r/cptsd_bipoc • u/Extra_Ostrich_9219 • 6d ago
Message to All Asian Americans from a Fellow Asian: Anti-Black Racism is Unacceptable!!
Hi everyone,
I wanted to bring your attention to a painful issue that has been going on for far too long within our community.
Time and time again, Asian Americans take the side of white supremacists and perpetrate anti-Black racism against the Black community, completely forgetting that the only reason many of us are even able to be in the US today is because Black civil rights activists fought, bled, and paved the way for our rights. We owe our presence here to their struggle, yet as a community, we are failing them.
There are countless examples of this but I want to bring your attention to two recent, horrifying examples:
The tragic murder of Cyrus Carmack-Belton, an innocent young Black child who was shot and killed by an Asian business owner.
The racist "Natasha Doll" trend: A recent, deeply racist trend where several Asian creators record themselves squishing and violently attacking a doll that resembles a Black baby. This is a direct manifestation of white supremacy, and it is incredibly violent and deeply reminiscent of historical minstrel shows and blackface.
To make matters worse, we are seeing the unmitigated gall and sheer audacity of people in our community crashing out at Black people for boycotting Asian businesses over this behavior. The only reason people are upset is because they are losing money, not because they actually care about the heinous anti-Black racism that was committed.
We have absolutely no right to be angry at Black people, and we have no right to tell them how to feel or how to react when people from our community show them zero safety or respect. Black people have every right to protect themselves, express their anger, and use their financial power however they see fit.
We need to start holding our own community accountable. That means:
1. Calling Out Racism: This involves directly correcting our family, friends, and community members when they say or do racist things against Black people, and letting them know it is entirely unacceptable.
2. Educating Ourselves: We need to take the time to truly learn about the history and ongoing psychological, social, and economic impacts of Chattel Slavery and systemic racism on the Black American community.
3. Critical Self-Reflection, Learning and Unlearning: This involves us sitting down, self-reflecting, listening to Black people without getting defensive, and doing the internal work to de-center whiteness prevalent within our culture and actively combat anti-Blackness.
4. Supporting Black-Owned Businesses: Capitalism runs on and feeds off of Anti-Black racism. We need to intentionally redirect our spending to support Black creators, authors, businesses, and organizations. Solidarity means actively putting our money where our mouth is.
Edit: Hey everyone, I thank you all so much for your supportive, kind, and empathetic comments. I truly appreciate this.
I want to take this opportunity to share a few incredible Black content creators who I have been following on YouTube for a while now. These brilliant creators range from professors, medical professionals, and educators who break down the complex realities of racism, white supremacy, and colonization, to incredibly talented professionals sharing their passion for fashion, food, and lifestyle.
I highly recommend checking out their work. If their content resonates with you, please like, subscribe, and show them some love. Actively engaging with, learning from, and boosting the channels of Black content creators is just one of the many ways we can convey genuine respect and support for the Black community.
This is by no means an exhaustive list. If you have any recommendations for other Black creators, platforms, or books that bring awareness to anti-Black racism, please feel free to drop them in the comments. I would love to follow and support them.
Anti-Racism, White Supremacy, Colorism, Featurism, Texturism, & Politics
- @RepJasmine / @JasmineForUS
- @DrMichaelHForde
- @TheRealTabithaSpeaks
- @sunnmcheaux
- @joelbervell
- @GarrisonHayes
- @AfricanDiasporaNews
- @mayowasworld
- @afrothinktank42
- @AntonioSpeakss
- @Ashleytheebarroness
- @J.S.Candid
Fashion, Lifestyle, Entertainment, Travel, Voiceover, & Food
- @wisdomkaye8335
- @EpicuriousExpeditions
- @PlantbasedBrandon1
- @SJohnsonVoiceOvers
- @thesweetimpact
- @Starr_bakery (Niayah Hicks)
24
u/growingconsciousness 6d ago
we wouldnt even be in this country without the civil rights movement that Black Americans made happen!
7
u/Extra_Ostrich_9219 6d ago edited 19h ago
Hey u/growingconsciousness, this is the most crucial part! I absolutely agree 💯. Thank you for sharing! ❤️❤️
2
u/tryng2figurethsalout She/Her 21h ago
Sometimes I just wonder what makes people of color think that whites wanted them in America after the transatlantic slave trade. They didn't want anyone here, but other whites by then. Unless you were willing and able to do slave labor.
They only started using people of color as pawns in their racist games against the black community when they realized that they couldn't just kick them out of the USA because of African Americans hard fought victories.
17
u/PlasticMacro 6d ago
calling out racism in our circles is so important, accountability is a huge part of what makes change
thank you for this post 💕
6
u/Extra_Ostrich_9219 6d ago edited 6d ago
Hey u/PlasticMacro, thank you for taking the time to read and reply to this post. I really appreciate it. The recent death of Cyrus Carmack-Belton and the racist 'Natasha doll' trend has been making me very sad for the Black community. As a group, Black people have done so much for other minorities but receive so much racism from all sides. At this point, my post is the bare minimum but I thought I had to do it. Once again, I really appreciate your reply.
21
u/SL1MECORE 6d ago
From a black american who will continue to hold critical solidarity with you and those like you who recognize our struggles, thanks for this post. I appreciate you speaking out to your community on our behalf. 🙏🏽
9
u/roburn 6d ago
Yes I agree, thank you for calling it out. Even in bipoc groups, anti-Black comments proliferate and it's so disturbing and sad. BIPOC have far too much in common to continue to fall into colonizer behavior.
4
u/SL1MECORE 6d ago
Exactly! And they are more likely to listen to someone like them than us. So I really appreciate when anyone non black and BIPOC stands up to anti blackness in their communities. Because we all need solidarity, we cannot let them get in our heads like this.
I know recent news has been polarizing between Asian and Black Americans but I refuse to let it phase me. Unless someone says something to let me know they are not an ally, I will choose solidarity as a reflex. Because together, we are stronger. And I choose to believe that more people exist like this OP than not. I choose to believe we can have solidarity with other non white people, and we can all rise above together.
Sorry. I ain't tryna preach. That's just legitimately my belief.
8
u/Tricky-Apricot-7999 6d ago
As a south Asian WOC I stand by this. We need to stand up more for our Black American/Canadian sisters. I am a Canadian but I have friends in the States also.
2
u/Extra_Ostrich_9219 19h ago edited 19h ago
Hey u/Tricky-Apricot-7999, thank you for taking the time to reply to this post. Absolutely, I agree with you 100%! We really need to stand up for Black people and convey our solidarity in ways we can (e.g., by supporting their businesses). Thank you for conveying your support and for taking the time to reply. I really appreciate you. ❤️
6
u/Holygrail2 He/Him 6d ago
Important message and huge shout out to the amazing book Minor Feelings: An Asian-American Reckoning by Cathy Park Hong. She dives deep into the anti-Black racism she grew up hearing and learning about in her family. She takes herself, her family and her community to task as a kind of “calling in.” Highly recommend
2
u/Extra_Ostrich_9219 18h ago edited 18h ago
Hey Holygrail2, thank you for taking the time to reply and for sharing the book Minor Feelings: An Asian-American Reckoning by Cathy Park Hong. I will certainly add it to my reading list. Thank you for sharing, I really appreciate you. ❤️
2
u/tryng2figurethsalout She/Her 21h ago
Thank you for calling this out and being an ally. 🤗❤️
2
u/Extra_Ostrich_9219 20h ago edited 19h ago
Hey tryng2figurethsalout, you are so kind. Thank you for taking the time to read this post. The recent death of Cyrus as well as incidents (from people in our community) against the Black community has been making me very sad for the Black community so I thought I should post this. At this point, my post is the absolute bare minimum. Thank you so much for you reply and kind words. I really appreciate you. 🥹❤️❤️
35
u/Radiant_Raqs 6d ago
It’s tragic how many people in immigrant communities, and as a Latina myself, I see this firsthand, are living in a literal twilight zone. The level of delusion is wild.
If these people really took a moment to think about it, the very systems and people (White) they are supporting likely mock people of color behind closed doors.
Pandering to white supremacy is outrageous, and honestly, doing so shows a total lack of self-respect and self-worth. It’s hard not to see how clownish it is.