#jewish roma solidarity

[spot-the-antisemitism]

Might not be the right place to ask, but with the way things are going, how would you feel about a Jewish/Roma defensive pact?

Any time in recent history where the Jews are getting persecuted, the Roma persecution soon follows or is accompanied by it.

I propose the Jewish and Romani communities band together for strength in numbers.

Yes, I realize I'm on anon, still sort of in the closet about being Roma, but I want to get some thoughts going on whether or not it'd be viable and whether or not it'd be a good idea. I've got some logistics worked out for the US. But it involves heading somewhere hotter than where most Jewish folks are, specifically any constitutional carry red state.

I only support this idea for defensive fighting, no offensive use of violence intended or allowed, but we can't let the Holocaust happen again, and as per usual, we're the only people that will step up for us.

I'm not going to think you a coward for saying no, but I do hope some Jews think it's a decent idea. Get us out of blue states that hate us in favor of red ones that won't give a shit and let us defend ourselves.

Florida is the top state I'd recommend since the Florida police want people to defend themselves.

Dear anon,

Listen I don't tell most people my ethnicity unless they ask what the thing around my neck means or what part black I am (becuase Jewish featured on a light skinned person must mean mixed race black in America I suppose). I can't imagine the racism you experience simply because I am very much gadjo.

I really do want to tell you that I have no political standing whatsoever (besides Russia wanting to kill my family if that's anything)

That said I DO live in red state in the south and I think your best bet is actually a small southern town that sees you as a neighbor first and your race second. Other than Florida is pretty bigoted even if they support carrying arms so not sure if it's that much safer.

That said your plan to establish a Jewish-Roma based militia in Florida would scare Ron Desantis and for that alone I approve. I can see him decrying us in horrifically antiromanyist and antisemitic terms just for trying it.

I think most of the like minded Jews also moved southeast if you catch my drift and the rest will not move from New York or wherever they live to save their life (sometimes literally).

so I don't think this would actually work anon but I see where you're going with this

there SHOULD be more Jewish Roma solidarity instead of derision and bigotry thrown by both groups at each other often because those stereotypes are often the exact same

yours,

Cecil

[spale-vosver]

I've been doing a lot of thinking about Romani and Jewish solidarity lately, given our similarities.

We're both a diasporic people hated pretty much everywhere we go and blamed for all of the world's problems, especially in Southern and Eastern Europe.

We both have a closed culture that is very difficult to become a part of (from my understanding the only way to become Romani is to be "adopted" by a group of Romani or be born and raised in the culture)

We both have an extensive list of rules for living that are only fully known to the members of our communities and dictate things like diet, hygiene, prayer, etc

We're the two largest victims of the Shoah

We both often speak cultural languages associated with different demographics of the diaspora (Vlax Romani vs Balkan Romani vs Sinte Romani compared to Yiddish vs Ladino vs Arabiya Yahudiya)

We both often adopted the religions of the region in order to survive (forced Jewish and Romani conversion to Islam and Christianity)

I'm sure there's more I've forgotten, but feel free to chime in with your thoughts, and if I've misspoken please feel free to correct me -- since Romani is a wholly closed culture, I only know as much as Romani creators and educators are willing to share.

[lucigoo]

As Roma, we stand with all our Jewish cousins who are facing these issues. We did when we were being gassed side by side and we do as we are all being attacked for existing.

Just stop being so hateful you all (general all) your local Jews are as much to blame for anything going on in the world as you are. Look to your leaders to stop the things all of us little people can't, regardless of our religion, culture and ethnicity.

To hold this level if hate, how pathetic a person must they be.

I can not even wear a dihklo without being insulted or belittled in the street so I feel everyone else's pain.

Just saw a post that was basically "Hey off of the internet people usually aren't so crazy antisemitic and most of my day to day interactions as a visible Jew are normal, everything is gonna be ok" and I'm making a new post to not derail, but...

I'm super glad, obviously, that this is the case for many of you. But I do think we should be ringing the alarm bells. Because while you enjoy your grocery trips and post office in relative peace (as you ought to), here is a VERY incomplete list of things I have dealt with in the last 11 months.

