Week 12: Stand For Something...
The trails and tribulations that people of color have foreseen on this floating rock we like to call earth, some would describe as inhumane. POC is an acronym for People of Color, a term used to describe anyone who is not white. Though this acronym is used as a general description for those with many different ethic backgrounds, this term does not apply to African Americans and other POC’s have made this noticeably clear.
When discussing the barbaric conditions migrant children have been experiencing at the border TikTok user 2milly23, decided she was tired of the media coverage of the DerekChauvin trail, the police officer on trail for the killing of George Floyd. She discussed on her TikTok, how she is tired of black people issues being blasting over the internet and not Hispanic hardships. The anti-blackness amongst POC’s affects African Americans greater than the anti-blackness of those who are white.
The thousands of lives, of Hispanic children should not be weaponized to forward anyone’s hatred towards the black community. My freshman year in college I was introduced to a documentary called Which Way Home, that followed several children on their journeys to leave home and crossed the border into America in hopes of a better future. My heart broke for these children, for who the most part travelled alone. I went home and began to share what I learned after watching the documentary with my black family. I would even educate other POC’s when informed with misinformation about the issues at the border.
To be a POC
and a black person, are totally two different categories when other’s want to separate
and divided amongst a hardship the effects their community. Yes! Black Lives
Matter, but we never said Hispanic, Asian or Trans lives did not.
This was a super interesting post! I never considered the dynamics within the term POC itself or how the struggles of different ethnic groups would be seen as 'competing' with one another in a way. I fully agree that BLM does not invalidate other fights for rights.
ReplyDeleteIt would be interesting to see when and how POC emerged and how the original users of the word envisioned its use. This is for my own benefit - you didn't need to include this in your post. You definitely take a stand, but, as a reader, I would have liked more context and clarity with regard to this statement: The anti-blackness amongst POC’s affects African Americans greater than the anti-blackness of those who are white." I wonder if moving up your last sentence to an earlier position would be more effective and make the sentence above resonate a bit better. Great use of links and images to drive home some ethos and pathos.
ReplyDeleteSpeak on it! Glad your shining light on POC and the black community in America, as well as around the world. I love the film "Which Way Home" it helps humanize immigration and the search for better life for POC, specifically the latino(x) community. And I can agree with how people of social media have been trying to downplay the struggles of the black community to talk about other groups of people that face hardships.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately this isn't new in America. The whole Civil Rights Movement by the African American community has been highjacked to promote other social injustice. Before other groups made sure the black community got their just due, they took the blue print of the civil rights movement to help themselves. As oppressed people we should be able to borrow things from one another, only if we stand beside each other to help forward civilization. For years the African American community has been discredited so others can get the attention. It's like other POC are fine with black people being mistreated as long as their group isn't anymore. It's a difficult topic to speak on but a necessary one. Thank you for speaking on it!