#also tlsorry for any typos im on mobile

[sereniv]

On commenting of what you said of that white passing blog post, can you reiterate of what u mean by in to detail bc you are sending alot of miss signals?

Okay so the anon wanted to know is as a pale person, would they be considered a person of color. And from what I've seen, some people say you have to visibly have color and experience direct racism (therefor if you are white passing, you are not considered a poc), and ive seen some say that as long as you have family that is PoC like parents or grandparents only then you are PoC, and ive seen like the person I reblogged from, say that if you have a ancestor of color pretty recently then you are PoC.

And what im saying is that PoC is just a term to help bring people with similar struggles together, and to create a safe space from their white oppressors. But it gets hazy when talking about white passing people. Like anon asked, they range from 25 to 50 in BQ. DO we go off of that? is 25 too low when pair3d with pale skin or even white passing?

Thats why there should be less stress and anxiety put on whether you are a person of color, and more of what that means. Less of using a simple label, and more of where you fit in the narrative

And what I said was that you can define what you are. That because the term PoC is made up, and race and ethnicity are too, that there's no science, no fact to tell you whether at 25% poc, if that paired with pale skin means you are poc or not. And no one else can tell you- they can not include you, they can not believe you, they can still feel uncomfortable around you, etc etc.

But ultimately as white passing people, its up to us to ask whether PoC fits. And I dont feel comfortable using it as a term

But that doesn't make me white. I'm mixed. I have white privilege. I identify as indigenous and italian (white).

The labels of white and PoC are extremely important and needed our society i want to make that clear. There should be spaces for PoC only who can feel relaxed away from white people.

But again, some PoC will welcome someone like me even if i don't identify as a PoC, but as mixed. And some don't. Some will say im a PoC, some will say im just white.

It matters what PoC who identify as that think of me, because if they see my white skin and feel my BQ is too low, and recognize my experiences and privilege and dont feel comfortable around me in a space made for people who experience direct racism, then I understand and I personally dont hate that person BECAUSE I understand.

And when I say PoC I mean people who identify as. Not just PoC passing people

I'm trying to say is how can we agree on how much color someone should have in them to make them a PoC? all we can do is encourage people to do their research and listen to people who identify as PoC and their experiences, and let them decide where they fit in the conversation and if PoC is what they are.

But again its a label to connect people. It isn't a science. Which is why you can't find people agreeing what PoC means. Do we go off this definition or this one and why etc.

And I dont feel like I said a PoC passing person gets to define who is PoC. Because my whole point is focusing less on BQ and more on community, experience, culture, language etc. And your unique position in the narrative. Knowing when to speak up, and knowing when to stand by or behind.

I'm just one voice and im voicing my opinion on the matter just as the person I reblogged from did. My opinion isn't fact, but of course something to think about.

So in all, I think the whole thing is complicated and it's up to the individual to play it by ear. Though some people consider me PoC I dont think that matters as much as knowing that when talking about racism, a poc passing native should get the spotlight over me. But that in other situations, I can provide my unique experiences and struggles.

Also to go over again what I said about loving your other heritage before moving on to the 'poc' heritage- Anon's question pops up a lot in different ways and so sometimes I forget which im replying to, but a lot of people ask that question after they have taken a dna test.

They find out they are native and don't know if they are poc or not, even if they always knew they were native or Mexican etc. But actually seeing the percentage brings up the question of whiteness and PoCness(?).

And because a lot of people who otherwise identified as white bc either they were told they were, or bc they didn't know what poc was- sometimes they can lose site of whats important in the situation.

So I just remind them that if struggling with the identity is hard, try starting with something that you already identified with.

That its important when questioning "does this make me poc? am I not white?" to know what that means to you.

Okay ill take me. STORY TIME

Growing up i struggled with identity. I didnt know what white and poc was, but I knew i was italian and mexican/hispanic. those were the words used for me. And knowing I was mexican, I also had an idea that I was native, but because I had no connection with my dad, I had no way of knowing anything

I didnt want to see my dad but also did. I was always thinking about the side of me i didn't know about. When I read about Mexico and mexican culture and native people I just felt sad. I had a want to know more about me but I couldn't. I also struggled with skin color, seeing as mexican kids I knew had darker skin. and I knew my dad especially in the summer got darker skin. so I felt especially not mexican enough

but I never knew what was white, so I identified simply as italian and mexican. and when it came time to write down race and ethnicity when I was older on forms, I was told to put down white (which I still didn't claim bc i didnt know what that meant), and sometimes I'd put mexican. bc before it was white and not mexican/hispanic, or vise versa. there was no choice for both.

So later on I take a dna test, and learn "okay so I AM mexican. my dad once said spanish, and thats not mexican so I was confused and lost on identity, but now i know I am mexican and yes native." so it was confirmation and pieces put together that made me happy and excited because I was finally getting to know more of what I always wanted to find more on.

Contacted a cousin who is a quarter like my dad and looks JUST like me. Enough BQ to join the tribe if he wanted to. Learned more about family and that we are Yaqui

Finally felt at more at peace and less anxious about identity and felt more comfort.

I then wondered though, does this make me a person of color? And eventually I figured that that doesnt matter to me, and that I dont feel comfortable identifying as one.

Also i wrote most this last night and forgot the main reason why i put my story, there was a point I just can't remember if I already wrote it

TLDR; But yeah, Anon wanted to know if they were poc bc someone said they are too pale to be. And there is no real criteria that is going to be able to be used for everyon3 because everyone is different, so Anon instead should focus on connecting, community, and finding out where they fit in a conversation, and they will find that some people view them as PoC and some will View them as White, and some just as Mixed. They are allowed to get angry at other mixed people or monoracial people telling they aren't enough, but i personally think people should understand where they are coming from, but you dont have to. I personally understand if someone doesnt feel comfortable around me bc they view me as just white.

I hope i answer your question, sorry I get side tracked and then forget what I wrote. If not feel free to ask again in a different way;;;

@thisbadbitchneedsmoney sorry for the wait