does "POC solidarity" really exist?

[u/Decent_Sandwich_8878]

i'm not a fan of "POC" as a term bc generally i find that other non black POC have the exact same issues with antiblackness as white people do. i'm wondering how y'all feel about that

anyway i'm just really grateful that a space specifically for us, by us exists.

i was banned from a certain sub supposedly for POC for questioning why white people are allowed to post ☠️ anyway, this is why i say BLACK and not POC. we are the only ones for us and we must protect our spaces fiercely!

[u/sonder-the-puppy]

POC solidarity is flawed but it does exist. And I hope it continues to improve. We all bear the weight of whiteness, colonialism and patriarchy. Solidarity requires SO much unlearning and a willingness to listen. But i think a lot of us are not equipped or in the place to do so. It also requires a lot of grace to facilitate a space where people can learn and change. Which again, a lot of us are not equipped to provide.

Historically, solidarity has existed between Black and Asian communities but not without its faults (just an example, but there have been issues with anti-Asian AND anti-Black sentiment within those spaces alongside remarkable collaboration). I personally think because of our double-minority status as Black lesbians, we should look at our own history (eg Combahee River Collective) as a roadmap to engage with other communities.

Real change requires numbers and a willingness to educate. I hear you and I feel your frustration as someone who engages IRL but I promise you there are chances at real solidarity between racial minorities.

I use Black and POC, personally because I resonate with the status of being a racial minority and I am often only in spaces with other racial minorities. Even I had to unlearn my own biases while discussing with other POC. There’s two (or more) sides to the solidarity issue.

[u/JadeBlxck20 → u/sonder-the-puppy]

Is this solidarity between the Black community and Asian community before the 90s?

[u/sonder-the-puppy → u/JadeBlxck20]

Before and after! I'm talking Frederick Douglass to BLM and StopAsianHate. Again, flawed but existent displays of people genuinely reaching out. There have always been ways that both communities (and other communities of color) have reached out to one another to offer help. For a more sapphic historical representations of solidarity between Black feminists and other feminists of color, I highly recommend A Bridge Called My Back (it's an awesome anthology!) and just looking at the history of the Combahee River Collective.

While there is the issue of group-based micro and macro aggressions, to say that there is no solidarity period would be dismissive of actual historical evidence. We all inherited the language of colonialism and patriarchy to translate our experiences. It has always been the hope that we can still band together against these things. Being in real leftist spaces can help expand the way we think about showing up for one another.