Sometimes it’s the simple sayings that hit me, like this one. We were Africans first. It really brings home the meaning of the word “identity,” as well as how that phrase is now being opposed. People are saying that the Democrats lost because of “identity politics.” It’s a stand in for saying “black” it seems to me. What, they are attacking my identity? Is that what it is really about, condemning repressed minorities “identity”? The white party just just want to hear “complaints” about minorities trying to speak of their identity— a catchall phrase not just for Black Americans or CHOSSA Americans, but Latinos and LBGTQI+. Anyone repressed should stop complaining and be grateful. That perhaps is the repression of DEI. Sorry, just thinking out-loud as this struck me when you were writing about the right to claim your identity. The power of the voice of the people who claim their heritage seems to get harder pushback from the dominant white conservatives who don’t want to them to.
Thanks again for stimulating this necessary discussion.