-assaulted on my way to class, followed, spit on repeatedly (magen David necklace)

-professor took me outside of class and told me I needed to denounce my Judaism (I mentioned in passing my dad's family in an anthropology class)

-same professor refused to accept my final paper for reasons that did not match up with paper, email full of dogwhistles

-same professor told everyone to attend the protests and "teach those zionists to know their place" she is a Black Latina young professor. Yep.

-another professor straight up refused to accept any assignments that mentioned Jewishness (they were assignments about our families). Gave a student who submitted nothing except a picture of a Palestinian flag full marks. Failed me. I am an all As student, btw. Forced to drop.

-the chair of the anthropology department threw my complaints wabout said professors away without due process. His social media is full of blood libel.

-had to miss my finals as I could not physically get to them due to the protests

-followed and harassed in stores

-synagogue was vandalized multiple times

-called a kike while things were thrown at me

-protestors stood outside of my apartment patio with final solution signs

-new apartment, away from campus: friends of roommates harassed me constantly, to the point I could not use common spaces. Roommates told me that's his right because it's his "political view." He didn't even live there.

-new roommate moved in, less than 48 hours before she attempts to stab me, after learning I eat kosher style. "...kosher? kosher?! FUCK YOU" stab stab, etc. Bitch that was my good knife.

-the other roommates tell me to gtfo of the home I'm renting, keeping my rent ("you people can afford to lose money") and destroy a good portion of my belongings while cursing to me random nonsense about Israel. The police took 25 minutes to get there. We live in the middle of the city.

-fun fact: I had never mentioned my political stance to these people and it's not on my face-out social media (very bare bones profiles)

-been disbelieved by everyone I told this to including the police, my school, the leasing company, and my now ex best friend of 7 years

-cursed at in a store when I asked if there was a kosher section

-told nobody likes Jews because we bring down the vibe and have a victim complex. My knuckles are healing just fine after that, btw, thank you for asking! She is not.

I don't know how to request the 7th off from my school without basically incriminating myself with a threat of violence. There is no world where I just sit there when a classmate says "happy October 7th."

Hope this helps.

[alcestas-sloboda]

if you were ‘drawn out’ of arsenal spaces it wasn’t bc we don’t care but rather that you act like ukraine is the only country going through an invasion or the only people needing help.

most of us are bipoc and we’ve seen your posts about other countries, other situations. and yet i didn’t see you shedding a tear for roma and jewish people being persecuted in europe again, including your country. i didn’t see you worrying about how brown and black immigrants are unwanted everywhere while ukrainians are accepted. i didn’t see you caring about armenians leaving their homes fearing another genocide because of azeri invasion.

look around. a lot of us are jewish, brown or black. we’re not less important, yet our issues are treated like so - including by you. i’ve seen it far too many times and we don’t owe anyone anything. solidarity runs both ways.

it really does and yeah sorry i post mostly about my country and less often about other conflicts because I’m actually living through it all and unfortunately I didn’t see the support you are talking about. it was usually the "what about *this country*".

and no your issues are not treated as unimportant by me, it is a very unjust conclusion. once again, I’m sorry that I post less about other situations and I would never ask a person who is going through a traumatic experience to care more about my problems than theirs. I never ask Palestinians to care about Ukraine or Armenias, or Syrians but I do think that people who are lucky enough to live in a peaceful countries should.

[beekeep]

Ok here we go again…someone reposted this and is clowning on it saying that non-Jews shouldn’t comment on the holocaust. First off, this comment is fairly benign and historically not far off base. Nazis did in fact target trans healthcare with their first book burnings. The fact that they saw it as deriving from Jewish corruption—and therefore they ransacked and burned books from Magnus Hirschfileld’s Institute of Sexual Research—is certainly notable, though the comment isn’t denying it, it’s simply pointing to a specific form of bigotry which mirrors today’s conditions.

Jews weren’t the only victims of the holocaust. That is a historically true statement. Jews do not own the holocaust. Roma, homo/transsexuals, black europeans, communists, and more were targeted alongside the Jews. The idea that non-Jews shouldn’t comment on the holocaust is frankly a very self-centered statement which betrays a lack of solidarity to other marginalized peoples. Bigotries aren’t discrete entities, they’re a tightly intertwined system which hurts all of us. The sooner we accept that others have parallel histories, the better we’re equipped to change our futures.

