This - not only the social structure of South Asian culture, whether India or Pakistan, but the experience of Colonialism. We understand this in implicit & explicit ways used for re-establishing positions of dominance in the U.S. as "model minority" - use that for social justice
Colonialism layered over social hierarchy in South Asian culture, not erasing social structures. In chattel slavery stolen African bodies were all the same - former king now a slave. We kept our names, not taking masters' names. We accessed education.
When we think we get places in America only through hard work that is self-serving narrative and myth. Yes, there's hard work, but hard work that gets rewarded. We also get places because we know how to "work it" - work the system like systems that worked for us in the homeland.
There are so many levels. First of all I literally have been told "you could look white if you just changed how you dress and make up" - when in Spain or Portugal, locals think I am local. Cops typically are nice to me and assume me law abiding. People assume I am smart.
That means I get to shape shift and be whomever I want whenever I want to manage your perceptions about me in a way no black women can. She may code switch by changing her language but people respond to her skin color most
This is all same person - generates different feelings
This is all same person - generates different feelings
Yes, I said, "whomever", cuz British used us to keep the social structures in place - we spoke the Queen's English rose in ranks of the Civil Service, structures still in place today in these countries. The less privileged, now and then, did not study in "English medium" schools
What that also means is we have centuries of colonized mentality and we retain it. We don't really know who we are and we get manipulated by performance metrics, rank, status. We are easily used as token person to oppress other minorities, often hired exactly for that job.
Let's not forget colorism - heard two relatives assess every girl in the family by color. I'm not that fair in Pakistan but fair "enough" for it not to disqualify me. My sister, tho, was told it was a good thing she had the right passport for marriage. hindustantimes.com/india-news/let…
So that's a level of self hate we've internalized. So that, all the more, is why we seek to be "white adjacent" - it is what we are trained for by centuries of British Raj, it is a desire to regain social status of prior generations, and we are seeking that validation.
So we have a lot of the tools to be effective allies in #socialjustice BUT we also have a lot of the tools to continue being allies to oppression. There's a whole lot of internal work that has to be done if we are to be partners without being sources of harm to black Americans.
