RACE
Dear Allies, Here’s Why You Must Not Invade Our BIPOC Spaces
Sometimes, we have to be our own gatekeepers.
Our histories cling to us. We are shaped by where we come from.
~ Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Feminist, Poet, and Renowned Novelist
Everyone has heritage. And culture. And her [his] story.
Certainly, they are all valid and wondrous in their unique ways. I’m not here to attack our dominant culture allies because I understand they are a necessary component of our collective struggle — the one that we, as Black, Brown, and Indigenous peoples, continue to fight every day of our lives.
However, our allies must acknowledge and accept that their presence at BIPOC-centered and BIPOC-only events is disruptive, harmful and I’ll take the liberty of adding, disrespectful. Of course, some folks reading this will say I should have written ‘can be’ instead of ‘is.’ And while that might be true — each case is different, not every event is entirely exclusive, plus we are not a monolith — the point of this post is to once again draw attention to our needs as communities of color.
Creative Release
When I received the Poetry Society of New York’s (PSNY) February invite to their workshop, [SPEAKING IN NON-ENGLISH]…
