Why are we still debating on whether/not West Papuans are black? Is this really the right time to fuss about terms? Using #BlackLivesMatters as a political momentum to speak out about their issues will neither distract them from their respective issues nor will it alienate them.
Yes they have different struggles and contexts, yes one may be North America and another is Southeast Asia, but do you really wanna be talking about anthropological nomenclature at a time like this?
I think it’s very arrogant for us ‘mongoloids’ to decide what is effective or not for people we don’t represent. Well-meaning ‘liberals’ are criticizing those who stand with the West Papuans when that fervor should really be saved for oppressors of Papuans. 
Until a few days ago, I myself was not sure whether or not to use the term ‘black’ for Papuans, but a lot of Papuans have said similar things like this when #BlackLivesMatter was trending as a form of solidarity towards African-Americans and to amplify the tragedies of Papuans.
Yes we’re all aware that Black, Southeast Asian, North American, African American, West Papuan, melanesoid, and negroid are not interchangeable, but my goodness, darlings, this sounds like something out early 20th century colonial settler talk—as in this sounds WHITE/eurocentric.
Calling Papuans black will not alienate them from the rest of us Southeast Asians. We have, all this time, as a society & as a nation, alienated them by draining their land’s natural resources, oppressing those who live in that land, & discriminating those who migrate to ours.
God, my campus is a Catholic university that offers scholarships to Papuans. You know what happened when they visited our campus here in Jakarta? People complained about their body odours and made racist jokes. All of non-Papuan Indonesians are complicit in this racism.
Call it what you want—colorism or racism. I understand concerns of the terminologies, but there is a time and place for discussions like that. @VeronicaKoman had to LITERALLY leave the country for her safety because she was speaking out about the plight of West Papuans.
Surya Anta, Ambrosius Mulait, Dano Tabuni, dan Charles Kossay, and Arina Elopere have just been recently released from being detained because they were peacefully expressing their concerns. #BlackLivesMatters serves as one of many ways to amplify things like this.
And yes, West Papuans are standing together with African Americans who are facing discrimination in the US despite their own plights. This is the point of a movement, to unite in solidarity, not for us ‘allies’ to argue endlessly about terminologies.
I was in tears when my friend told me one of the recently-released people got to meet his newborn daughter, whose mother had to carry her while the father was in trial. Families could be torn apart, and we’re yapping about terminologies?
I don’t claim myself to be an activist—there are those more deserving to be called that. I won’t pretend that this conversation alone feels patronizing because I don’t speak for Papuans, but if you wanna be an ally to the cause, choose your battles and be mad at the right folks.
Thank you for the clarification, @angewwie. I won’t judge anyone for errors, not all of us (me included) are necessarily equipped to understand everything from the get-go. I don’t disagree with you that we can think of ‘black’ as a political identity rather than racial grouping.
It’s probably not up to us to determine that, though, but for themselves, and it seems that they have. If we look back to Civil Rights, we can see that movements need momentums & several issues can be fought side-by-side, and it’s not the place of the privilege to have a say.
I was ashamed when my campus mates behaved that way to our Papuan guests but I realized I was complicit too by being silent about it, and that’s partly why I’m talking now. We all do what we can, so let’s make sure we don’t do the ones we advocate a disservice by being ignorant.
My best friend is friends with Dessy, the new mom, and she’s one of the many people helping the new family in these rough times. We all do what we can to advocate for #BlackLivesMatters within our own capacities.
We are well aware that what is happening to African Americans and West Papuans are different, but they share a political identity. I think people can differentiate what’s happening there with what’s happening here without alienating/conflating the other. #BlackLivesMatters
Thank you @riskperidone untuk terjemahannya 💕
