On being biracial: My lessons and reflections
(02/26/21 4:26am)
This article is part of the Opinion section’s Black Futures at Princeton series. Click here to view the full project.
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This article is part of the Opinion section’s Black Futures at Princeton series. Click here to view the full project.
Last month, Rebekah Adams ’21 argued in The Princeton Tory that “It’s Time For Communal Accountability” in the Black community. Through a shoddy line of reasoning, Adams concludes that racism no longer exists. Instead, she pins responsibility for racial inequality on Black culture. While Adams believes her “bold” call for accountability and individualism will finally “heal the scars from slavery and segregationist policies,” she fails (or maybe refuses) to remotely address the present-day ramifications of such oppression.
About a month ago, I was left awe-struck, hopeful, and empowered. Oct. 29 marked the conclusion of the Program in Visual Arts’s three-part webinar series, “Combahee Experimental: Black Women’s Experimental Filmmaking.” Each session brought a beautiful range of Black women in conversation with renowned curators Simone Leigh and Tina Campt. Needless to say, spending Thursday evenings hearing from visionaries like Garrett Bradley to pioneers like Angela Davis all but cured my Zoom fatigue.
Growing up in Kansas City, I have had my fair share of encounters with white liberalism. Whether it’s “… but I voted for Obama!” after a questionable remark, or that black box on Instagram that has become symbolic of allyship with Black folk, this superficial opposition to racism manifests itself in many different ways. Regardless of the particular manifestation, such actions make clear that for many liberals, there remains a chasm between proclaiming Black life matters and taking measures that genuinely reflect this statement.