South Asians: Calling Out Our Own Community’s Racism is Vital to Supporting the Black Lives Matter Movement

“If they worked a little harder, maybe they wouldn’t be in these situations.”

These are words I’ve heard, verbatim, from someone in my community. And while it’s hard to expose the harsh truths and the bitter realities of the South Asian community, it feels even worse to preach about equality and anti-racism while letting these ideas run rampant without consequence.

Following recent events— George Floyd’s death, strings of racially motivated murders, and the increased visibility on the murder of black people at the hands of police —the world has spiralled into a new era of action and change, and the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement has been pushed to the forefront of our attention. The outrage that followed these events manifested itself into hundreds of protests across the world, all of which have become the driving force in this modern-day revolution.

Before we begin, note that I will be using the term people of color (POC) repeatedly— not to place all minorities beneath a similar umbrella, but due to the term’s history and original intentions. In 1977, during the National Women’s Conference - black feminists created the term women of color in order to unify all minority women, fighting against injustice. Today, this term has been twisted and turned into something biological, yet it is important that we remember that it was created as a definition of solidarity. Though we may lack this solidarity and unification now, terms like this remind us that we could have it.

In order to act on this solidarity towards Black people, it is vital that we, as members of the South Asian community, first acknowledge the issues that lie within our own homes— issues regarding race, anti-blackness, and superiority. For even as POC and allies to the BLM movement, many of us feel exempt from having to educate ourselves on race and racial issues.

In truth, there are an infinite amount of issues regarding anti- blackness, race and superiority that lie within the South Asian community. Despite being oppressed, we often flip the narrative and become the oppressors. Backhanded jokes, condescending comments— this is how it begins, by brushing it off as insignificant, by normalizing it. Yet this only keeps us from recognizing that these ideas are inherently bad and as a result, deconstructing them from our community’s consciousness only becomes increasingly difficult.

I see it most often in older members of the community— parents and grandparents who immigrated here for a better life— rather than in South Asians who were born and raised in North America. I suppose this simple difference provides an explanation for the disparity that rests between our mindset and theirs. To be clear, this isn’t to say that South Asians who were born and raised here are thoroughly innocent— oftentimes, they too are complicit and continue to promote these views. Yet as their children, grandchildren, relatives, and friends, it is our responsibility to try to dismantle these harmful notions and attitudes, rather than to ignore them.

A majority of South Asian children are raised in households filled with stories— how our parents left their home countries to build up a life in a new one; how our grandparents gritted their teeth and worked hard to meet success— that all hold the similar narrative of battling hardships to gain success. The ethics and attitudes that are derived from these stories aren’t wholly negative. Yet unfortunately, our ideas of superiority, fitting into whiteness, and hard work always equaling success have been cultivated due to these experiences and stories.

As a result of the hardships we’ve “overcome”, many South Asians end up feeling superior, and we pride ourselves on being able to fit into whiteness and white society. We claim that we’re more adept to white behaviors and that other minorities— even other South Asians— should aim to do the same. I’ve heard outright claims that other races should simply ‘work harder’ in order to achieve success in North America. Yet while we continue to live beneath American capitalism, there are no true winners. Capitalism— a system whose very structure was built upon the basis of benefiting white people— will always require an underclass and systematically, that underclass has and continues to be black and brown people.

These ideas of supremacy largely stem from the model minority myth, whose very definition states that certain minorities (largely Asian-Americans) achieve a higher rate of success due to their ability to integrate into the overall white population. The myth also claims that we are more likely to meet success due to our hard-working, ‘do what it takes’ attitude. By falling into these notions, we only continue to undermine the struggles that black people face and turn the blame on them for ‘not working hard enough’, even while living beneath a capitalist society.

Furthermore, when we perpetuate these notions, we are also doing harm to ourselves. As we elevate white supremacy, our community only falls further into racism and anti-blackness. Ideas always lead to action— it’s important that we dismantle our own racist notions and stop perpetuating ideas that hurt and kill black people.

It’s likely that many of us feel helpless in our abilities to support BLM, yet there are numerous ways in which we, as South Asians, can support the movement. First and foremost, we must look into our own community and begin eradicating these racist notions, for doing this will drive us to become both better people and better allies. Here are some ways in which we can do so:

Educate yourself and others. For starters, familiarizing ourselves, our friends, and our families with the issues at hand is essential to bringing change. In times like these, educating ourselves is extremely important, so read about race and BLM, learn about black history, listen to what black people have to say, etc. And don’t be afraid to educate others. Calling out our fellow South Asians, educating them, and prompting discussions are crucial.

Below are links which provide further means on educating oneself regarding race and BLM. (A reminder that these lists are overwhelming, so make sure that you take the time necessary to both process and work through them! Anti-racism work is a lifelong commitment!).

Documentaries & Podcasts:

Books:

Music:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DWWAqc46ZJdZf

Use your privilege and your voice to speak up. As POC, we might feel that we’re exempt from holding any sort of privilege. Unfortunately, this simply isn’t true. Within American society, there is a hierarchy— and South Asians fall above black people. It’s vital to remember that historically, America was built to systematically work against black and brown people. While it may seem like the American Dream has worked for a handful of South Asians, it is a system built upon capitalism which, as mentioned earlier, systematically works against black and brown people. The Dream is an illusion, a false reality, something practically unattainable for most, and it is important that we recognize this. That being said, ensure that you use your privilege to its fullest extent— spread awareness on social media, protest and aid BLM in any way that you can.

Stop saying the n-word. It is not ‘slang or ‘just a word’— there is a tremendous amount of history behind it and it’s important that we recognize and respect that.

Donate, sign petitions, and protest. If you’re unsure on where to start, https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co offers an extensive list of resources ranging from donations sites to protest locations. Or, simply search “Black Lives Matter” followed by the name of your city/region. The search should bring you to a Black Lives Matter website pertaining to your area.

Though these actions seem small, the change they will bring will be drastic. We, alongside everyone else, must play our part within this movement. Our part, however, largely involves reworking ourselves internally. If we fail to do so, we also fail in being proper allies to the BLM movement, and as the younger, up-and-coming members of our community, we must be the bringers of change. For if we overlook these issues, we too become complicit. And we too become guilty.

By Ayesha Firoz (@ayeshafiroz)

Edited by Halima Jibril (@h.alimaa)

politicsAyesha FirozJune 23, 2020blm, racism, anti-blackness, anti-capitalismComment