I grew up in a white neighborhood and have entered fields of work that are dominated by white womxn.
So most of what I’m seeing in my newsfeed lately is directed towards white folx to do better.
And that leaves me wondering, what do I do here? How can I help?
Even though I’m a POC, I still have massive amounts of privilege and I will never be able to fully understand the fear that weighs on black folx day in and day out for simply existing in this country.
A group of friends suggested that we watch a webinar by activist Rachel Ricketts called Spiritual Activism 101.
I really didn’t want to at first. I’m tired. I’m so exhausted. Emotionally drained. But when else are we supposed to do the work? It’s too easy to brush aside when things are quiet, when we haven’t just watched a man be murdered. And when we have, it all feels like too much.
But we watched the webinar, and I’m so glad we did.
Rachel started with a meditation and asked the hard question, “what is your biggest fear in discussing race and racism? Why?”
My answers: I’m afraid of offending someone. I’m afraid of getting it wrong. I’m afraid of causing more harm than good. There’s shame in how I’ve harmed other POC. I’m afraid of speaking up to my family and starting conflicts. And a little bit of thinking that because I’m a POC, I don’t have to do this work.
Oh boy.
I want to share some of my biggest takeaways.
Anti-Blackness is Universal
Rachel talked about how anti-blackness is universal, across all races and ethnicities.
I’ve experienced that first-hand.
Being Chinese with dark skin was not easy. My family told me I looked like charcoal and made me take milk baths to lighten my skin. They carry parasols so they don’t get too dark-skinned. There’s soooooo many skin whitening creams in the Asian beauty market.
It’s woven into the culture that blackness is not okay and has seeped into my own psyche that blackness is not okay.
Racism = Prejudice + Privilege + Power
Whiteness has held economic power and because of that, have had power in justice, politics, housing, etc. Whiteness has reigned supreme.
Because of the power that whiteness has held, only white can be racist. Reverse racism is not a thing. However, every single person, race, ethnicity has prejudice.
Because the institutions prioritize whiteness, racism is systemic.
What does that mean for me, as a Person of Color?
Internalized oppression. We’ve given priority to whiteness because that is what our culture has taught us. That’s what my own family taught me.
So to come back to my original question of what can I do as a POC?
I can examine how I’ve prioritized whiteness and the comfort of white people to the detriment of my own comfort and well-being.
THE WORK STARTS FROM WITHIN.
Dismantling my own internalized oppression.
What else can we do?
Use the gifts, talents, and resources that we have.
As a spiritual leader, coach, and yoga teacher, I can offer my support through holding space, and through mindfulness, breathwork, and yoga practices to help us regulate our nervous systems and prioritize self-care as my POC friends inquire how we’ve internalized oppression and as my white friends inquire within about how their racism has caused harm to POC.
I can use my platform to educate and inform.
I’ve seen others use their platforms to promote POC-run businesses.
Friends, look within. Ask yourself the hard questions:
White: How has your racism caused harm to POC?
POC: How have you prioritized whiteness to your own detriment?
How can you help?
Use the gifts, talents, and resources you have to do the inner work AND the outer work.
To my POC friends, I’m here for you. I’ve broken down in tears several times this week and I don’t have the right words to say. But my therapist and I sat in silence for most of our session this week, just feeling the grief. And that was a ray of light in my week. I’m here for you to talk or to just sit in silence and grieve.
Check out Rachel Ricketts. Support a BIWOC for her work. https://www.rachelricketts.com/shop-products