3 Things Started by POC - That POC Get Told Makes Them “White Washed” Today
By Halima Duarte
Web Design by Hugh Ferguson
Hobbies, activities, and other things that gain interest are so important to a person, and can give an insight on that person. Hobbies are allowed to be explored by all and many, but it sometimes comes with consequences. Some activities culturally and historically follow one race or ethnicity that causes a block for People of Color. What one may mean by this is that some activities are characterized as “white,” which causes society to discourage POC from partaking in these activities. The list goes on, but it always ends with telling a POC they are “whitewashed” for enjoying them. However, many of the things we characterize as “white” have ethnic roots that should be celebrated.
House Music
House music and its vibrant beats, loud vocals, and hypnotic sounds are nothing new to the club scene — at least not to the Black and LGBTQ+ youth of Chicago and New York. As disco was coming to its demise in the… , underground clubs grabbed at opportunities to keep their clubs alive. DJs like Frankie Knuckles and Larry Levan mixed the vibes of disco with new innovative beats — starting the world of House and all its subgenres. What Farley “Funkin” Keith and Ron “Heart Attack” Hardy didn’t know when they were combining disco beats and vocals is that they were setting up Robin S’s “Show Me Love” and later, the unique flow of Afrojack’s “Take Over Control.”
Lacrosse
The stereotypes that come with the sport of lacrosse and its players do not line up with its rich history. The Iroquois people in what is now New York played what is now known as lacrosse as prep for war, as well as to solve arguments among people. It was seen as a gift from their gods, and say that the Gods themselves are playing in the heavens simultaneously with them. French settlers noticed the game among the tribes and named it “lacrosse,” after the bishop’s ceremonial cross. The French gained interest in the tribe’s game, and imitated the sport with more rules and regulations — even bringing the game to Queen Victoria. This brings us to lacrosse today, which has almost entirely lost its unique and rich history from the Iroquois — only 0.4% of listed lacrosse players are Native.
Modern-day Spirituality Practices
Crystals, meditation, chakras, self-wellness — they were not just invented during quarantine. Many of the practices come from Santeria of Latin America and animalistic religions of Africa, but most come from Hinduism. Hinduism is a world religion, but is most popular in its place of origin — what is now India and Pakistan. Some beliefs among Hinduism like cause and effect – also known as karma have gained popularity among the basic population . Also following is the belief or chakras that must be activated for good health and wellbeing, and crystals associated by color, element, organ, and mantra can help in the activation process. This religion should be taken with seriousness, like many people in the Eastern Hemisphere have. The issue today is that many people have taken the practices of Hinduism and Buddhism blindly without acknowledging where it comes from. So now, today we see many taking in these practices, white washing its processes altogether. Because of this, there is now a connotation that spirituality, crystals, and things that follow are “whitewashed.”
Well, why does it matter so much? In reality, it has no meaning other than to categorize people. The term “whitewash” is a term used to put down POC for doing things that do not fit the stereotype of their background. It is a useless term meant to demean people to bias, hence why it is put in quotes. The word just emphasizes what hobbies and activities are assigned to each race, ethnicity, and overall identity. And as we see with these examples, the demographic can and will be switched time after time. But the difference for us is to let these enjoyable activities be open to all with the societal pressure of following the status quo.
Sources:
https://www.zippia.com/lacrosse-player-jobs/demographics/
https://edmidentity.com/2020/06/19/black-history-of-house-music/
https://www.history.com/news/lacrosse-origins-native-americans
