this was a great read! i think a lot of this also comes down to semantics and the way black americans or soulaan people use “black” as both a racial and ethnic identifier. when some “white-passing” folks say they’re black, i think half of the time they actually mean “i’m black american”. but as you so eloquently explained, the language around that needs to change. i read this in tandem with your soulaan piece, and i think this whole scenario is also another reason the term soulaan as an ethnic identifier should come into popular use! the difference will gradually become more clear when someone can identify themselves as:
Yes exactly that! I think some steps to more radical action are just acceptance and getting on the same page about the words we use. Too much arguing while using different words for the same exact thing
LITERALLY. that’s just how it works and i hate when nonblack people make it like as black people we just bein petty…girllll we didn’t make the rulesss 😂
Thank you for this. "I don’t care how pale Michael Jackson was or how skinny his nose got, everybody knew something was off." This has been my life experience as albino. The peculiar look I get from white people upon meeting me or walking on the street, as if they FEEL like they should relate to me but don't recognize the shape of my nose, my full lips, or my stiff hair as One of Them.
Thank you for your insights. Race is indeed a conundrum. It’s not scientifically based yet is used as a fact. Strange that there is more genetic variability within the African continent than outside of it.
As a power dynamic, colorism indeed has taken hold in relation to colonialism. In Puerto Rico, there’s an old saying to combat this. ‘Si no tienes Dinga, tienes Mandinga y si no, eres hijo de puta’… translates if you don’t have Dinka or Mandingo blood, you are the son of a whore…I guess those who tried to pass always had an African ancestor. If they were fully White, then they descended from prostitutes who were the first Spanish women sent to the Caribbean.
Another saying is ‘Y tu abuela donde esta?’ It means ‘where’s your grandma at?’, implying that everyone had a black ancestor.
HA! Those are genius. I love this. Thanks for the new phrases and for reading the piece. Race and colorism are such messy situations, but I think that means they deserve our attention. Even if we look away the mess is still there.
such a good read! i am studying sociology, anthropology, and africana studies in university- and i will say that across every course I’ve taken in those fields, as well as the biology courses i’ve taken, it’s mentioned that all fields of academia agree that race is biologically and genetically discredited. race has nothing to do with genetic inheritance and everything to do with one’s observable skin color. i think people often forget that ethnicity is what refers to one’s lineage and cultural background.
as you mentioned, the evolution of language is a good thing, but not when it blurs lines that absolutely have a social and historical significance. race comes from socially developed and implemented appearance-based labels that determine one’s lived experiences in a society- it is fully rooted in oppression and was developed a tool to gain power. ethnicity can also influence one’s lived experiences, but it is not based on one’s appearance. it’s rooted in cultural background and ancestry, not the color of one’s skin.
it’s a conversation i steer clear of on social media because i honestly get pretty worked up about it lol. but it was very refreshing to read such a well-written, thoughtful, and thorough piece on this.
Same here! Looking at queer theory and anti-racism for my PhD. Race is a social construct (along with gender) and was created to uphold colonial oppression. Sure we should talk about it but continuing to look at it as fact only helps keep supremacy alive.
omg, this is so juicy and on point and i haven’t even finished reading yet! this is definitely something i’ve been trying to talk about and it’s refreshing to see someone else have similar experiences. THANK YOU!
I’m a WW who only begun to think of my “passing” because I understand my entire life’s experience has been made easy because no one can tell where I was born or where my family is from by looking at me. It’s damning that I never even had to consider it and it gives me zero right to access spaces that are less safe with white people in them. It’s a conversation more white people need to get fucking real about. It’s not possible to enjoy all the perks of white supremacy and then claim to be a victim of it too.
Loved this piece! Thought about my some of my friends and my step dad and their experience as indigenous and how it changes depending on the circumstances. My step dad has been fucked with by cops but sometimes he can pass as Italian American (Sicilian maybe lol). He’s got a hefty portion of white man audacity along with struggle.