[avian-misdemeanors]

I'm Jewish and I just learned at 31 that today is Roma Holocaust Memorial Day. Please take a moment to hold solidarity and space for our Roma comrades, and the loss they suffered at the hands of our common enemy.

Go forward remembering that it wasn't just 6 million Jews who were murdered by the Nazis. 5 million others including Roma, disabled people, neurodiverse people, queer people, and many, many more.

Remember our Roma comrades, hold space and solidarity for them. Be the ally the Nazis roll in their graves about.

[romanationmovement]

The complex relationship between Roma Christians and Roma Muslims is rooted in historical, cultural, and religious dynamics that have evolved over centuries. A significant factor contributing to their reluctance to unite is the strong bond Roma Christians feel with the Jewish people, based on shared biblical heritage and theological connections.

Historical and Cultural Context

The Roma, often referred to as Gypsies, are a diverse ethnic group with a history that spans various regions and cultures. They have faced persecution and marginalization throughout history, which has shaped their communal identities. While both Roma Christians and Roma Muslims share a common ethnic background, their religious differences have created distinct subcultures within the broader Roma community.

Religious Divergence

Religion plays a crucial role in the separation. Roma Christians adhere to Christianity, which includes a deep connection to the Jewish faith, as Christianity is rooted in Jewish traditions and scriptures. The Old Testament, which is part of the Christian Bible, is essentially the Hebrew Bible, and many Christian rituals and beliefs are influenced by Jewish customs. This theological link fosters a sense of kinship with Jews, which is not shared with Roma Muslims, whose faith diverges significantly in terms of religious texts, practices, and beliefs.

Theological Connection with Jews

Christianity’s foundations in Judaism contribute to Roma Christians’ solidarity with Jewish people. The shared belief in the Old Testament, reverence for figures like Abraham, Moses, and David, and the recognition of Jerusalem as a holy city establish common ground between Christians and Jews. Furthermore, the New Testament’s narrative of Jesus Christ, who was himself a Jew, reinforces this bond.

For Roma Christians, these connections are not merely historical but also spiritual, influencing their worldview and community dynamics. This bond often manifests in mutual support and a sense of shared destiny, particularly in the face of persecution.

Sociopolitical Factors

In contemporary contexts, sociopolitical dynamics also play a role. The identity of Roma Christians is often intertwined with broader Christian communities, which may include alliances and support systems that reinforce their distinctiveness from Roma Muslims. Additionally, political conflicts and historical animosities between Christian and Muslim communities in various regions might also influence Roma Christians’ reluctance to unite with Roma Muslims.

Conclusion

The reluctance of Roma Christians to unite with Roma Muslims is multifaceted, deeply rooted in religious beliefs, historical connections, and sociopolitical realities. Their strong connection with the Jewish people, based on shared religious texts and theological foundations, is a significant factor that underscores their distinct identity. This complex interplay of faith, history, and culture continues to shape the interactions and unity within the Roma community.

[hussyknee]

Zionism is white supremacy and manifest destiny that created and relies on Jewish exceptionalism. This is the refusal to believe that the persecution of Jews is the same religious majoritarianism and Christian colonialism that other non-Christians suffer. It defines Judaism purely by its historical persecution under Christianity and extends it as an intractable, static, omnipresent, permanent reality in the rest of world that can never change. It embraces the Nazi narrative that Jews are a race instead of a religious community, cursed and born to be hunted and displaced until they return to Israel to herald the End of Days, the only land to which they're "indigenous". In short, it's built on a nihilistic, paranoid victim complex built on Nazi dogma, and makes other oppressed people competitors of Jewish suffering.

