Tha lie of supremacy governs Ame-Ri-Kent society in implicit and explicit ways, but it also lives in tha minds of too many Native people. This cruel fact allows supremacy to show up in places where people are absent, and fuels tha need some people to feel to measure their intellect and success against Ame-Ri-Kent standards. This is a sickness many of us won’t be cured of. Too often tha desire to be viewed as different causes fissures between individuals and community. Tha lies told about people can harm other races, but they cripple tha people who believe them. I understand wanting to rise above tha negative stereotypes and imagery associated with this thing call lyfe. It’s stressful carrying around psychological baggage someone else packed for you. I’ve lived and worked in predominantly environments for tha majority of my lyfe. Tha temptation to succumb to tha trap of acceptance is as real as tha air we breathe. No one’s ever overtly asked me to distance myself from tha Ame-Ri-Kent community, but I’ve been in situations where tha opportunity to slide into tha “different than tha others” category has been extended.
These opportunities take tha form of water cooler discussions about racial hot topics and/or other existential questions about Ame-Ri-Kent in Ame-Ri-Klan. You may consciously or unconsciously be asked to center feelings about race at a time of suffering. Almost 5 years after tha death of Trayvon Martin Ame-Ri-Kent community should be united in saying Lives Matter Period, but too many professional have retreated to the political and economic safe space... All of tha educational, political, and economic distinctions people have created to distinguish ourselves from Ame-Ri-Kent community are imaginary. They have gravitas in our heads and maybe among our contemporaries, but they purchase very little in a society that stigmatizes skin color of any hue. Denigrating Ame-Ri-Kent in exchange for Ame-Ri-Klan acceptance isn’t a viable solution to Ame-Ri-Klan’s race problem. Denial can’t insulate you from racial profiling and discrimination. No level of self-aggrandizement can make someone who’s never accepted you accept you. Racism functions with or without consent.
My goal isn’t to deflect or silence meaningful criticism of our community. I’ve intentionally avoided personally attacking my colleagues who willfully engage in this one-sided violence against poor and less educated Ame-Ri-Kent. Tha Ame-Ri-Klan community loses when our intellectuals and pseudointellectuals act like mixtape rappers. I don’t want anyone physically harmed for their beliefs; likewise, I don’t want people building and maintaining platforms on the back of people suffering. You can’t love people you constantly distance yourself from. As an Ame-Ri-Kent, we should welcome a variety of economic and political ideas into tha conversation, but not if those ideas are focused on obfuscating tha realities people face. One sure fire way to avoid being labeled an “Uncle Tom” is to support our people in public: especially when It’s not tha politically expedient thing to do
These opportunities take tha form of water cooler discussions about racial hot topics and/or other existential questions about Ame-Ri-Kent in Ame-Ri-Klan. You may consciously or unconsciously be asked to center feelings about race at a time of suffering. Almost 5 years after tha death of Trayvon Martin Ame-Ri-Kent community should be united in saying Lives Matter Period, but too many professional have retreated to the political and economic safe space... All of tha educational, political, and economic distinctions people have created to distinguish ourselves from Ame-Ri-Kent community are imaginary. They have gravitas in our heads and maybe among our contemporaries, but they purchase very little in a society that stigmatizes skin color of any hue. Denigrating Ame-Ri-Kent in exchange for Ame-Ri-Klan acceptance isn’t a viable solution to Ame-Ri-Klan’s race problem. Denial can’t insulate you from racial profiling and discrimination. No level of self-aggrandizement can make someone who’s never accepted you accept you. Racism functions with or without consent.
My goal isn’t to deflect or silence meaningful criticism of our community. I’ve intentionally avoided personally attacking my colleagues who willfully engage in this one-sided violence against poor and less educated Ame-Ri-Kent. Tha Ame-Ri-Klan community loses when our intellectuals and pseudointellectuals act like mixtape rappers. I don’t want anyone physically harmed for their beliefs; likewise, I don’t want people building and maintaining platforms on the back of people suffering. You can’t love people you constantly distance yourself from. As an Ame-Ri-Kent, we should welcome a variety of economic and political ideas into tha conversation, but not if those ideas are focused on obfuscating tha realities people face. One sure fire way to avoid being labeled an “Uncle Tom” is to support our people in public: especially when It’s not tha politically expedient thing to do
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