About the Interracial awards! This is a beautiful concept and the notion of celebrating ourselves is one that's been long overdue!
And this is why it's so important!
R. M. Nyamwihura
It's always an extraordinary occurrence when POC are recognised and actually awarded at award shows. And we the black community express words of elation and gratitude, often left in a state of absolute euphoria.
We rejoice when this sometimes happens, but why was it so important to begin with... Did we really need a white awards show (based on the nominations chosen by what was most likely a white male panel) in order to gain validation?
It seems that we are so overjoyed when white Award shows gives us the recognition that we deserve; they pat us on the back and throw us an award here and there, but only to pacify us – and it works.
But they shouldn't be thanked for acknowledging our talents when they were the ones who made us feel as if we lacked any in the first place. White people should not be given gratitude when acknowledging our worth if they were the very ones to make us feel worthless.
As Malcolm X said, "You don't stick a knife in a man's back nine inches and then pull it out six inches and say you're making progress."
Are we advancing in our fight for equal representation when we have to pull teeth to get it? Diversity merely for diversity's sake is feigned and insensitive. It's one thing to combat the systemic racism that ensures we as POC are not treated as human beings (and the disenfranchisement of black voters is just one perfect example of this). However, it's another matter entirely when we hold all the power to tell our own stories in our own way but still look to white people to do it for us.
Remember the surge of Idris Elba fans who so adamantly pushed for him to be the next James Bond? Well, are we not capable of creating our own badass action heroes? Or is it only significant to fill roles that have been dominated only by white actors? We have such a warped idea of how to gain success and what it is. We measure our success, not by our own standards, but by the standards set forth by those who continually cast us aside.
You need not look too far to see that attempts at diversity are simply an act. Just look at the way they resent us when we express pride in our culture and who we are as a people. They don't want us to talk about the lack of diversity, nor do they want to bring attention to it. How many radio stations catering to white listeners even mentioned Viola Davis' heartwarming speech?
Stop looking to white people for your sense of legitimacy and self-worth. Why do we jump for joy when white people finally let us sit at their table and eat from the crumbs left behind. We are forever comparing ourselves to them as if they and their accomplishments are somehow unparalleled.
Viola Davis is the first African American to win an Emmy for the role of a leading actress, but on whose award show was she the first? It is only on their terms that she is the first, but we as black people could have done Ms. Davis justice and given her such an accolade much sooner. Or would it have not meant anything because it wasn't an Emmy? If it had been an award show dedicated to us and our representation, would we have felt just as triumphant?
I will not jump for joy when white people pat me on the back and smile, telling me that I am now good enough to stand beside them – but only for this moment. Cease this act of being appreciative when they finally allow us to portray characters that are more dynamic and complex – we were always capable of doing so, but were more bankable to them only as tropes stemming from their own prejudices.
The accomplishments of Ms. Davis, Ms. Aduba, and Ms. King have given black women hope – hope that they too can go out and accomplish great things. And while we have so much further to go in our fight for equal representation, whether it be the role of a leading actress or the next president of the United States, we need not ask for it when we can simply look to ourselves and say, "Yes."
And some food for thought
*why must black people always be inclusive of the same people that ostracised them to begin with.
*why do we still seek validation from a group of people that has brutalised and savaged us so violently, then blamed us for the effects of their doings.
*why has it taken us this long to finally feel the heat of the burning house we happily strolled into lol
AND
*who else is excited to see black excellence become a norm in our community and not an exception -within our lifetime!
cause I know I am :)
Stay blessed and don't forget to vote in the interracial awards!!! Your favourite books with a POC as a main character. Get involved!
TeaIsForTimi X @Anything-though
if we don't support our own, who will.
hope this inspires a lot more celebration of POC, even if it's just a character in a fanfic🤣
Full article here - http://myblackmatters.com/its-time-we-stop-begging-for-acceptance/
YOU ARE READING
One Direction Interracial Preferences (BWWM)
FanfictionInterracial One Direction Preferences - because that's a thing. Delve into preferences that'll make you weak at the knees, hopefully(;