The (continuing) colonial genocide of Indigenous Americans (by which I mean the Americas), the persecution of the Roma and other indigenous minority groups in Europe, the phenomenon of global anti-blackness and the colour system of race (white, brown, black, "red") that built the European colonial world order and continues to perpetuate it, and every colonial crime perpetrated by Europe are all direct challenges to Jewish exceptionalism. Intersectionality is antithetical to an identity based entirely on victimhood. Zionists can't own that Jewish people are just one among many other oppressed and marginalized groups. That white Jews are as complicit as white Christians in the oppression of indigenous people, people of colour and the Global South. That white Jews colonize and oppress Black and brown Jews. That the West deliberately exceptionalizes the Holocaust to cover up their own colonial crimes, gloss over the reparations they owe to the colonized and so they can pose as the saviours of Jews. That they do this to make Jews into their mascots and a vanguard of the imperial project. All of these are anathema to the Zionist narrative.

It's very transparent that all of this is actually steeped in Christian fundamentalism, because it's exactly what white Christian fundamentalists believe: that white Christians are consistently under threat from all sides and the only way to be safe and free is to make theirs a white Christian ethnostate that subjugates and controls everyone else. This is white colonial anxiety—the hyperawareness of the colonizing people's own guilt and hypocrisy turned into defensiveness and paranoia that those you oppress will retaliate against you in the same manner. Zionists, both Jewish and Christian, are particularly hyperaware of Black and Indigenous oppression as the groups they not-so-subconsciously understand as bearing the brunt of the white colonial caste system. It's why they attack them so obsessively, while trying to get them to validate Jewish exceptionalism. They do this either by racing to innocence ("How can you call me an oppressor and beneficiary when I'm oppressed too? We should be building solidarity on our shared oppression instead of focusing on the ways I can oppress you! Incidentally, it's antisemitic to call me white privileged!"), diminishing their struggle ("Well, you've only been genocided four hundred years. We've been persecuted for thousands!" "It's antisemitic to compare your genocide to the Holocaust because more Jews died in it.") or drawing false equivalences ("Calling me 'Zionist' is like me calling a Black person the 'n-word'").

Yes, those are real things I keep hearing— especially from Liberal Zionists. They're toxic and instrumental in pushing out BIPOC from leftist and liberal enclaves like academia and queer spaces for this reason, even if Zionism itself never comes up, because this attitude forms the bedrock of their approach to progressivism.

Incidentally, this lady has a very solid theory on why exceptionalizing the Holocaust is so integral to the propaganda of the Western "human rights regime".

Wikipedia’s editors have voted to declare the Anti-Defamation League “generally unreliable” on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, adding it to a list of banned and partially banned sources. An overwhelming majority of editors involved in the debate about the ADL also voted to deem the organization unreliable on the topic of antisemitism, its core focus. A formal declaration on that count is expected next. The decision about Israel-related citations, made last week, means that one of the most prominent and longstanding Jewish advocacy groups in the United States — and one historically seen as the leading U.S. authority on antisemitism — is now grouped together with the National Inquirer, Newsmax, and Occupy Democrats as a source of propaganda or misinformation in the eyes of the online encyclopedia. Moreover, in a near consensus, dozens of Wikipedia editors involved in the discussion said they believe the ADL should not be cited for factual information on antisemitism as well because it acts primarily as a pro-Israel organization and tends to label legitimate criticism of Israel as antisemitism.

Imagine pouring millions into Hasbara for decades just to lose the information war this fucking badly lmaooo

Anyway, plugging my masterlist of Palestinian media and sources again:

[mariacallous]

United Nations heritage body UNESCO announced on Thursday evening that six ex-Yugoslav republics agreed to renovate Block 17 of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum, a former shared exhibition space which has stood empty for many years because the six countries could not agree how the events of the Holocaust in Yugoslavia should be represented.

The deal was made after 14 years of negotiations and UNESCO director-general Audrey Azoulay said that it “fills a void, an absence of memory at the very site where these horrors unfolded”.

“It shows our joint commitment to learning from the past and healing the wounds of history, which transcends borders and generations,” Azoulay said at a ceremony at UNESCO headquarters in Paris to announce the agreement, according to a press release.

Around 20,000 people from Nazi-occupied Yugoslavia were sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, most of them Jews, but also Roma.

In the mid-1960s, a Yugoslav national exhibition was opened in Block 17 of the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in Oswiecim. The exhibition was last updated at the end of 1980s, just before the violent break-up of Yugoslavia.

During and after Yugoslavia’s collapse, memorialisation of World War II events became a contentious issue between its successor republics, who often interpreted history differently for contemporary political purposes. This meant there was no further cooperation over the Auschwitz exhibition and the Yugoslav pavilion was eventually closed in 2009.

