We see this when poc fortunate enough to be raised privileged start to exemplify white supremacist talking points, politicizing topics like equal rights and humanity, all while denying the reality of the POC experience. POC who have privilege of circumstance and speak with white supremacist undertones, are tokenized by racist white people. These people of color have a skewed perspective because of their privilege, or create conservative content for clout. It's important to understand why individuals do and say what they do in order to better empathize and move forward.

There are three experiences that our three remaining generations are facing here in America, and they are something we need to acknowledge and talk about more and more.

1.) The Immigrant Experience today:

This experience is found within those who chased the “American Dream” and came to America and succeeded as early as the 1930’s. There is an inner conflict that exists which makes them unable to speak out against oppressive behavior. They can’t talk about the racism that they have had to endure in our country, the death threats they receive, and their prideful upbringing prevents them to speak out and complain publicly.

Examples of this can be found in the Islamophobia experienced in New York during 9/11. It was easier for them to ignore it than talk about their experience publicly. Store owners were getting beaten, robbed or killed by Americans who didn’t take the time to educate themselves properly. Depending on where they are from, they may have also adopted colonial ideals in their home country. There is racism against other races in many Hispanic and Latin American countries and territories too.

Sometimes, immigrants have been found surrounding themselves around natural born citizens who accept them because they have been applauded for hiding behind their accomplishments. Ever hear white people talk about an Indian doctor and say, “Well, they’re the good type of Indian”, or a Black Politician and say, “they’re the good type of black person.”

Immigrants have a pure survival mindset which means, they are more inclined to put up with whatever struggles they must face. They also often choose conservative politics because they are looking after their own businesses they’ve built, and have an underlying fear of losing it. Conservatism has been spoon fed with ideals about less taxes for businesses, and more wealth for business owners. You also don't often get immigrant business owners fighting against American racism with Anti-Asian hate crime initiatives, or BLM initiatives in fear for attacks on their own businesses.

Because The Conservative mindset is built on ensuring the survival of Capitalism, and Class systems over humanity, the immigrant is going to do whatever they must to ensure survival of their hard earned wealth.

As noble as the immigrant experience can be, the values that come with it, such a strong work ethic - it is equally met with passed down teachings or the accepting of toxic ideologies, leaving the first and second generation immigrants fueled by trauma. These trauma’s are also left unaddressed; ignored, for fear of being excommunicated by their family.

2.) The European American Born Experience:

- Skin tone is a status characteristic used in society to evaluate and rank the social position of minorities. Race was a social construct created by the French roughly 442 years ago, and immediately adopted by Italy, the English, and later intensified by the Spanish; it was a human invention that was used used to give white settlers the illusion of power over those being invaded.

When we look at the systemic racism we have ingrained into our American society, created by slave owners for white men, it’s no wonder why we are where we are today. Systemic oppression has come in the form of education limitations, voter suppression, the filibuster, wealth distribution, home and bank loans, rights, redlining, and policing, all under the guise of governmental authority or cultural opprobrium.

The one common factor whites can share with the marginalized is that we are all products of a broken and oppressive system. Instead of being targeted because of the color of their skin, or having trauma ignite during interactions, racist white Americans have suffered from a sense of fragility when coming face to face with inequality. Equality to the privileged feels like oppression. There is a mental and physical break down that occurs when inherently racist white people come face to face with accountability in regards to their ignorance. It ignites a "lashing out", reactionary and defensive behavior. More often times than not, racist white people weaponize their privilege.

3.) The POC Experience:

- There are three types of privilege that exist: the privilege of wealth, the privilege of skin, and the privilege of circumstance. Not every poc or marginalized person experiences oppression. There are many who have been fortunate enough to be raised around non poc and progressives, who encourage their individuality and fight for human rights. There are some who only experience racism once or twice in a lifetime. Then, there are some that experience it more times to count.

If you never had to wake up and have a conversation with your kids about how to treat an officer of the law when pulled over, or to not wear dark hoodies at night, or to not linger in front of a store with your friends, then chances are, you don’t know the poc experience. You will see poc who will overlook racism, or accept it in small quantities, simply because they feel they can have status in a world where POC don’t have any. These poc will usually surround themselves with individuals who don’t understand the poc experience.

This is not always the case, my intention is not to generalize with this article, however there is much truth to all of this.

My point in writing this is this:

Our life experiences not only form our opinions, they coddle forced ideologies. We get so lost in our own truths we forget that we live by one universal fact, humanity and the ability to live life as we are, is a right. This means it is our human right to live white, black, hispanic/latino, Asian, gay, straight, trans, non-binary or otherwise. It is our human right to live fed, and healthy with access to health care. Many people dislike others who look or act differently. If we can understand that we may never fully understand how someone chooses to live, and learn to respect one’s freedom to live out their individuality, you will find it easier to see the contributions we all offer to society. In my honest opinion, this is our first step towards real peace.

Start a conversation with someone who doesn’t look like you and ask them what growing up in their shoes was like. Adopt empathy. Remember that we fear the unknown, and our minds are programmed to protect ourselves when we encounter moments that seem scary. Remember that racism is a mental health issue. In some cases it is an illness, and in others it's an emotional responses fueled by past teachings and experiences.

Like

Comment

Share