Thank you for your reply Kristine. And yes, I did read the full article. And yes, we all can fall victim to the support systems that are inherently rooted in White supremacy.
Maybe I need to clarify my position when I replied to your essay. I understood your view of how Black people can be racist, because of the systems of oppression that one learns growing up in America, and using said systems to project those actions to others, in essence to feel "superior", as that is what White supremacy truly is, to be superior to those one feels who are beneath them, which since the inception of America, those who were deemed "non-white" were beneath those in power, which were white anglo-saxons who came to America. There are many flash points in history, from the Native Americans having their customs and traditions taken away, Blacks only being 3/5 of a person defined by the Constitution, the Chinese Exclusion Act, Japanese Internment camps, Brown vs. Board of Education, Lau vs Nichols, and so on and so forth...
The thing about being a racist is that its all about POWER. What I was trying to convey is that People of Color do not have the same power as do Whites. If you look throughout US history, POC have not had the privilege of being in a power position to discriminate against those who have , as we say, "kept them in their place."
I can tell you that I have first hand experience watching POC be racist towards one another, because "they" feel they have "arrived",meaning they have and are acting like their oppressors, who, were white.
I am Asian American. and I have seen my counterparts be racist to their fellow brothers and sisters. How does this manifest itself? They start to mimic their oppressors, wearing high end clothing, driving Teslas, walking around with this " I'm better than you attitude." ( I lived in the Bay Area for several years and this behavior is RAMPANT) This is called a "cargo cult" mentality. They believe by assimilating their oppressors, they will become more "like them." It's also a form of "internalized racism". Internalized racism is defined as “the acceptance, by marginalized racial populations, of the negative societal beliefs and stereotypes about themselves” (Williams & Williams-Morris, 2000, p. 255; Taylor & Grundy, 1996).
Individuals may or may not be aware of their own acceptance of these negative beliefs. Internalized racism can also be expressed via a rejection of the cultural practices of one’s own ethnic or racial group.
Do you know why this happens? Part of it is because they cannot be racist to those who have oppressed them, so they lash out at others who they feel who are "beneath" them.
Have you ever heard of Audre Lorde?
Audre Lorde (/ˈɔːdri lɔːrd/; born Audrey Geraldine Lorde; February 18, 1934 – November 17, 1992) was an American writer, feminist, womanist, librarian, and civil rights activist. She was a self-described “black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet,” who dedicated both her life and her creative talent to confronting and addressing injustices of racism, sexism, classism, heterosexism, and homophobia.
She has this saying
"The Master's tools never dismantle the Master's house. For me, it means this to me...
For the master's tools will never dismantle the master's house. They may allow us temporarily to beat him at his own game, but they will never enable us to bring about genuine change.
I know what its like to have that "privilege". I'm one of the lucky ones, who has learned the "dance" to "code-switch" when I have needed to.
However, POC can't be racist. Black people can't be racist. Why? We don't have the power, because the "system" you speak of does not allow for it.
