- Shaiful A.
A Call to Action: Confronting Anti-Blackness within the South Asian Diasporic Community
Anti-Blackness in various diasporic communities has often gone unresolved and unheard. In the recent years, South Asian communities in the West have become increasingly aware of Anti-Blackness in our communities and beyond. Whether it be tackling Anti-Blackness in our communal spaces or ensuring that we remain accurately informed, the call for Brown folks to be allies and accomplices in the fight for the equity and liberation of Black folks is and should be at top priority. We must ensure that our Desi communities are co-conspirators amplifying Black voices.
The ability for South Asian communities to build their lives within the parameters of the Western world is undoubtedly a result of Black communities fighting for the collective rights of BIPOC. Unfortunately, our communities get caught up in ideas such as the “model minority'' myth, drawing a fierce line between Black and non-Black communities. The model minority myth feeds non-Black communities of color—usually Asian communities—the idea that they have achieved success and social upward mobility as a result of hard work. This theory has been propagated at the expense of Black communities, particularly those living in the United States, ignoring the violent history of oppression that the U.S. has, and continues to carry out, against Black folks. The notion that South-Asians are “law abiding and educated” has been used to cause a rift between South Asian and Black communities by inadvertently claiming that the oppression of Black communities is because they somehow occupy the opposite plane of behavior. This is simply not true. The model minority myth seeks to parallel South Asians and other non-Black minority groups to Whiteness, perpetuating the idea of White supremacy. Unfortunately, Brown folks often buy into this myth, which can be traced back to the Subcontinent’s long and violent history with colonialism. Unlearning the toxic and false notion of the model minority required us to educate ourselves on the history of race and anti-Blackness within the U.Ss and its global counterparts. Only then can we tackle anti-Blackness within the South Asian community, ensuring that we support the struggle to end oppression carried out against Black, Indegenous, and various other racially/culturally disenfranchised groups.
In recent years, there has been a growth in support for Black liberation. Various South Asian organizations have sought to tackle Anti-Blackness within our communities through education and advocacy. Here are some resources you should take advantage of:
Resources for Accountability and Actions for Black Lives
13 Books You Should Read About Black Lives
12 Documentaries About Racism and Police Brutality in America
10 Powerful bell hooks Books on The Intersectionality of Race and Feminism
9 Essential Angela Davis Books to Add to Your Bookshelf