Identity Wars: Mixed Separatists v. Black Gatekeepers
Does this fight or fuel racism?
A growing trend has Mixed-race Separatists on one side, insisting that we have to identify ONLY as Mixed or we’re criticized as “One-Droppers” for refusing to separate our Mixedness from our Blackness, and rejected as problematic, inauthentic enemies of “true” Mixed identity.
On the other side, there’s a growing number of young Black folks—seemingly mostly women—who proudly self-identify as Gatekeepers. They’re adamant that Mixed-Black people aren’t Black, can’t call themselves Black, and aren’t welcome in Black spaces. This gatekeeping includes Mixed-Black people who very much identify with Black culture and community.
Both groups state their positions as ironclad rules without exceptions. As Sir Auntie Mane so astutely observes in our latest episode of Militantly Mixed, they’re “working hand-in-hand but not together.”
This is an increasingly important issue to address — before it’s too late. Join us for this raw, real conversation where we ask tough questions straight from the heart.
i claim Black on census for political reasons. Maybe the war should be against patriarchy and white supremacy. I understand the mixed v. Black but maybe I'm too old school to get all worked up about it. When I grew up Black (Negro) was a big tent.