Thread by @whydntyouluvme

Many black Americans are confused about why Tyla’s race is “coloured” & not “black.” 🇺🇸

Besides the obvious fact that South Africa doesn’t subscribe to the one drop rule, let’s dive into some South African history, shall we? 👀🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦

WHY COLOUREDS AREN’T BLACK!! [THREAD] 🧵

The term "coloured" in South Africa refers to a diverse group of people who are multi-racial and multi-ethnic.

Unlike in America, “coloured” has isn’t a derogatory term. It has also never been used to describe black people.

So, where do coloured people come from?

The history of coloured people is intertwined with colonialism & slavery at the Cape of Good Hope.

Yes, SLAVERY! South Africa experienced slavery too.

Cape slaves were stolen by the Dutch from Mozambique, India, Indonesia, Mauritius, Madagascar, & other parts of Africa & Asia.

The Khoi and San tribes, after being displaced by Dutch colonisers, played a key role in the ancestry of coloured South Africans.

Their interactions with various groups, including Africans, the Dutch and later, the British, and French Huguenots, contributed to coloured heritage.

See why you can’t classify coloured people as black or mixed race? Their origins aren’t that simplistic.

The coloured community has a little bit of everything in their ancestry — African, white, Khoi and San, Indian, and many more…

Now, onto Apartheid!

Apartheid as a legal system began in 1948.

Over time, the Dutch had evolved into a group with their own language, identity & culture — the Afrikaners.

Decades after being put in concentration camps by the British, Afrikaners were determined to maintain their power.

Unlike the racial discrimination of the colonial era, Apartheid legalised racism. It created a rigid racial hierarchy that was enacted into law.

It placed white South Africans at the top, followed by Indians, coloureds, and then black South Africans at the very bottom.

An example of an Apartheid law is the Population Registration Act of 1950, which made it compulsory to classify South Africans by race.

The Group Areas Act of 1950 led to forced removals, resulting in black, coloured & Indian people being evicted & put in ghettos based on race.

Although Indians faced racism, they were given privileges — better education & houses & the ability to own businesses.

This, plus laws like the Immorality and Suppression of Communism Acts of 1950 entrenched divisions, limiting interactions & political activities between races.

Despite cultural exchange since the colonial era, black & coloured people have different historical experiences. Apartheid further solidified it.

Coloured people lived in coloured areas & went to slightly better schools. Black people lived in black areas & went to black schools.

The Bantu Education Act gave an inferior education to black South Africans, perpetuating inequality.

This led to the Soweto Youth Uprisings of 1976, where black kids demanded better education and not to be taught in Afrikaans.

Many died at the hands of white policemen.

Apartheid pass laws restricted the movement of black South Africans by forcing them to carry passes.

Losing or forgetting your “dompas” could result in arrest (where you could be tortured).

No other race was expected to have a dompas.

Coloured & racially ambiguous people were subjected to The Pencil Test during Apartheid. It involved placing a pencil in a person’s hair. How easily it fell out determined their race.

Of course, nobody would want to be reclassified as black as that equals more oppression.

Apartheid's racial laws weren’t uniform in their oppression.

While we acknowledge the suffering of coloured people during Apartheid, we also note that black South Africans bore the brunt of this system.

That’s why anti-blackness is still common in Indian & coloured communities.

Based on their origins, you can’t claim coloured people as black or try to erase their rich heritage and history of slavery.

Even the Apartheid system solidified this. That’s why texturism and colourism isn’t just rife in the black community— but in the coloured community too.

In the coloured community, many don’t want to be associated with blackness.

Terms like “kaffir hare,” a racial slur that describes having kinky hair (like black ppl), are thrown around.

Not having “good hair” means being unattractive. Dark coloureds also experience colourism.

On the other hand, many black people misunderstand coloured identity, believing that having 2 parents of different races makes a person coloured.

There are also racial stereotypes and the misconception that coloureds don’t have a culture, which is obviously false.

Despite the racism and division entrenched by Apartheid, some black and coloured people stood together against the oppressive system.

Some coloureds have grown up in black areas and vice versa. Some people are half black half coloured. Some have black or coloured family members.

Black & coloured people share similarities.

From vibrant cultures to being victims of a system that STILL benefits white people to this day!!

Coloureds relegated to the Cape Flats and townships with femicide, poverty and gangsterism — & black people to townships with the same.

So, even though the black and coloured communities share some similarities — RACE ISN’T ONE OF THEM!

Plus, coloureds don’t have a lot of media representation & erasing Tyla’s race does a disservice.

Respect black identity.
Respect coloured identity.
Respect South Africans. 🇿🇦

South African coloured and black people are welcome to add or correct me if necessary. ❤️🇿🇦

[Ngiqedile ke manje. Ek is nou klaar.]