this was a great read! i think a lot of this also comes down to semantics and the way black americans or soulaan people use “black” as both a racial and ethnic identifier. when some “white-passing” folks say they’re black, i think half of the time they actually mean “i’m black american”. but as you so eloquently explained, the language around that needs to change. i read this in tandem with your soulaan piece, and i think this whole scenario is also another reason the term soulaan as an ethnic identifier should come into popular use! the difference will gradually become more clear when someone can identify themselves as:
nationality: american
race: white
ethnicity: soulaan
Yes exactly that! I think some steps to more radical action are just acceptance and getting on the same page about the words we use. Too much arguing while using different words for the same exact thing
Several gems dropped here! I always say if I can’t tell you black by looking at you then…. 👀 🤷🏽♀️
🗣️THEN YOU NOT BLACK
LITERALLY. that’s just how it works and i hate when nonblack people make it like as black people we just bein petty…girllll we didn’t make the rulesss 😂
That part cause if it were up to me that shit would’ve never existed in the first place but here we are
Thank you for this. "I don’t care how pale Michael Jackson was or how skinny his nose got, everybody knew something was off." This has been my life experience as albino. The peculiar look I get from white people upon meeting me or walking on the street, as if they FEEL like they should relate to me but don't recognize the shape of my nose, my full lips, or my stiff hair as One of Them.
the last line of what are you trying to pass as is sooooo real bc why are you trying to convince me you have 3b hair...who do you really wanna be
Like tell me…cause I’m lost
Thank you for your insights. Race is indeed a conundrum. It’s not scientifically based yet is used as a fact. Strange that there is more genetic variability within the African continent than outside of it.
As a power dynamic, colorism indeed has taken hold in relation to colonialism. In Puerto Rico, there’s an old saying to combat this. ‘Si no tienes Dinga, tienes Mandinga y si no, eres hijo de puta’… translates if you don’t have Dinka or Mandingo blood, you are the son of a whore…I guess those who tried to pass always had an African ancestor. If they were fully White, then they descended from prostitutes who were the first Spanish women sent to the Caribbean.
Another saying is ‘Y tu abuela donde esta?’ It means ‘where’s your grandma at?’, implying that everyone had a black ancestor.
HA! Those are genius. I love this. Thanks for the new phrases and for reading the piece. Race and colorism are such messy situations, but I think that means they deserve our attention. Even if we look away the mess is still there.
such a good read! i am studying sociology, anthropology, and africana studies in university- and i will say that across every course I’ve taken in those fields, as well as the biology courses i’ve taken, it’s mentioned that all fields of academia agree that race is biologically and genetically discredited. race has nothing to do with genetic inheritance and everything to do with one’s observable skin color. i think people often forget that ethnicity is what refers to one’s lineage and cultural background.
as you mentioned, the evolution of language is a good thing, but not when it blurs lines that absolutely have a social and historical significance. race comes from socially developed and implemented appearance-based labels that determine one’s lived experiences in a society- it is fully rooted in oppression and was developed a tool to gain power. ethnicity can also influence one’s lived experiences, but it is not based on one’s appearance. it’s rooted in cultural background and ancestry, not the color of one’s skin.
it’s a conversation i steer clear of on social media because i honestly get pretty worked up about it lol. but it was very refreshing to read such a well-written, thoughtful, and thorough piece on this.
Same here! Looking at queer theory and anti-racism for my PhD. Race is a social construct (along with gender) and was created to uphold colonial oppression. Sure we should talk about it but continuing to look at it as fact only helps keep supremacy alive.
I love this piece. Just subscribed because you described exactly how I feel about the whole thing
Thank you! It has been on my mind for sooooo long and it felt cathartic to piece it together and put it down on paper.
omg, this is so juicy and on point and i haven’t even finished reading yet! this is definitely something i’ve been trying to talk about and it’s refreshing to see someone else have similar experiences. THANK YOU!
Thank you for writing this.
Honey….
Though I have some indigenous ancestry, I'm perceived in society as a white person, so I consider myself to be a white woman.
Exactly that. I have indigenous ancestry and I am Black. Both things are true
I’m a WW who only begun to think of my “passing” because I understand my entire life’s experience has been made easy because no one can tell where I was born or where my family is from by looking at me. It’s damning that I never even had to consider it and it gives me zero right to access spaces that are less safe with white people in them. It’s a conversation more white people need to get fucking real about. It’s not possible to enjoy all the perks of white supremacy and then claim to be a victim of it too.
Loved this piece! Thought about my some of my friends and my step dad and their experience as indigenous and how it changes depending on the circumstances. My step dad has been fucked with by cops but sometimes he can pass as Italian American (Sicilian maybe lol). He’s got a hefty portion of white man audacity along with struggle.
Why in the world do you want this?
I do not agree with this. Black people are have white skin are not white.
How can they be Black and have white skin?