The Amazing Race Part 2

Rachel Dolezal, NAACP Chapter President

The Amazing Race 
~Part 2~

Interracial and Biracial (Inter: to enter into, Bi: to buy)

As I stated in The Amazing Race Part 1, the words “interracial” and “biracial” are terms derived from the root word and concept of race. As I’ve expressed, race is an erroneous and pseudoscientific term used to classify groups of people based upon physical characteristics. These physical characteristics were/are used for the purpose to categorize the intellectual, biological, psychological, social and economic behaviors of these groups in order to reinforce the position and power of a ruling class and white supremacy. An example of this are some of the ‘Criminology’ theories of Earnest Albert Hooton that suggests that criminal behavior is linked to physically inherited characteristics; racist theories that still appear as a rule of thumb on the 11 o’clock news today. See: Crime and the Man   (Hooton, 1939) When it came to Hooton’s Criminology theories, the only problem white people had with them is when he started profiling white characteristics as criminal and inherently violent. Because his theories contradicted the status quo, white scientists began to go on record to debunk what Hooton proposed when it put white people in a negative light.

Let me reiterate that regardless what kind of relationship we have in America, racism always plays a direct/indirect role in that relationship. There is no way around that reality. There is also no way around the fact that America is historically race conscious and the dominant society (ruling class) are white people. Those of us who are black and brown are a subgroup (minority underclass) within their society. So the designation of relationships by ‘race’ (interracial/biracial) serves the purpose of reinforcing these power relations between white and black and brown people. It was through the concept of race that white people placed themselves in a dominant/superior position and relegated black and brown people to a recessive/inferior position. It was also through race that black and brown people, although collectively the global majority, have been divided and categorized into groups/subgroups of second class, third world citizenship throughout the planet earth; making it easier for the global minority (white people) to rule. So to be in an arrangement that is classified as “inter”-racial means a couple has knowingly/unknowingly “entered” the worldview of the ruling class thus upholding that status quo. To be in a “bi”-racial arrangement or even to call a child from that type of union “bi”-racial means a couple has knowingly/unknowingly “bought into” and “buys into” the supremacist worldview of the ruling class, thus upholding that status quo. Although this couple may believe this arrangement is equal because of their shared feelings, it does not change the reality that one person (white) still represents the superior or ruling class, and the other person (black or brown) still represents the inferior or underclass. These power dynamics are still institutionally evident in every aspect of American life and were never designed to be equal. They were designed to keep the ruling class in a socioeconomic position that’s superior and another class of people as inferior and subservient to that class. See: The Help.

If I invented a Game and then invited you to participate in it, it’s still my Game and you can only play according to my rules. So regardless if you call it interracial or biracial, by definition, that arrangement can only serve the purpose of reinforcing the status of the ruling class because they invented the Game of race. Regardless how equal such an arrangement is said to be, it’s taking place within a society dominated by a white American way and that translates into home field advantage for the home team; the white person in that arrangement -regardless how humble, coy or meek that white person chooses to behave. If any problems arise, there will be no confusion about where this arrangement is taking place, who’s the home team and who ultimately has the institutional power to control or dissolve that arrangement at will. Again, since black and brown people didn’t codify the concept of race, and represent the subgroup/minority in any racial matters, we are a fundamental disadvantage. Looking at this Game of race, all arrangements, defined as interracial/biracial, serve the socioeconomic purpose of reinforcing and perpetuating the status quo of the dominant society or ruling class. It is also my position that the only way an arrangement like this can ever become a relationship that establishes true freedom, justice and socioeconomic equality outside of this status quo and ruling class bias, is that it must take place on the ethnic, culturally conscious and nationalistic terms of the black and brown person. In other words, the black and brown person must have home field advantage and their terms must be the central focus and primary foundation of that relationship -not the dominant society or ruling class. This, of course, is a very scary reality for any white person to honestly consider or accept because they come from a societal worldview where being the shot callers, having white skin privileges, their religious iconography, economic elitism and military might has always been considered the norm. As a matter of fact, less than 50 years ago, there were laws enforced all over America that banned black and brown people from even marrying into the dominant society and assimilating into the ruling class. This means that for 189 years of America's 239 year existence, or almost 80% of the time during the country’s existence, black and brown people were restricted from legally 'entering' (inter-racial) or 'buying' (bi-racial) stock in the American Dream via any relationship with white people. Now honestly ask yourself, how can 189 years (almost 80%) of America's political policies, institutions, educational curriculum's, economic investments and religious teachings/iconography about black and brown people not matter now and have no influence on race based [interracial/biracial] relationships today? Even though these things were consistently implemented and reinforced by the ruling class for almost several generations, did their affect upon society and it's treatment towards it's underclass or subgroups (minorities) vanish in less than 50 years?  

