ADDRESSING POC

I think that often times people unintentionally do or say things that are on the border of racist. This might be because they’re not properly educated on how to approach situations pertaining to POC. These are called micro aggressions.  

I want to be able to teach people how to properly navigate these situations, because many of them happen to me. While I do have a fairly calm reaction to people saying these things, other POCs might not react the same way. 

For starters, you shouldn’t tell a POC they look “exotic” or ask them where they’re from. I have had this happen to me countless times. Just the other day at work, an older lady had asked me where I was from. I told her I was from a different part of PA, to which she replied, “But where are you really from?”. While I understand that her intentions weren’t ill hearted, it still confused me as to why I could just be from PA. Imagine if I hadn’t come from a different country and was born in PA. It’s times like these I wonder where they think I’m originally from. 

For me, I also feel like in a way, people shouldn’t tell me they “don’t see color”. While I understand what they mean, the color of my skin is also part of my identity. In a way, if you don’t see color you don’t see me. My skin tone is nothing I should feel ashamed of. I am a black woman, that’s who I am. 

Finally, a POCs hair shouldn’t be something to criticize. A lot of people will criticize dreads, box braids, and so many more of these styles. They say that this makes them look unprofessional or make them look like they smell. For example, in an interview a E! News reporter commented that Zendaya looked like she “smells like patchouli oil and weed”, referring to her locs. These are also the same non-POCs who go great lengths to install box braids on themselves and receive praise for them. 

I think that you need to be able to keep an open mind and be more aware of how things you say can be taken. So many times people don’t intend to sound a certain way, but can come off in that manner.