A NOTE ABOUT IDENTITY AND THE LIGHT THAT GUIDES US
Recently, I wrote on Medium about my racial identity and how my blackness shapes the way I view the world. Observe:
The idea of joy and love as expressed by marginalized cultures gets lost in America. It also stands to reason that many of us who are labeled first- or second-generation Latinx often carry a racial or cultural schema that differs from America, so it’s odd trying to explain someone’s racial understanding to someone who holds steadfast to theirs. For example, the stereotype is that Dominicans hate Black people, but that ignores the plethora of Black Dominicans who’ve offered pockets of resistance all over the island. To some, it also diminishes blackness to an imperial concept where we can only imagine this experience in the context of the United States and not in the dozens of other countries where, yes, we exist.
I didn’t understand the amazing reaction to the piece at first because I don’t often get a chance to uncover these elements of what makes me. I also feel like I dove (not tiptoed) into a discussion around ideas of antiblackness and immigration that are still too sensitive in our culture.
At the same time, if I don’t A Note About Identity and The Light That Guides Us | The Jose Vilson:
