CLICK on the questions below to share your reactions and read other's comments...


What are your feelings about internal racism (i.e. - Black on Black crime, Latino on Latino crime)?

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

That is based on ignorance and low self esteem. Instead of finding positive ways to lift our people up (which takes a lot of hard work). We would rather go the easy route and lash out at each other.

Anonymous said...

Internal racism is a direct connection to the Willie Lynch theory. And though this theory is hundreds of years old, it is still prevelant in both the Black and Hispanic culture. Unfortunately, we still have a fear of the White race and lack respect for those in our our race. If more attention were focused on renewing family values, respect for self and others, and upholding the ethics and morals that were taught to us by our forefathers, there would be a decrease in internal racism.

Anonymous said...

Sadness. Perhaps this is a symptom of the anger and despair in these communities.

Anonymous said...

I am Native American and Mexican and live in Northern California. I am often mistaken for an Mexican immigrant and when I am spoken to in Spanish I get a response from White and Latin people. I'm looked down on because I can't speak Spanish.

Chaska said...

Internal or internalized racism is often unconscious and it doesn't always happen in the shape of crime. Latino on Latino crime is not necessarily internal racism. Many of such crimes are simply a result of poverty, lack of education, disenfranchisement and desperation. Most of the time internal racism is visible as lack of self-esteem or even self-hate due to one's race.

It is most often seen among people of mixed heritage, like in South America or places that a history of colonization. One could say internal racism is a result of colonization and oppression.

Today the concept is not consciously learned but learned through absorption watching and hearing what family, friends and colleagues say and do.
Generally speaking, it is what the oppressor taught the oppressed to think of themselves: usually negative stereotypes like, unintelligent, uncivilized, unsophisticated, unattractive, unable, etc. This identity brainwash could then be carried on for many generations and it's most damaging when it becomes part of normalcy within a community.

Internalized racism might look like this:
A person of mixed heritage (ie: European and Indigenous) claims to be European, though a European would not classify them so, and never mention their Indigenous heritage due to their learned shame and understanding of its inferiority.
They will look down on those who are more obviously Indigenous, ridicule their culture and language AND even distance themselves from their Indigenous relatives. Just as they have learned that Indigenous people are inferior they also have learned that being Caucasian is superior. They might become Euro-centric obsessing over European languages, music, society and making themselves 'look white'.

Internal racism is racism against the part of one's self that will be discriminated against by others. In South America for example racism is still a deeply unconscious behavior which encourages the continual presence of self-hate with a perceived need to hide their 'inferior' or 'discriminated' self.

Some say it is survival-of-the-fittest. However in today's world where laws and social progress have made it fairly unacceptable to practice racism, at least in theory, being proud of all of who we are is an option again and people are learning, or trying, to like all sides of themselves. It is necessary to connect with the forgotten self to achieve true identity and self-esteem again.

Unlearning internalized racism is a difficult healing identity journey and important for the health and forward movement of communities and nations.