International Blackness and the myth of immigrant privilege.
This post is mainly a reaction to this article but also the diaspora wars that continue to wage on Twitter and Tumblr asserting that I, as an immigrant Black woman, have privilege that American Blacks do not.
The problem with the idea of "the privilege of international blackness" is that it gives White supremacy a nuanced gaze. It's the same as assuming class, education level, gender or age will soften the harsh ways in which we are seen by White supremacy. It's false.
To readily divide Black Americans and Black immigrants would first entail admitting there are cultures, languages and variances within Blackness. It would mean recognizing the richness of the diaspora, it would require the recognition of our humanity. It would challenge White supremacy itself by asserting us as capable of creating and curating cultures and languages.
I've been in the US long enough, studied the history of this country enough to understand that Whiteness is defined by Blackness.It is the anti-thesis of Blackness. So if Whites have culture, history and language, Blacks cannot have it, too. This is why any cultural contributions by Blacks are stolen, mis-credited or disregarded.
For White supremacy to work , it needs this caste of undesirables. Whiteness cannot be privileged without it. This means that no matter what, a Black person is Black and therefore less than. Billionaire Oprah found this out. Black immigrants find this out when we migrate to the US and nobody gives a damn where you're from as long as you stay in your black-ass place.
Americans are overall unaware of Black immigrants. We are not the face of the immigration debate, we are not asked about our backgrounds unless our mouths have not yet been trained to curl around Western words in the American way. We are Black first and then we have to introduce our otherness.
But we all know how often people see our Blackness and their eyes glaze over. They know all they need to know.
It is Black Americans who see the gradients, who can recognize me as foreign by my cheekbones and my nose. It's always a Black person, yardie or Yankee, who asks "but where are you from FROM?"
There are differences in the way Black Americans and Black immigrants are treated, but it isn't privilege. Consider the stereotypes you think of when you think of Africans, West Indians and Haitians. We're backwards, poor, AIDS carriers, dumb. Understand that these stereotypes aren't limited to a few silly people- it's written into immigration law.
Most degrees and certifications from places like Jamaica and Nigeria aren't valid in the US. Ever spoke to an immigrant who told you they used to be a doctor/teacher/etc back in their country? That's why.
The US banned Haitian migration on the premise of all Haitians being potential AIDS carriers. The US still stymies the flow of immigrants from primarily Black countries.
To legally move to the US or bring a family member in we have to prove we/they won't end up needing or eventually qualifying for any sort of assistance. And then the process is so cost- prohibitive many of us fall in and out of legal status.
Alllll of this creates environments where Black immigrants are economically disadvantaged and in prime positions to be exploited. Conditional visas, anti-Black police and laws that presupposition that we're all criminals make reporting work exploitation and anything else extremely high risk and problematic for us.
In addition to Stop&Frisk, we have to deal with the Secure Communities Act. If a Black person gets stopped walking in an increasing number of states and it's discovered they don't have a US ID on them, they're facing deportation or indefinite detention. Without any rights.
This is us facing multiple systems of oppression.
Now to link it back to Lupita:
The attention Lupita Nyong'o is receiving is on the same scale as Halle Berry when she won her Oscar and Kerry Washington when she first burst out as Olivia Pope.
The discussion of Lupita's "international Blackness" is happening within the Black community and it speaks to how Black Americans often perceive immigrants-especially Black immigrants- as a threat to their own fragile status. The post escapedgoat shared scratches at the surface of that thinly veiled resentment.
The discussion we need to have isn't why Lupita is receiving this much attention but why are Black Americans now pushing back against it and her "international Blackness"?