The Serbian Ministry of Culture said in a statement on Thursday that the agreement “envisages the joint financing of the renovation and conservation of the first floor of Block 17 and the common rooms and structures that the former Yugoslav republics share with Austria”.

The agreement also envisages “the joint financing of the costs of implementing a joint permanent exhibition at the place of remembrance for the victims from the territory of the former Yugoslavia in the concentration camp and Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp”.

Montenegrin Culture Minister Tamara Vujovic said that “through this agreement, Montenegro and other former Yugoslav republics are showing solidarity and commitment to preserving the memories that connect us”, Radio Television Montenegro reported.

The director-general of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation, Wojciech Soczewica, said after the signing that it was “a clear sign” that the governments of the six ex-Yugoslav states “are willing … to contribute to memory and our responsibility towards future generations”.

The announcement of the agreement came ahead of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, when ceremonies are being held in countries across the region to commemorate the victims.

On Friday in Zagreb, a Croatian parliament delegation led by speaker Gordan Jandrokovic laid a wreath at the monument to Moses at the Mirogoj cemetery, while deputy prime minister Davor Bozinovic did the same on behalf of the government.

“This is also a moment to remember what the Jewish people contributed to Croatian society,” said Zvonimir Troskot from the MOST (Bridge) party, who was part of the parliamentary delegation.

A wreath was also laid on behalf of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, whose president, Pedja Grbin, said the Holocaust was a crime that “must never happen again”.

“Unfortunately, today we see the hatred that is flourishing in Europe and the world. Again, people are attacked because they are different,” Grbin warned.

“If you look around the world, the number of people who deny that the Holocaust even happened is frightening,” he added.

Traditional Jewish visitation stones were also placed at the monument in memory of the Holocaust’s victims by the president of the Jewish Municipality of Zagreb, Ognjen Kraus, and Rabbi Luciano Moshe Prelevic.

In the Bosnian capital on Friday, the Jewish Community of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Jewish Municipality of Sarajevo also organised a commemorative event to honour Holocaust victims.

Jakob Finci, president of the Jewish Community, noted that six million Jews perished in the Holocaust, but some survived.

“Today, despite the passing years, we have nearly 245,000 people who survived the Holocaust. Of them, 54 live in our country. Therefore we should, not only for them who are alive but for ourselves, remember it and speak about it to others,” Finci said.

In Montenegro, parliament and the Jewish Community will hold a commemoration on Saturday.

[luckys-last-brain-cell]

So as a Jew I have always felt a connection with the Romani people whose ancestors were targeted alongside mine in the Holocaust, and I’m seeing more and more people outside of the two communities trying to pit us against each other and I’m not here for it.

[sins-of-the-sea]

Just adding to this as a POC writer and artist myself:

POC intergenerational and historical trauma may be relatable and applicable across the globe, but one's experience will seldom, if ever, be the same across it as well. "Misery Olypmics" where one group claims having more trauma than the other should NOT be played. We all suffered, but we should treat the suffering as relevant to each individual and the groups they belong with. You wouldn't treat a cancerous brain tumor like you'd treat a T12 spinal compression fracture. At the same time, you wouldn't treat a Polish Jewish person WW2 trauma like you would for a Romani of the same era.

While this may seem obvious, more often than not I would see minority writers claim they have access to someone's history and trauma BECAUSE they are a minority too, but this is far from the truth. I, as a Filipino-American, cannot claim to have the same experiences of historical trauma as the Natives of the US have, nor with African slaves, nor with other Asians like the Chinese and Japanese. And at the same time, I cannot claim to have the same traumas as native-born Filipinos still living in the Philippines, or the Chinese descendants of victims of WW2, or of the Saami, or the Aboriginals and Romani. I can also acknowledge that there are "white" people with their own histories of trauma, such as Jewish folk all across Europe, the Catalans in Spain, and the like. As such, I cannot, in good conscience, claim I have access to trauma if I decide to waltz into the Navajo Nation with the purpose of researching and writing for a Dine character--because the Dine have experienced differently from colonization than the Filipinos did. The actions of genocide in the past are not the same. The movements of historical erasure are not the same. And these differences need to be acknowledged rather than ignored in the name of solidarity.

