Today more than ever we see the constant collision of state and identity, whether it’s women’s rights, gay rights, or even civil rights. The concept of identity has slowly but surely become a topic of legislation and policy. This merger between politics and identity is known as identity politics. One can learn all about identity politics and the power it entails in the publication “The Power Of Identity Politics.” by Garza, which discusses how concepts that shape one’s identity such as religion, race, social background, are being constantly influenced by or in some cases even finding footing in political agendas.
As stated by Garza, identity politics is both simple and hard to define. This is because while conservatives demonize it, it is still an active political concept. One critical point made by Garza is that Identity Politics ultimately finds its footing in power, thus why there are so many different arguments concerning whether or not it is inherently flawed. Despite the varying views and definitions of power, there is one thing about the power that seems to be consistent across the board, which Garza also discusses is that “Power is about who makes the rules and the reality is that most of us like real power even over the decisions that are closest to us. A lack of understanding of power is Central to having power operates. Power prefers to operate in obscurity; if help out operates was fully transparent a success many of us will prevail against it” ( The Power Of Identity Politics | Garza, Nd). When considering concepts such as identity politics, power is at the root of all politics. Politics focus on rulemaking and those who can make those rules. As a society, we are beginning to lose sight of the fact that our identity is all we have. Our identities create us as individuals, and the lack of separation between politics and concepts such as religion and other cultural aspects will eventually rob everyone of their sense of self and who they indeed are at the core ultimately what is the person becomes political and who we are as people become controlled more and more by policy and societal rules and expectations.
Minorities in America feel these implications the worse and always receive conversations concerning identity. For a long time, identity politics have plagued the African American community, the Muslim community, the Christian community, the gay community, and even the Hispanic and Latino community. The harmful impacts of identity politics on the Hispanic and casino community are touched on briefly in the article “ Too Latina To Be Black, Too Black To Be Latina.” Alechia Williams discusses her struggle finder her place in society as a Black Latina, two of the most targeted minority groups both politically and socially. She discusses the struggles of not fitting in one category set in place by the black, white, or Mexican system. As well as facing challenges socially amongst the people in her community because she did not fit into one specific demographic ultimately leading her to have split lives and different personalities when interacting with particular groups. For most, this reality is exhausting -thankfully enough, she has learned to embrace who she is. Her socially and politically identity, she understands now she is more than the box she is put into. As she states within the article, “I am black. I am Latina. I am human, and no one can take that away from me (Williams 2017)
In conclusion, We must pass down the same attitude to children everywhere. It is okay to be of more than one culture, and it is still possible to find a place in society and advocate for change. I think the importance of identity needs to be pushed now more than ever as the politics surrounding identity are consistently contributing to the erasure of most.
