For September’s Diversity Dictionary word of the week series, we went on an exploration into race-related mythologies and experiences: Reverse racism, white-passing and identity politics. These are terms that are often misunderstood, misused, and can cause confusion, even provoke a sense of feeling attacked.
Placing these words within the context of systemic oppression allows us to see how they uphold, give voice to and question inequality. Read on and learn with us.
REVERSE RACISM
Reverse racism is the idea that white people are being racially oppressed, based on the perception that black, indigenous and people of colour (also known as people of the global majority - PGM) have not only gained equal rights, but that the balance has tipped the other way and that the formerly dominant group is not only being discriminated against, but being systemically oppressed.
White people may face other forms of systemic oppression such as ableism, misogyny, classism, heterosexism or transphobia, but it’s important to say: reverse racism is a myth.
It’s a myth usually perpetuated by white people who benefit from the white supremacist system, yet feel defensive when they are made aware of their privilege, or personally attacked when they see people of the global majority gaining access to rights and opportunities that white people have by default.
For example, someone might claim “That’s reverse racism!” as a response to community platforms that centre and are exclusive to people from Black communities. Or workplace recruitment initiatives that seek to upskill people from racially marginalised backgrounds who have faced systemic barriers and lack of access to certain elitist industries and roles.
In most (if not all) cases, the phrase is experienced as a microaggression, and sits in the same realm as the phrase ‘I don’t see colour’. Both these phrases erase the realities of systemic oppression that are experienced every day by people of the global majority who exist within a white supremacist society.
There’s a saying that goes ‘Equal rights for others does not mean does not mean less rights for you. It's not pie’. In other words, just because historically marginalised people are getting better access to opportunities, resources and representation, it doesn’t mean white people are getting less.
Social equity benefits everyone. It means everyone is elevated.
WHITE-PASSING
The term ‘white-passing’ describes when a person of the global majority (Black, indigenous or person of colour) is mistaken for being white. This could be by accident, based on assumption by others, or it may be a deliberate choice – more on that below.
Skin colour, facial features, hair colour and texture, accent and many other factors contribute to whether a person is considered white-passing. A Black, indigenous or person of colour who is mixed race or of mixed heritage with a white parent, grandparents or ancestors may not identify as being white, but might be mistaken as white by strangers. Other racialised groups such as communities from the Middle East, Eastern Europe or Latin America may ‘appear’ to be white but still experience racism in many forms.
White-passing privilege is when a person of the global majority is able to access some of the benefits that white people have access to, within a white-supr*macist society. These benefits vary from ease of access to education, job opportunities, and elite sections of society, to being able to enter a shop without being followed by a security guard or drive a car without being racially profiled by the police.
In the United States, African-Americans and Black people would have passed to escape the racial violence and oppression that led to their enslavement, segregation, and brutalisation. “Being able to pass for white sometimes meant the difference between a life in captivity and a life of freedom.” (Source: @ThoughtCo)
At the same time, it’s important not to over-simplify the complexities of passing as white. White-passing privilege is not the same as white privilege. This is something explored in films such as Passing (on @Netflix, based on the 1929 novel by Nella Larsen) and novels such as The Vanishing Half by @BritRBennett.
White-passing privilege only exists because a white-supr*macist system puts whiteness at the centre of power, while people of the global majority, particularly in the West, are marginalised and minoritised.
IDENTITY POLITICS
'Identity politics’ is a term that generally refers to a move away from ‘conventional’ party politics and more towards politics centred around issues relating to identity, and specifically marginalised identity.
The term was first coined by the Combahee River Collective, a group of Black lesbian socialist feminists in the US in the 1970s.
They argued that, as Black lesbian women, their liberation would require overthrowing systems of power which oppress everyone. In their words: "The most profound and potentially most radical politics come directly out of our own identity".
In other words, when political action is organised around what is good for people at the bottom of social hierarchies (rather than around party loyalties) all oppressed people will benefit.
For those who face marginalisation – for example, women, gender-diverse people, disabled people, those who are part of the LGBTQIA+ community, and many others – identity politics can be a helpful entry point to examine how systemic oppression manifests through their own identities, and then what action can be taken that would lead to progress not just for their specific group (or groups), but for all.
At the same time, it can be seen as vague, open to interpretation, and therefore open to criticism.
In recent years, as with words like ‘woke’, the more a phrase like ‘identity politics’ gets used, the more the original meaning gets diluted. In some cases, groups who are not impacted by systemic oppression, such as white men in positions of power, feel attacked by the idea of identity politics - usually because their identity is the default. Such critics might use the phrase as an insult, saying that it’s a distraction from ‘real’ politics.
Others have co-opted the phrase, using it as a buzzword to gain popularity. For example, Left-leaning politicians may invoke the phrase while enacting policies that seem liberal, but upon closer inspection, do very little for progress and freedom from oppression.
Some critics suggest that instead of focusing on our differences, we should recognise our common humanity. Others suggest it leads to exclusion rather than inclusion.
Our mission at The Other Box is to make space for difference. Diversity Dictionary is where we explore meanings and histories of the language of diversity, beyond a dictionary definition, so we can all build a deeper awareness and critical understanding of perspectives that may be different to our own.
On all our social channels, we share weekly words and their definitions, with a different theme each month. These terms are a taster and have been taken from our Diversity Dictionary™ course in our TOB for Teams™ programme. If you'd like to learn more, check out our courses page and fill in the contact form.
Is there a theme you’d like to see covered in Diversity Dictionary? Let us know! Our work is co-created by our community to work towards creating a world that is more inclusive and safe for everyone.
Words by Roshni Goyate
Header image by Karina Tess on Unsplash