The fear of writing (other) POCs' experiences while referencing their trauma is valid. And for this, I would like to link you a fantstic short video, with the Romani as an example, in how EVERYone should treat the writing of other groups in your story:

The question of "WHY" may be basic bitch, but it's basic bitch even the best of us tend to forget:

"What are the motives of writing this character? Is it because you've always been fascinated by the 'exotic and mysterious' [X] culture, or you're sad to see that [X] people are constantly misrepresented and you want to be the 'savior' that is credited with giving us accurate representation? Both of those reasons probably tell you that you shouldn't be making a [X] character."

Note that he says 'probably'. 'Probably' is the best word because finding a certain group of people exotic or wanting to improve representation is just fine as a START, but it shouldn't be your foundation on writing that character. I am fine with non-Filipinos wanting to write Filipinos because they were initially drawn to our culture and want to help improve representation--but it shouldn't be THE foundational reason as it can interfere with the quality of writing AND make you lose sight on how to be respectful to the character and their culture in the first place (I'm looking at you, Soul Calibur).

People are still people. Making your character pure and unflawed is just as harmful as making them repulsive and stereotypical--because it just reinforces the idea that your character of less of a human being and more of a tool with numbers and quotas to follow. I will be JUST as annoyed if you write your Filipino as this innocent, never-did-anything-wrong purity pure pure cinnamon roll with connections with nature and the universe as I would be if you wrote them as uncouth and bloodthirsty savages in loincloths wielding butterfly knives.

This is why I ALWAYS tell people to NOT reduce my characters to their demographics. This goes to POC AND characters who may be cisgendered heterosexual """"white"""" men. This is also why I ask people to NOT rely on modern American-centric perspectives to judge their behavior. You shouldn't treat a Ukranian like you would Americans, even if the other person is "white". Again, sounds like basic bitch, but again and again we see people forgetting this--ESPECIALLY in the art community. I will never forget people hating Disney for the sin of having a white woman in "Encanto" when white Colombians exist (and she isn't even the main character) and the fanartist using a consistent pastel color scheme for EVERYONE, not just the darkest-skinned characters--then having the gall to call REAL LIFE COLOMBIANS for being racist for liking the fanart.

These discourses and harassment campaigns are still happening today as I am writing this and it all needs to stop. LISTEN to each other and ACKNOWLEDGE WHY they are upset, or why they want to see more X and Y and Z. Don't blind yourself with the experiences of your racial/historical/generational trauma to ignore others'. Don't use said trauma to place yourself as morally superior. Don't force yourself as "welcome" to another person's historical trauma just because you had some too. Acknowledge that even the most downtrodden of people have their own histories of problematic behaviors--because they're also people. Everyone has a history of being shitty to other people.

If you're afraid you'll be coming off as writing trauma porn or accidentally carrying on harmful propaganda in the past, you're already doing a good job on keeping your POC characters human. The best way to keep moving on forward in writing this character is to keep on listening to people of that group. Hear their stories. Listen to their music. Watch their dances. If you can, taste their food. Visit their towns. Compare and contrast within subgroups--don't homogenize them.

Bear in mind diaspora too; children of immigrants will not have the same experiences as natively born, and vice versa.

Also: bear in mind outliers. Everyone has them. They can be good examples to look at for characters atypical of their culture, but they should not be your rule. With this in mind, know the difference between social outliers and people who are just deviating what SHOULD be the norm but really isn't. There is a MAJOR difference between a stereotype and following a social norm.

Here is an example:

Black Americans being afraid of police brutality is a social norm. Black people eating fried chicken and watermelons while playing basketball is a stereotype. All the while, however, a black person not liking fried chicken is just fine, but a black person not being afraid of the police would be considered an outlier. Outliers are not BAD in themselves, as not being typical of a culture should speak about how the human experience is not universal. BUT you must bear in mind of the reason WHY this person is an outlier. Your black character not afraid of the police should be coming from the experiences of other black people without that fear, not from the perspective of a white man with no problems with the cops whatsoever.

