As Black Lives Matter protests continue across the country, there has been much learning and un-learning to do on the part of many non-Black people. Initially, as I was caught up in the implications of the involvement of an Asian-American officer in George Floyd's death and contending with anti-Blackness within my own community, much of my focus was on solidarity between Asian Americans and the Black community. I was drawn to graphics bearing phrases like "Asians For Black Lives" and "Yellow Peril Supports Black Power" and images of Asian Americans holding signs displaying these phrases during protests.
My perspective began to change after seeing a post discouraging the use of these slogans and discussing with some friends. I began to wonder if all of these graphics and signs were too centered on Asian Americans rather than experiences of Black people. Encouraging solidarity is one thing, but as non-Black people of color, how much focus should we really be putting on our own experiences during a movement that is intended to specifically highlight the experiences of the Black community?
"Asians For Black Lives" and "Yellow Peril Supports Black Power" aren't necessarily bad, and the sentiment of solidarity with the Black community is certainly a positive one. However, being non-Black POC, this movement isn't about us. Black Lives Matter is about Black people, and we shouldn't be centering our own struggles as we protest for the Black Lives Matter movement. This is not the time for us to co-opt the movement for ourselves, even if we're doing it unintentionally -- I've been guilty of doing so myself. Our experience isn't quite the same as that of Black people, and we shouldn't be pretending that it is, nor should we be conflating our experiences with the experiences of Black people. Yes, we're also POC and yes, we're also affected by systemic racism, but again, this movement is not about us. As we continue to support the Black community, we have to remember that true solidarity means amplifying Black voices, not our own.
Another issue with co-opting the Black Lives Matter movement is that doing so ignores the role of non-Black POC in perpetuating anti-Blackness. Our experiences of being oppressed as POC does not exclude us from having a role in upholding systemic racism or racism against the Black community, and much of the work we need to do is internal and involves self-reflection. It's easy to say something like "Asians For Black Lives," but what are you doing to address the anti-Blackness in your own community as well as in yourself? If you're just inserting your own struggle and experience as a POC into the Black Lives Matter movement, you're overlooking the ways in which you may have contributed to systemic racism -- you're probably not consciously racist, but you might be more involved in perpetuating anti-Blackness than you think. In my own community, I've noticed many Asian Americans have failed to address how the model minority myth (which many Asian Americans have internalized and willingly uphold) has been used against the Black community. Even as fellow POC, we can't fully understand the experiences of Black people if we haven't lived them. As we look at how we, as non-Black POC, might have contributed to anti-Blackness, we also need to understand that we can't claim the Black Lives Matter movement or the experience of anti-Black racism for ourselves.
I fully support solidarity between people of color, but in the context of Black Lives Matter, non-Black POC also need to be able to sit back and listen to Black people. Our being oppressed doesn't exclude us from perpetuating anti-Blackness, and it certainly doesn't mean that our experiences can be conflated with those of the Black community. This is a time for us to let Black people speak and to ensure that the experiences of Black people, not our own, are at the center of this movement. Black Lives Matter is about Black lives, not us.
