Read on Twitter
Ok, so...like, a white person pretending to be Black is COMPLETELY different than a white person pretending to be Native.
I’m a little annoyed that this has to be said, but given that a white Native tried to basically say that they’re the same and that they’re not surprised, well, listen.
Black folks are not given the same access to whiteness that Natives are.
Black folks are not given the same access to whiteness that Natives are.
Black folks in this country have consistently been denied access to power and resources that have been allocated for white folks.
And as part of the colonizing project, Natives were given this access WAY before Black folks.
For example, higher education and US citizenship.
And as part of the colonizing project, Natives were given this access WAY before Black folks.
For example, higher education and US citizenship.
Harvard literally accepted several Native students in the 1600s as part of an assimilation project to “civilize them” (also to offset some financial costs).
Assimilation projects were rooted in the idea that Native folks could be civilized, which at the time meant they could become “white”
There were so many colonizing projects, yet let’s talk about blood quantum too.
For Natives, blood quantum was used to showcase purity or authenticity. Even today, it’s seen as a symbol of having a genetic connection to land. Hashtag, Cherokee princesses or some 4/4 ancestor. https://twitter.com/grandmasaidno/status/1272202171748999168
For Natives, blood quantum was used to showcase purity or authenticity. Even today, it’s seen as a symbol of having a genetic connection to land. Hashtag, Cherokee princesses or some 4/4 ancestor. https://twitter.com/grandmasaidno/status/1272202171748999168
Now, because of this perception of purity for Natives, white folks wanted that access to legitimize their claim to colonizing this land. Despite seeing us as “savages,” they still needed to feel connected or in some cases, which I talked about yesterday, deflect accountability. https://twitter.com/grandmasaidno/status/1301531771624857600
Blackness does not operate the same way, it was historically considered “impure” and, at the time, anyone with a single Black ancestor was considered Black and were not allowed access to whiteness.
Hello, anti-miscegenation were a thing and Blackness was vilified. https://twitter.com/grandmasaidno/status/1272203635527520257
Hello, anti-miscegenation were a thing and Blackness was vilified. https://twitter.com/grandmasaidno/status/1272203635527520257
And so...for a WHITE women to pretend that she is Black despite having all the power and access to resources and the history of anti-Black racism in this country...EYE. No, it is not the same as a white person pretending to be Native.
Honestly, at some point, (white) Natives need to address how much we benefit from colorism, which is literally systemic discrimination against darker skin folks.
@AzieDee has a ton of threads on that topic and so many more. https://twitter.com/grandmasaidno/status/1272204030517731328
@AzieDee has a ton of threads on that topic and so many more. https://twitter.com/grandmasaidno/status/1272204030517731328
Here are some tweets and threads that highlighted issues of Colorism and access to whiteness.
From: @Karnythia. https://twitter.com/karnythia/status/1301624035260891136
From: @Karnythia. https://twitter.com/karnythia/status/1301624035260891136
From @DestinyAriel critiquing this idea of “gatekeeping Blackness” https://twitter.com/destinyariel/status/1301617100751024129
Some background info about that white women pretending to be Black. https://twitter.com/yarimarbonilla/status/1301610199405531136
And some more background. https://twitter.com/dryofiggy/status/1301602923026284551