Sorry for the ramble, but I feel this needs to be said. My dashboard and youtube recs are currently FILLED to the brim with racial/historical discourse and all too often, while the outrage is justified, the perspectives are misplaced. I am okay with being approached in telling me I am, let's say, writing my Spanish Empire Haitian ex-slave wrong by pointing out the nuances of the history and culture of the time. I will NOT be okay, however, if someone is telling me I'm writing her wrong using facts from Civil War-era American chattel slavery, or they are telling me she should be French Empire (when that would be anachronistic in the early 1600s), blah blah blah. Not only is it unhelpful and annoying and WRONG, but it speaks that the person isn't taking to consideration that experiences are NOT universal. If I'm not going to like being written as though I'm Chinese when I'm not, how do you think a Oneida person would feel if they're being written like they're Lakota? Or a Scotsman like an Englishman?

This all goes too ESPECIALLY when writing about the trauma itself. There is a REASON why there are closed cultures and open ones. The closed ones tend to be JUST FINE with never having representation in fiction UNLESS one of their own is handling the creative process. Please respect that. There is a chance you may never, ever, write a specific tribal Native character as long as access to their homelands and educational centers are closed off to outsiders, no matter how good your intentions and how much genuine respect and appreciation you have for them. There is a REASON for that and it must be respected. Same goes to any other closed culture. In those cases, focus on supporting them and uplifting them when they wish to shut themselves off from the rest of the world. They have a right to privacy and just living their lives in peace.

TL;DR:

Everyone has generational/historical/racial trauma but it's not universal and you need to respect and acknowledge that.

For God's sakes, don't place yourself as morally superior just because you have trauma, or your trauma is superior.

Take note of diaspora, and remember that the experiences of children of immigrants of a certain ethnicity would not be the same of the natively-born and raised.

Remember there are outliers in every culture, but outliers should not totally resemble outsiders. It should resemble people being people and not because of your ignorance of that culture.

Don't homogenize us. That can actually piss people off in a cultural level, even within the same group.

Respect closed cultures and respect their desires to be left alone.

Now with all that said, the next time I see someone writing their Tokyo-born and raised husbando eating Captain Crunch and Pop Tarts while asking their Sikh neighbor he should let down his hair more, I am going to scream.

Writing About Historical and Intergenerational Trauma

This is a post I've been thinking about since last night. I won't go into detail about what happened, but it made me think. I wasn't involved (but it came to my dash). It involved how different races, ethnicities, and cultures are represented in media. That includes writing and yes, even rps.

I want to make a post about including People of Color (PoC) in writing and the trauma they faced. This incident was what I viewed as an attempt to be historically accurate but wasn't handled properly. There is nothing wrong with including experiences that PoC characters had or perceptions other people had of these characters, but it must be handled appropriately because it can reinforce stereotypes, trigger people who are very sensitive to these topics, hurt readers who are PoC or otherwise, cause drama, and risk bringing in toxicity in communities.

I thought it may help if I share a bit about how to write about historical and intergeneration trauma, specifically racism, and how it's perceived.

Before I begin, I want to give my positionality. I am Native American (southeastern) and I also work in tribal health and studied Indigenous Health. While I specialized in infectious diseases and cultural competence in medicine, trauma and its impacts on PoC are frequently discussed in my work and with my colleagues. My work includes appreciating Indigenous knowledge and cultures, and how to improve healthcare research by including the knowledge and cultures of Indigenous people as our leaders and partners. Although I am not perfect and still learning, I hope this post will be a resource that serves as a starting point on being careful with writing about historical trauma.

There is so much I want to say about writing about historical and intergenerational trauma, but I will try to keep this brief with the main points for writers to consider.

The topic of this post is about including trauma that PoC face. It is intergenerational trauma, which is also known as historical trauma. I will call these IT/HT for short.

IT/HT means trauma inflicted by generations of abuse. This can happen from cycles of abuse between generations, but it is often used to describe trauma caused by colonization. It refers not only to genocide but also to cultural erasure, such as banning religious practices, banning languages, and forcing the minority to assimilate. Racism also contributes to IT/HT by reinforcing the ideas that caused grave harm.

