Non Black people of colour need to dismantle Anti Blackness too

FROM ONE NON BLACK PERSON OF COLOUR TO OTHER NON BLACK PEOPLE OF COLOUR

Anti Blackness and colourism is rife all over the world. Many of us non black people of colour are often either complicit in our silence during moments of Anti Blackness or actively participate in Anti Blackness and colourism. I’m hearing about many South Asian aunties and uncles denouncing #BlackLivesMatter protestors, accusing them of being “thugs” and “terrorists” and engaging in severely Anti Black rhetoric. And it is our responsibility as Anti Racist Non Black People of Colour to dismantle this rhetoric in our families and communities.

WHAT IS COLOURISM?

Many recent and significantly more accurate definitions of racism talk about how power structures should be considered when thinking about who can be racist, so when we have different groups of colour acting in ways that are perceived to be racist towards other groups of colour, it starts to beg the question – can people of colour who are also oppressed by white supremacy be racist?

There is the argument that we cannot be racist (although there are many different schools of thought on this and this is not the place for that discussion), but we can certainly be Anti Black and colourist. Colourism is the preferential treatment of lighter-skinned individuals compared with their darker-skinned counterparts.

“But it bears repeating: colourism is a seed that was planted by white supremacy and watered within our own communities. Its roots still lie very much in the mainstream: the idea that we live on a colour-coded spectrum in which the lighter you are, the whiter (and therefore, better) you are is replicated in wider, whiter society every day.”

Yomi Adegoke

HOW IS COLOURISM DIFFERENT TO ANTI BLACKNESS?

While colourism focuses on the privileges that people of colour with lighter skin have, Anti Blackness is rooted in the same racist and negative stereotypes about black people. Anti – Blackness can also impact non-black people with dark skin, but it’s because of the harmfully wrong associations with racially prejudiced connotations of blackness.

Non black communities use these stereotypes and racialised prejudices to distance themselves from black communities, predominantly to maintain levels of power, whether that’s socially, economically or politically.

Ultimately, as non black people of colour, we are capable of both colourism and Anti Blackness while upholding white supremacy. We have a lot of work to do!

POST COLONIAL ANTI RACISM RESPONSIBILITY

You may have noticed the prevalence of both colourism and Anti Blackness in South Asian communities for example with campaigns like #DarkAndLovely in response to the harmful skin bleaching product Fair And Lovely. Much of this Anti Blackness comes from colonial white supremacy that we all still dismantling in many other ways, but many non black people are not looking at it in it’s racist and colourist legacy..

It’s even more significantly our responsibility as Anti Racist South Asians and Anti Racist People of Colour to actively dismantle colourism and Anti Blackness at all levels. It’s not just a fight for white people, it’s all of us. White people aren’t alone in upholding white supremacy, we have also been complicit in our pursuit of whiteness.

Just as white people this week are having challenging conversations with their Trump voting grandparents, it is our responsibility to do the same with our colourist family, friends, peers, co-workers, neighbours and community members.

WHAT YOU CAN DO AS A NON BLACK PERSON OF COLOUR

ADDRESS YOUR OWN ANTI BLACKNESS

Many non black people of colour have grown up in an extremely normalised colourist environment so it’s important that we look at working on our own internalised Anti Blackness and dismantle it.

Anti-Blackness has been deeply embedded in Asian and Asian-American communities for a long time. Asian Americans have historically been used as a racial wedge between white Americans and African Americans. The model minority myth, constructed out of white supremacy and anti-Blackness, is a tool used to legitimize racism against Black people, while pitting communities of color against each other.

An Asian-American Guide to Dismantling Anti-Blackness

DISMANTLE YOUR PURSUIT OF WHITENESS

As non black people of colour, we are frequently pursuing whiteness, and the benefits that come with that. As people of colour we are also marginalised by white supremacy, so when we have opportunities to benefit from it, we often take it. But usually this is at the expense of our black friends and peers.

For those South Asians who are privileged by virtue of class, caste, or immigration status, the stories of South Asian shop owners in Minneapolis and Ferguson may not resonate. Many South Asians take the “racial bribe” and climb the racial ladder in a futile attempt to reach the status of whiteness.

South Asians and Black Lives

To truly dismantle Anti Blackness and internalised white supremacy, we must be willing to give up the privileges we have under this broken, harmful and violent system and seek true equality for all. Not just for some.

CHALLENGE ANTI BLACKNESS AROUND YOU

This is by far the most important thing you can do to be actively Anti Racist – and it’s having those awkward, uncomfortable, long conversations with your parents, with your aunties and uncles, with your community leaders. You must be vigilant in calling out colourism as well as Anti Blackness.

The Queer South Asian National Network has created a detailed guide on how to have conversations with your families. The discussion is guided, easy to follow and should help you build the foundations of Anti Racism and address Anti Blackness within your family.

South Asians 4 Black Lives is an Instagram hub containing more education resources.

Dear Mom, Dad, Uncles, Aunties: Black Lives Matter to Us, Too is an ongoing project in solidarity with Black Lives Matter, and in multiple languages, to help non black people of colour have the conversation with their families.

SHOW UP FOR BLACK FOLKS

It’s now more important than ever to show up for black communities all over the world. We cannot seek our own liberation and decolonisation, without the liberation and decolonisation of our black friends. Otherwise we are just reinforcing the same systems that hold us down.

We must continue to amplify the importance of solidarity with Black communities and undo anti-Blackness within our own people. That means explaining how white supremacy and racism are devastating all people of color including South Asians. It means acknowledging that the full liberation of Black communities leads to the freedom of all people. It means explaining that when we perpetuate anti-Blackness, that we are being complicit ourselves in reinforcing systems of oppression that harm our own people too. And it means coming from a place of love and compassion.

South Asians in the US must support #BlackLivesMatter, but first undo your own anti-Blackness

So it’s important to make our voices heard for black lives. We need to show up at protests. We need to redistribute wealth to black communities. We need to support activists. We need to support black media. We need to buy from black businesses. We need to challenge Anti Blackness every step of the way. We need to make space for black people. We need to support black communities to flourish.

We need to do more, and we need to commit to continue to doing it.