I absolutely loved this week’s readings! In my last content response, I commented that I didn’t feel like other nationalities were represented when speaking on oppression. However, this week gave we had one reading named “Too Latina To Be Black, Too Black To Be Latina” by Aleichia Williams showing the difficulty of other nationalities. The second reading is called “The Power of Identity Politics” by Alicia Garza where the author writes about the prejudice and ignorance of white people’s remarks. I am very passionate about these discussions and I personally enjoyed the readings.

In the reading “The Power of Identity Politics” by Alicia Garza I felt the reading was powerful and to the point. Those are my favorite type of readings. Alicia Garza began the reading by telling the readers about an experience she had. She was at a bar when she overhears a conversation between a white man and a white woman. They are discussing an actor when the white man says the actors’ race (Egyptian) and continues saying that its great actors are getting more representation. To which the white woman responds saying, “He’s a great actor, which is why he should be in more movies — not because he’s a person of color.” This remark on its own is irritating. She completely misunderstood what the white man was trying to address. The white woman continues by saying, “I’m really sick of hearing all of that stuff. Black, White, blah blah blah. We need to stop doing that shit. It really gets on my nerves. When are we going to get around being human!” I had to take a minute after reading after this because my blood was boiling! Because arrogant and ignorant people speak like this ALL the time. This type of talk happens today and it will continue to happen tomorrow. I commend Garza for keeping her cool because I am not the type of person to let things like that go. If you want to speak freely (and others can hear you; especially in public) then be prepared for a debate from me. This kind of talk is disgusting. She completely ignores the issue her friend was trying to make and makes excuses for her community. When are we going to going to get around being human? When everyone in the POC community starts getting treated like human beings that’s WHEN! What do we need to stop? Being proud of our communities being represented? Proud our communities are in high-paying industries? That we are rising to more than the stereotypes? No, we will not stop. Garza continues by obviously describing her discontent with the remarks and explaining what the white woman was ignoring. She was ignoring the brought-up issue that POC are underrepresented. Garza uses her experience to explain the reason remarks like this continue to happen. She gives us insight into the term identity politics which means: identity politics is the radical notion that your world view is shaped by your experiences and history and that those experiences will vary in relationship to the power a group or an individual has in the economy, society, or democracy. Remarks continue to happen because America is built on white identity politics. Garza proves this point by explaining our history, we (POC) have been subjugated for generations. The fact that it is hard to find the right shade of makeup for someone that looks like me, or that there are clothing stores that only go up to a certain size by using whiteness as our representation. The remarks continue because there are those who are ignorant and stubborn to see the reality that the power continues to be held by white people. The political is personal because our voice for the POC community continues to be dismissed. 

The second reading “Too Latina To Be Black, Too Black To Be Latina” by Aleichia Williams is a short reading but also powerful. Where Aleichia Williams also explains her experience where she is being forced to choose her identities because they clash. Because her skin color is dark society automatically puts her into the “black” category. However, her nationality is Hispanic and society does not know because they first need to know her. So she has the “Hispanic” and “Black” category and her society is trying to make her choose an identity. Williams refuses and accepts herself as is. I think that is beautiful and the right decision. I feel for Williams because I’ve had a deep discussion with my boyfriend on how he feels because of his mixed race. He is half Kenyan and half Caucasian. He has told me he feels too dark to be part of the “white” category and too “light” to be part of the “black” category. It is unfair and heartbreaking to make individuals feel they need to fit into a category to be accepted. In my classmates’ snapshot, Heatherlee shows a photo of a girl who is going through something similar. On one side she is embracing her curls but she gets commented by the society saying “it’s nappy.” Then on the other side, her hair is slicked back and now society is saying “you don’t love yourself.” It’s unfair to try to win the love of society so do what makes you happy! Society will judge either way.