A common theme you’ll always notice in any black and brown movement/organization seeking to redefine ourselves outside of the perimeters of race, is our association with ethnicity/genus (color), cultural consciousness and nationality as our worldview. It was understood that when black and brown people “enter” or “buy” into interracial/biracial arrangements, they must partially or completely abandon their sense of ethnicity, cultural consciousness and nationality in order to assimilate and identify themselves -generically- with the dominant society or ruling class. They identify themselves generically because any ethnicity/genus (color), cultural consciousness and nationality that doesn’t represent the status quo is in opposition to the ruling class. So black and brown people who have bought into this Game will begin to espouse generic phrases such as “love knows no color”, “we’re all human”, “we all bleed the same”, “love is love”, “love is blind”, “color doesn’t matter”, “we are all dark when the lights go out” and etc in the interest of assimilating with the dominant society and avoiding a confrontation with that ruling class. What most black and brown people playing this Game don’t realize is that identifying themselves generically and abandoning their sense of ethnicity/genus (color), cultural consciousness and nationality does nothing to address or equalize the power relations of the structurally bias arrangement they’re in. As a matter of fact, it only serves to further empower the person who represents the dominant society or ruling class. How? Because the white person did not give up anything, and aren’t required to give up anything, in regards to their status quo the black or brown person just “entered” (inter-racial) and “bought into” (bi-racial). They aren’t required to give up anything because they are the home team; the standard model upon which all black and brown people are anatomically compared. Therefore, their standard model, and all of their Eurocentric trimmings, remains the foundation of that arrangement a black or brown person agreed to be a part of. In other words, in order to have an interracial/biracial arrangement, a black and brown person is required to leave most if not all of their ethnicity/genus (color), cultural consciousness and nationality at the door. This is the reason why you’ll find the majority of interracial/biracial couples saying, “we are all the same” but still advocating standardized Eurocentric cultural values (holidays, religious rites, diets, clothing styles, social norms and etc.). This is also the reason you’ll rarely cee interracial/biracial couples saying, “we are all the same” and openly advocating black and brown cultural values (holidays, religious rites, diets, clothing styles, social norms and etc.) and actively supporting black and brown movements designed to change the white supremacist status quo and position/power of the ruling class.

Victor Lewis on "The Color of Fear"

So for the obvious reasons I've stated, black and brown movements that are truly dedicated to changing the structurally bias status quo of the dominant society and position/power of this ruling class, do not advocate interracial/biracial arrangements. As Five Percenters specifically, we take it a step further and advocate relationships that are pro-righteous/civilized and anti-devilish/uncivilized. We don’t classify the human family by race. We classify the human family according to ethnicity/genus (color), cultural consciousness and nationality. Regardless of this classification, what people choose to do in regards to themselves, their relationships with other members of the human family and their relationship with the environment is what ultimately determines if they’re pro-righteous/civilized or anti-devilish/uncivilized. Those white people who have the courage, integrity, humility, studiousness and sincerity to learn how to embrace our culture, in order to educate their own people about what needs to be done to change the structurally bias status quo of the ruling class are not ‘Gods’ or ‘Earths’. God, and the Earth, were already present millions of years before albinized (non-melaninated) people even existed. So because these white people strive for righteousness, they’re respected as Five Percenters; citizens in our Nation who are respected as righteous/civilized members of the human family based upon their deeds. We are not pro-black, or anti-white because our worldview is not racially motivated -yet we know and understand that the dominant society has historically promoted a pro-white and anti-black and brown agenda. We are also not idealistic about white people taking on the gigantic responsibility of denouncing ALL OF THE BENEFITS that came/come along with being a categorical member of the dominant society and ruling class just to be a righteous man/woman. We recognize how unreasonable it is to expect most of them to give up white skinned privilege, family inheritance, quit the family business, share inaccessible information/resources with black and brown people and ultimately put their (and their family’s) life on the line to establish socioeconomic equality. As a human family, there are certain biological, intellectual, socioeconomic, educational and etc. investments we are required to make that will not reinforce/uphold the status quo of the dominant society and ruling class. In love, there are certain types of relationships we absolutely cannot engage in. Our ideas about justice, civility and reformation cannot involve people who are invested in upholding an unjust status quo. Partnerships in business can’t be made with people who feel/believe they are above the law. Also, accepting any terms that translate into usury, ignorance or being kept apart from another's socioeconomic equality is completely out of the question -which is historically an institutional reality for black and brown people who represent the minority and underclass in America and throughout the planet where there has been colonialism. In our worldview, black and brown people are first class citizens; first world people who fathered and mothered civilization. The average white person finds this extremely difficult to accept because it completely contradicts what they’ve been erroneously taught about themselves, and what they’ve seen around them, their entire life. Those white people who do bear witness to this truth are not the average; they’re the elite among the ruling class. They represent members of the scientific, corporate, historical, political and medical community who secretly acknowledge who black and brown people are behind the closed doors of their masonic lodges and shrines (temples). And even though they have some of this information, they’re not utilizing their institutions, finances, material resources and intellectual property to change or equalize the status quo between white and black and brown people. They were allowed to learn this information in order to be upright and noble, yet consistently fail to keep and obey the laws.

