I thought only Black people classified as a PoC. I went to a racism in the work place get together recently and that's what one of the Speakers said. She also went on to say that if you are half white like Admin M is you aren't a PoC because you are a white persons child. I'm just confused right now Tumblr tells me one thing and educated people tell me another.
There are a lot of things in this ask so this may be a bit long but I am going to try my best to address all of them.
Firstly, the statement that only black people are classified as people of color (POC) is false. There’s really nothing more to it than that. That is simply incorrect and untrue. Anyone who is not white can identify as a person of color. This includes people who are Middle Eastern, Native, SE Asian, South Asian, and many many many more identities.
It is also untrue that if you are a mixed person you cannot identify as a person of color. It is also extremely offensive and wrong to tell a mixed person that they cannot identify with the race and culture that they are. There is a lot of racism and stigma that mixed people face from all sides, so that very much influences peoples opinions, but simply because that racism and prejudice comes from other people of color doesn’t make it okay.
In reference to Mod M specifically she is Afro-Mexican so first of all, she is black. So people REALLY need to STOP saying otherwise. Mod M is black. She is allowed to identify as black and has access to all of black culture and the black community. To insinuate or say otherwise is racist and wrong.
Next, all of our mods are mixed people of color and all are part white. So the fact that people keep jumping on and questioning Mod M specifically is very unfair and has a lot of anti-black undertones.
I understand that these conversations are confusing, but doing your own research and learning is a MUST. You CANNOT rely on other people to educate you. You must seek this information out for yourself, especially since mainstream education explicitly tries to keep it from you.
Lastly, by saying “educated people tell me one thing and tumblr another” implies that the people speaking on tumblr AREN’T educated and that’s just untrue. Many of the large voices the speak about racial social issues are highly educated in that field. Many hold college degrees and some have Masters Degrees. To imply that the information you learn on tumblr doesn’t come from a place of education and scientific study is not only wrong but erases all of the hard work that those people have done. You should feel grateful that so many people are willing to give you, FOR FREE, education and information that cost them thousands of dollars to obtain.
*this is not to say that all the info on tumblr comes from a place of education obviously, but to say that it is all uneducated is wrong.
I really hope that this is helpful to you and that it encourages you to do your own research and read more of what non-black people of color and mixed people of color have to say on these topics.
