Let’s Stand Together:
THE MYTH OF POC SOLIDARITY Klaudia Oey CONTENT WARNING: RACISM, MURDER, ANTIBLACK RACISM, POLICE BRUTALITY On May 25, George Floyd, a Black man, was murdered by Derek Chauvin, a police officer at the time, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Writing this almost a month after this incident, the flame that was sparked from this incident has yet to die out. People from countries all over the world have taken to social media and the streets to march, protest and riot for the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. Here in Perth, we saw massive turnouts at the Black and Aboriginal Lives Matter protests too. As a Chinese person, a non-Black person of colour (NBPOC), it’s been, to put it nicely, eye-opening to see the response of the people in my community. Anti-Black racism in the Asian, and more specifically Chinese, community is present and painfully obvious. It is impossible to ignore. A few months ago, we were battling anti-Asian racism because of the breakout of COVID-19. The news stories of fellow Asians being beaten up on the train, yelled at, and generally
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discriminated against angered and terrified me. On social media, countless posts were being made and shared in our community, condemning the racist behaviour. Fast forward to a month ago, where had this voice gone? There was radio silence. My Asian peers had barely spoken up about the tragic death of yet another innocent Black man despite the sudden surge of advocacy online. Your silence is deafening. It’s been said a lot this couple of months, but I will take the time to say it again: you cannot afford to be “apolitical” in these times. There’s never a time where fighting for the basic rights of other human beings should be considered a political stance that you can just decide to not comment on. I will never understand how someone sees the video of George Floyd, hears of the countless Black people murdered, and chooses to comment on the rioters, or even worse, say nothing at all. You cannot turn a blind eye to this. You must not turn a blind eye to this. If we stay silent, we perpetuate anti-Black racism. We all bleed the same blood and have the same flesh, to turn away from the cries of Black people mourning their children, parents, dead is truly an act of heartlessness. I have done a lot of reflection from my perspective as a NBPOC, and come to a few major conclusions. 1. POC solidarity is a myth. Growing up as a Chinese person in Singapore, I have heard countless racist remarks made about Malay, Indian, and Black people. I had internalised the racism and it’s been a continuous journey in unlearning those ill beliefs and learning how to be a better ally. Learning this about myself was embarrassing and I’ve realised that I have made insensitive jokes too. I actively acknowledge these mistakes and make an effort every day to change my mindset and language. POC solidarity does not exist, and only comes up when it is convenient for our community. True POC solidarity is standing up for Black people simply because they are people- asking nothing in return, because we are doing what is right.
