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Response to Rachel: “I am a person of color”

Posted by Ampersand | March 28th, 2006

In an earlier post, Rachel wrote:

I also have to admit I don’t like the term people of color, and I used it reluctantly. (I also reluctantly use the terms biracial, Black, White, Asian American, Latino, and African American.) My problem with that term is threefold. First, the term is completely power neutral, and second it reinforces the racial language of color. I also keep thinking: are there people without color? Then, I wonder if the term reinforces the normativity of Whiteness and the notion that Whites are somehow raceless.

Nubian at Blac(k)academic has written a response to Rachel’s post, focusing mostly on the above passage. Rather than trying to find a representative passage to quote, let me encourage “Alas” readers to head on over to Nubian’s blog, and read/participate in the very interesting discussion there (which includes a response to Nubian from Rachel).

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4 Responses to “Response to Rachel: “I am a person of color””

  1. Liberal Blogosphere Writes:
    March 29th, 2006 at 7:43 am

    » Istanbul was Constantinople » ‘Daily Voting News’ For March 28, 2006 »Response to Rachel: “I am a person of color”

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  2. feminist blogs Writes:
    March 30th, 2006 at 6:42 pm

    reluctantly use the terms biracial, Black, White, Asian American, Latino, and African American.) My problem with that term is threefold. First, the term is completely power neutral, and second it […] Continue reading at Alas, a blog … posted12:36 am at Alas, a blog

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  3. theresa Writes:
    April 7th, 2006 at 12:34 pm

    i dont understandwho has been assigned the office of catagorizing people but i know that i can resist their assertions. “people of color” is a netural term.
    I think there are too many people who just do not want to be regarded as black .
    It makes me laugh sometimes to hear them elaborate on their multiple ethnicities that conclude with African American.

    Could this be because we are programed to believe that black embodies all that is bad? It is like Americans are hypnotized by the constant suggestions that black is inferior.

    I may not what else I am but I know that I am black and I embrase this because God made me thus contary to popular opinion black is good.

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  4. B Writes:
    April 7th, 2006 at 1:46 pm

    I don’t agree. The way I see it, it’s actually the other way around. How else do you explain how people with equal parts white and black parents or ancetsors are almost allways cathegorized as black?

    It shows an unhealthy obsession of skincolour. If some genes are more prominent you are supposed to explore your african cultural heritage - if others your european heritage et.c.

    The way i see it you belong to whatever culture you grow up, or live, with - and to some extent what we choose to embrace. That is why it’s called culture and not nature - because it is learned.

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