IT/HT is very real and still causes problems. In fact, it is the root of health disparities minorities like Indigenous people face. It influences social determinants of health, such as poverty, food insecurity, violence, addiction, inadequate health care, and the list goes on.

Although discussing IT/HT can be uncomfortable, it is important to consider when representing PoC characters. This isn't to say the discomfort is invalid. In fact, history should make people uncomfortable so there will be improvements. However, talking about IT/HT promotes change, which is what we need. Addressing IT/HT also gives PoC like Indigenous people time to grieve. Grief is part of the healing journey.

Having said that, including the impacts of IT/HT can be tricky. It is a subject that requires a lot of thought, research, and asking questions. Avoiding stereotypes, and crude terms (such as derogatory terms or descriptors) are important. The impacts of racism and IT/HT should be through the eyes of PoC, and also be specific to the race or ethnicity of the character. This is because every group may not experience the same impacts or severity.

Look up sources about IT, HT, or racism from the perspective of the ethnic or racial group you chose. In my experience, while there are so many resources in Indigenous health and how PoC faced impacts of racism, they are often done with Western academics or medicine. This isn't to say that's bad, but we cannot understand the entire picture, or even address the disparities and trauma unless we include Indigenous people or PoC in the research.

There are books, articles, videos, and interviews of people sharing their experiences like First Nations people retelling their experience in boarding schools. Of course, there are many, many other examples. The main idea is to consider PoC's view of these impacts. Their experiences should guide you in how your character faced the same challenges and not so much on how other characters may perceive them.

Another important thing is to never be afraid to ask questions. Most PoC wants to share their experiences, perspectives, and cultures with others who want to listen.

Additionally, when you write PoC characters, focus on the strengths of the people. While there are some cases when bringing up the disparities, representation needs to focus more on strengths. One example is Indigenous people. They have been researchers for centuries and their knowledge to explore the world. They developed innovations far before other people knew about them. This isn't just Native Americans either. This includes Indigenous groups all over the world.

To summarize, there is nothing wrong with including sensitive topics like IT/HT, but it must be done with great care. That means doing plenty of research, especially on materials that include PoC or minority communities as partners and leaders in research. Also, write PoC respectfully without stereotypes, never use crude terms, include experiences from PoC's perspectives, and include their strengths.

I hope the information here helps. My intention in this post is to help people be on the right path to learning about their character's backgrounds, the people who faced hardships from the same backgrounds, and present IT/HT with respect to PoC with their views, cultures, and strengths in mind.

[scarlet--wiccan]

Trial Spoilers

The Council votes on Wanda's resurrection. Emma is against, which is in keeping with HoM, but Kitty and Kurt were both for it, which, if nothing else, is in keeping with the fact that 👏 we 👏 stick 👏 together

[hazel2468]

Today, August 2, is Roma Holocaust Memorial day. I’ll be lighting a candle today, as I did on Yom Ha Shoah, for all of the Roma killed during the Holocaust, and for all of the Roma who continue to be persecuted to this day.

[oprerroma]

Bonk! As per request I’ve made a Romani/Jewish solidarity Discord server! There is a verification process to do our best at blocking out hate. There’s roles and everything, join the fun :3 we can learn about each other’s cultures. Allies welcome!

Link

[djuvlipen]

Believe me that I don't want to sound rude here; this post is specifically about Romani people and anti-Roma racism. Part of the reason the people above^ feel they can wish for the death of Romani people is because Roma, unlike every other minority in Europe, doesn't have any kind of civil rights movement and doesn't have any association that actually support our rights and fight against anti-Roma racism. Anti-Roma racism is the most normalized form of racism in Europe for this very reason. We have to discuss the specifities of anti-Roma racism to properly acknowledge it and combat it; anti-Roma racism is very distinct from antisemitism and Romani people are very different from Jewish people. I understand the attempt at solidarity here, but often times on the internet, discussions about anti-Roma racism end up being lumped in with discussions about antisemitism and the specificites of our struggle get blurred (the opposite isn't true; people talking about antisemitism usually don't end up talking about Roma).

12.2k views on this tweet and the replies are all Eastern Europeans and Nazis agreeing. smfh

[nexusbeingmoved]

if i see any of y’all using the g slur I will fucking kill you