Writing
Three Words that White-Latinx/e Need to Say "No" To and Stop Gentrifying
Though it's unclear when we adopted the term "white-passing," white-Latine have nonetheless gentrified the concept. The word was meant to capture the experience of Black people, not bilingual white people who speak Spanish. As the brilliant scholar @gfx_prints once reminded her Instagram followers, “Speaking Spanish does not make you a person of color.” The history of "passing" has primarily focused on what was gained but ironically, white-Latine use it to demonstrate what is lost.
How White People Can Restore and Revitalize Our Anti-Racism in the New Year
The majority of white people fell off the anti-racist boat because we didn't have a solid reason to keep us in the work. Having a solid understanding of why anti-racism is important is crucial to sustaining oneself in the work. If we don't have a solid why then we can't show up ethically; if we can't show up ethically, then we show up problematically, and if we show up problematically, we inherently sustain oppressive systems (like white supremacy) and threaten liberation.
Honestly, There Are Three Things I Hate About the Term White Privilege
Though McIntosh's theory has been an influential tool for understanding whiteness, many Critical Whiteness Scholars believe it contains several loopholes. I think it may be time to reevaluate and, at the very least, evolve white privilege into a more operationalized term. That said, I honestly hate the term white privilege, and here are five reasons why:
Are White People Correct About the Phrase “Not All White People”!?
Not all white people is an ancient white proverb that has echoed throughout time and space, especially within the last century. Though the phrase crackles loudly, like a Midwest summer storm, it carries as much validity as an expired coupon.
Yes, You Can Be White and Latino at the Same Time Despite White Supremacy
Contrary to what white supremacy has taught us, you can be white and "Latino" simultaneously. I understand how upsetting this might be to many (unknowingly white and "light-skin") Latinos. However, it is necessary to understand our racial identity to show up responsibly and ethically for Black liberation. As the amazing Black-Latine feminist Lutze Segu (aka: The Social Justice Doula) rhetorically asked of white-Latine, "how can you be my ally when you're avoiding your whiteness?"
Three Ways White People Passively Engage in and Perpetuate Racism Every Day
When it comes to white supremacy and racism, many white people exclaim that there's nothing we can do. The legend goes that we're defenseless little lambs against the vicious wolf that is racism. A collective and contagious sigh is released from white people when we think about racism.
How White People Promote the Legacy of Minstrel Shows By Using AAVE
I know this will be a tough pill to swallow, so resist the urge to “cancel” me, white people. We need to talk about one of the ways anti-Blackness casually manifests itself, and that’s through our use of African American Vernacular English (AAVE). We’ve become too comfortable in our appropriation of AAVE and ignorantly take its rich history for granted.
White People, Don’t Be Afraid To Do The ‘Antiracist Stumble’
If there was a book titled "How Not to Do Antiracism," I swear my face would be on the cover page. Still, part of the reason my antiracist journey has been transformative and continually deepening is that I've made several mistakes. I've stumbled and face-planted along the way; heck, I've even created an antiracist alias! Through it all, though, I recognize that being in this work for the long haul means striving for sustained antiracist commitment and not perfection.
The Relentless Tide of Whiteness in the Media
Hollywood has a well-known addiction problem that continues to perpetuate itself in media. What’s the addiction of choice? Whiteness, of course. Year after year, Hollywood continues to bombard the public with a disproportionate vast sea of whiteness. A sea so perniciously unrelenting it continues to crash against the weathered shores of our minds.
My Journey “Into” Whiteness as a “Latinx” Man
I've never thought of myself as white: I thought of myself as only Mexican. A Mexican with a cinnamon complexion that could make Mexican singer, Thalia, belt out, "Eres piel morena. Canto de pasión y arena!" Translation: “You are brown skin. A song of passion and sand.”
Why ‘White-Passing’ Is White Supremacy
‘White-passing’ serves as a fluid identity in which a person is either running from or running towards whiteness. As pointed out by educator Dash A. Harris, you’ll never hear someone say they are ‘Black-passing.’ Well, perhaps Rachel Dolezal but I digress. It’s time to pass on white-passing and rid ourselves of this vague identifier; it causes psychological harm to ourselves, more minoritized identities (Black and Indigenous) and it is inherently anti-Black.
“If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.”
― Toni Morrison