#'this person is OBVIOUSLY POC because [insert parent] is it's not that complicated'

[virtualcarrot]

Always sparring a thought for how essentialist racism discourse has become, but especially today as I think of this guy that I met two days ago, whom I sincerely believed had origins from the Maghreb/Middle East, and who it turns out is merely part Spanish--with all that entails of historical intermingling, sure, but far away enough that he didn't have anyone to point to as a reference of racialization

Anyway, that "white" dude keeps getting stopped and frisked whenever he's in an airport

[spiritroots]

Why do you so many young people come to you with questions trying to qualify their blackness or feel they aren't black enough? It's really sad.

Disclaimer: In this answer, I’m specifically talking about black people and asks I’ve received from them. I’m not referring to POC in general or to asks I’ve received from white people about hoodoo and ATRs.

I’m so so glad someone has noticed this trend... it is really sad. I was considering making a post about this at some point trying to somehow explain that no one needs me or anyone else to validate or qualify their blackness, but since receiving your ask I’ve reflected on this whole issue more and talked to my fiancé about it and realized it’s a fairly complicated issue.

I think it’s coming from a place of “can I practice hoodoo/Ifá/[insert Africana tradition here]?” but since hoodoo is open to black people only (IMO) and these traditions are related to black ancestry, it inevitably also turns into a question of “am I black enough”? And I wish I could say I have no idea why people are questioning their blackness and looking for validation about it, but I think I do.

Some of these folks mentioned that they grew up either raised by a white parent or by black/mixed parents in a very culturally white way. There’s often a stated or implied disconnect for them with black culture and/or having a black identity for themselves - regardless of their skin color or their parents’ skin color(s). Now, maybe you already know and I already know that being raised culturally white and/or by a white parent doesn’t make a black person any less black or have any less claim to their culture and heritage. It might be more difficult for them to reconnect, but they still have every right to the moment they claim their blackness and do choose to identify with it.

However, I think some people feeling disconnected from black culture don’t realize this or even if they know it, they don’t feel it inside. They might be questioning “can I really do this?” or it doesn’t feel right when they try to reconnect and that feeling leaves them wondering if it’s really okay. That feeling could easily come from so many places... Growing up very culturally white usually inherently comes with a sense that maybe your own culture is shameful, lesser, unintelligent, poor, unsuccessful, etc. So then, of course, it would feel wrong somehow to reconnect with it, you’ve been taught to subconsciously internalize racism on a much higher level than normal your whole life. They may see people like me and other Afrocentric bloggers and think, “oh well it’s obviously okay for them, but for me I don’t know,” and have no idea that all these things are subconsciously going through their mind at the same time. 

Yes, this is incredibly sad!! It’s really, really upsetting... it’s part of what motivates me to blog and write about Africana traditions and black culture and history in general - to push back and to create resources to fight against the loss of our sense of identity and culture. These people definitely don’t need to hear it from me or anyone else that it’s okay to reconnect, but if hearing it from others in the black community like from me helps them, then it’s 100% worth doing. I’ll always answer asks like that as best I can, I just wish it wasn’t a problem to begin with. It shouldn’t be at all, and I hope that in some small way the blogging that I do and that many others do in the black corner of Witchblr and Tumblr makes a difference for some folks who are having identity struggles.

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I just wanna add as an aside that there’s an incredible, unbelievable irony here.

HELLO!! I am white passing!!!!! If you were to meet me on the street, there’s a very high chance you wouldn’t think I am black. People have laughed in my face, like belly laughed, because they thought I was completely joking for saying I’m black at all nevermind that my mom is black. Some people won’t genuinely believe me until I whip out a photo of her on my phone as “proof.”

So…. if you were to be talking to me off the internet, I’d probably be the very last person anyone would ever come up to and ask to validate their blackness. Although I don’t hide the fact that I’m white passing on my blog either, check the photo of me and see my bio. I’m very candid about this. So the whole situation is kind of… really really fucking wild to be totally honest.

Sometimes I feel like my existence as a super problack white passing person is some strange cosmic joke from the universe like Eshu must’ve done something funky while Obatala was looking the other way when he made me. Maybe I asked for this weird life to be my Ori? Who knows. Only Orunmila knows.

Anyways, absolutely no one needs me or anyone else to validate their blackness. It’s not something that is about giving permission or making a decision for someone else about it. If you have recent ancestors who are black, then you’re black. Even though I’m white passing, I’m black too. That is why I feel 100% comfortable running my blog, connecting with my culture and heritage and the identity I was raised with since birth regardless of what my skin color came out looking like due to random genetic shuffling.

I guess in some ways, the irony here is also a blessing. If there’s anything at all good that can come of my bizarre and paradoxical life and out of the more than two decades I’ve struggled with understanding and accepting my own racial identity, and it’s that I can help others struggling with their racial identity - especially other white passing people - even a little bit somehow then I’m glad for that