Ollie,
New York, NY.
I’m mixed – white and Iraqi. It infuriates me that people, of all races, can’t see past my light skin. My Iraqi side is also Jewish and the racism within, and anti-semitism outside, has made claiming a poc identity an uphill battle. I feel like half of me is being systematically erased. I often wish I was darker skinned so that wasn’t possible, so I can celebrate my family and community in the open. Correcting people all the time is exhausting, and when I don’t, I feel like a coward – like half of me is betrayed and the other half is seeking power. It’s horrible.
You can start celebrating your Iraqi heritage by covering your ankles, ho.
Better idea, quit claiming to be a POC and instead embrace the people who accept you.
Yerip – my iraqi heritage doesnt require me to cover my ankles, sexist. i dress how i like – no one gets to take away over 2000 years of a community living in a land or any woman’s culture by complaining about their ankles #getoverit… and Dr. Mayhem – just curious, it is common for the iraq war to be considered a racist war. iraqi people are considered by many (at least in america) to be considered poc. im curious… is it because im jewish? you think that somehow negates everything else? do you even know anything about middle eastern jews? just cuz there’s been conflict between communities for… well hundreds (if not thousand) years, doesnt mean that one group gets to negate the others claim to land or ethnicity or heritage or nationality, and lets be real jews helped build it #readabook