In conclusion, it’s important to recognize and understand the power relations of any kind of arrangement -especially a relationship based upon the false concept of race in a historically racist (and sexist) society like America. If you’re a black and brown person who’s interested in someone who’s classified as white, you need to assess/define that potential relationship along ethnic/genus (color), culturally conscious and nationalistic lines. This is important because it automatically reveals the power relations that you’ll be agreeing to; maybe until death do you part! You need to know this white person’s considerations and stances on issues concerning the minority subgroup and underclass this society put you in. Since white people represent the dominant society you live in, and ruling class you’re under, you need to know their actual positions about slavery, sexism, lynchings, segregation, foreign policies, stereotypes and the present condition of the so-called race or subgroup of people you actually belong to; whether you choose to identify yourself with that so-called race or subgroup or not. See: O.J. Simpson, Michael Jackson, Kobe Bryant and Tiger Woods. When I say stances, I’m not talking about politically correct sympathy conversation about how wrong these things were/are. I’m talking about what they’re actually doing about it. If they never did anything, or aren’t doing anything, then they’re upholding the status quo. Now that they’ve been made aware of these things, you have the opportunity to see what they’re going to do about being in society’s socioeconomic driver’s seat. Some people will argue that you can’t do anything about changing the past… Well what you can do is make sure what negatively happened in the past isn’t happening in the present and doesn’t happen in the future -starting with you, how you’re raising you’re children, and the people, places and things you choose to invest in. For those of you who want to act like this doesn’t really matter, it does not change the reality of the status quo you’re living under. I think it’s obvious that people who are in so-called interracial/biracial arrangements may truly “believe” in a world of freedom, justice and socioeconomic equality, even if it’s just in a bedroom. I also think that the thought of a world of freedom, justice and socioeconomic equality is a seed of a very noble cause. Yet until people can openly and honestly bring their ethnic/genus (color), culturally conscious and nationalistic concerns to the table and discuss a relationship (not an arrangement) based upon the power relations this relationship will establish, they’re only co-signing the status quo of the dominant society and ruling class. As a black and brown person, your participation in such a structurally bias arrangement is not only a disadvantage, it’s highly likely that you will suffer some form of psychological, social, financial and physical abuse at the hand of the person who represents the dominant society and ruling class. How is this possible? Because “who you are” as a minority subgroup and underclass in this society is not being considered. You’re an after thought, if a thought at all. You’re minority concerns are not primary, a priority, and usually irrelevant to the person who represents the dominant society and ruling class. While you have been forced through cultural assimilation to know and respect who they are, those who represent the ruling class have never been forced to know you. Therefore, it’s impossible to have a healthy sense of respect, consideration and even love for who/what you actually don’t know. Can you see how the person not being considered can get hurt in this situation? I can. It also makes one consider the self esteem and sadomasochistic/masochistic tendencies of someone who pursues structurally bias arrangements like this. In their mind, it Hurts So Good.

Now for those of you black and brown people who’ve already made this interracial/biracial decision without taking the time to actually think about what you were actually doing, you have two choices: 1.) Live with the complications you’ve accepted. 2.) Appeal to your white companion about renegotiating the structurally bias arrangements you’ve accepted along ethnic/genus (color), culturally conscious and nationalistic terms to make it fair. Good Luck because it’s ultimately up to them, a representative of the dominant society/ruling class, to consider if your appeal is valid or not. Like with any relationship, growth is important. The challenge with any relationship based upon race, whether we're with someone we consider the same "race" or we call it "interracial" or "biracial", it's taking place on a racist white supremacist backdrop. There is no way around, under, above or through that. Our relationship, and family unit, must be willing and able to transform this ugly reality through everyday people activities that don't reinforce the status quo. Our acceptance or rejection of this personal and collective responsibility will determine that kind of world our children will inherit.

Peace, 
Saladin