These offerings and musings are currently taking place on the ancestral, traditional, and stolen lands of the Seminole, Miccosukee, and Tequesta First Nations. These lands known as Miami.
These are stolen lands built by stolen people
“The Nuances of Karen or the other Karen”
In the beginning, there was Miss Anne, and she begat Becky, who begat Karen. Karen is the new name and iteration for a familiar white woman who is also supremely dangerous. Karen comes from a lineage of white women who have no issue weaponizing their white femininity as a tool to get you fired, arrested, publicly shamed, or lynched. The podcast Code Switch recently did an episode on the genealogy of Karen.
If you have ever watched the movie The Color Purple or 12 Year's A Slave, then you are familiar with the character representation of Miss Anne and her form of terrorism in literature and film.
White supremacy is often presented in a gendered way, and that gender tends to be male. In many of our hearts, minds, and sociopolitical understanding, white, male, able-bodied, heterosexual men are seen as the embodiment of racism and as seductive and satisfying as that narrative is; maybe it is not valid. As I stated last month in my essay, we must stop conflating identities with our targets. White supremacy is the target, not white skin or people.
Although white supremacy is not exclusive to a gender, white supremacy does organize our current understanding of gender and sex and the politics surrounding them. Indigenous scholars refer to this as settler sexuality. The white settlers who stole this land and stole Africans and enslaved them had a very narrow understanding of sex and gender. They used gender as a tool of subjugation and oppression against Indigenous people first and ultimately against enslaved Africans. White supremacy is obsessed with an order of the world that posits that monogamy, heteropatriarchy, and the gender binary as superior ways of being and that the most acceptable form of these behaviors is embodied by only white people. This narrow understanding of gender means that gender gets coded as white.
What does this mean? This means that white women who may often feel powerless in many areas of their lives have a vested interest in buying into and performing their white femininity within the confines of white supremacy. Karen gets to feel like Helen of Troy and that is a seductive form of power and cache for a person who does not have an antiracist gender analysis. The same way we tend to think white supremacy is coded as male when we do finally talk about white women who espouse white supremacy, we tend to think she is a default Republican. Meaning she is part of the 52% who voted for 45. But that is also too simple a reading. I know lots of liberal, progressive, and maybe even leftist white women who are Karen's. Will SJ Karen call the police on Black people no, but will they police you yes! Will she call you a nigger to your face no, but will she support policies that further ghettoize Black folks yes.
Nuance.
Below I compiled a list of Karen's I know who are very much part of the social justice community; this type of Karen does not get analyzed or dissected enough.
This is not a robust list:
Karen the TERF- she is transphobic and believes feminism gives her a right to be transphobic. She totally missed the part about feminism being a gender liberation project. She is obsessed with the gender binary and bad hot takes. Her patron saint is J.K. Rowling.
2. The Spiritual Karen-engages in toxic positivity thinks oppression is a choice. She is smart enough to know she can’t say this out loud, but you know she is thinking this very thought based on her vapid responses about anti-Blackness. Her spirituality has no sociopolitical underpinnings. She thinks dehumanizing Black women by making us her savior is sisterhood. Her spirituality is rooted in neoliberalism, which means she exploits and commodifies her ONE native or Black ancestor for clout and monetary gain. And above all thinks, we are going to love and light our way out of white supremacy. Lots of talk about shadow work, but shows very little interest in dealing with her white supremacist shadow.
3. White LatinX Karen- LOVES to racially bypass, meaning she refuses to accept that she is white. She thinks that ignoring her conquistador ancestors in her lineage and the one who stares back at her in the mirror is revolutionary. Only a white woman would aggressively deny their whiteness. This type of Karen is all for Black Lives Matter as long as she gets to Rachel Dolezal.
4. Around the way girl Karen-grew up listening to Black music, takes part in Black culture and she will get in fights with other white folks over Black Lives Matter. However, inherently she thinks she is better than Black women, prettier than Black women and dates Black men who openly display misogynoir. Even if she doesn't date Black men, she sleeps well at night, knowing that white supremacy puts her on top of the desirability pyramid.
5. Capitalist Karen, aka Lean In Karen- thinks a women-centric form of capitalism will cure racism, and for 4 easy payments of $10,000, she will show you how in her new online course. CK doesn't understand that for Black Lives to Matter, racial capitalism must be dismantled, she is too busy trying to sell you the cure to be bothered with facts or books.
6. Americorps / Peace corps / TFA /Philanthropy / Non-profit Karen - does not interrogate how these very systems create the problem and are part of the problem. Uses her proximity to low-income youth and communities of color to launch her career and low key, she feels like she is going to run for office at any minute. She loves the idea of social impact and believes racism can be solved through programs, grants, and silent auctions. Racism is okay with her as long she gets to have her yearly gala and women's empowerment brunch.
7. PTA Karen- practices opportunity hoarding AND loves educational segregation. She will sacrifice thousands of Black and non-Black children of color to ensure that her Chad gets to rule the world. Karen has divested from public schools completely. She sends her kid to an elite private school that exists to enshrine inequality. If she cannot afford the tuition, she sends her kid to a good public school that maintains educational segregation within its walls because Chad is going to become a Supreme court justice by any means necessary.
Who am I missing here? Do you see yourself on this list?
It is only through having a rigorous antiracism practice you will be able to extricate your inner Karen. Your inner Karen is not your friend and she is stopping you from creating the kind of solidarity needed to bring about liberation for all.
VIEWINGS AND READINGS
*The X in Latinx is a Wound, Not a Trend by Alan Palaez Lopez [LINK] - “While the argument across Latin American millennial media is that the “X” is supposed to neutralize the Spanish language and everyone should adopt it, I argue that “Latinx” is not for everyone. Transgender and gender-nonconforming Latin Americans living in the U.S. have used the “X” as a reminder that their bodies are still experiencing a colonization invested in disciplining them to fit a standard gender identity, gender presentation, sexual orientation, and a particular sexual performance. For this reason, it is important for us to not normalize “Latinx,” but to engage in critical reflection of how violence against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, Asexual + (LGBTQIA+) Latin Americans has been accepted by Latin American people to the point that LGBTQIA+ Latinxs have had to create a linguistic intervention in the hopes that they can live a livable life.” *please note this article is old.
The Queer and Poor Aesthetic by Shak’ar Mujukian [LINK]- “Our community has a phobia of privilege—especially when it’s ours. Because privilege isn’t cool anymore, we’re taking great measures to downplay ours and only selectively highlight the ways in which we’re oppressed. Because class is relatively invisible and awkward, it’s easiest to hide—especially when we’re marginalized in other ways.” *please note this article is old.
Carceral Feminism, Femonationalism, and Quarantine by Caren Holmes [LINK] - “As stated by Olufemi, abolitionist feminists seek to use alternative methods aimed at ending harm for good, and that “No other approach takes seriously the idea that violence is not an inevitability.” When we limit our political imaginaries to the capacities of the state, we not only fail to address gender violence, but we reinvest in structures of state violence and white supremacy. As communities mobilize to divest from prisons and policing and invest in non-carceral responses to harm, Mimi Kim reminds us, “we can’t fuck up more than the cops.”
We Want More Justice For Breona Taylor Than The System That Killed Her Can Deliver [LINK] by Mariame Kaba and Beth Ritchie- “As prison industrial complex (PIC) abolitionists, we want far more than what the system that killed Breonna Taylor can offer – because the system that killed her is not set up to provide justice for her family and loved ones.”
How I Became A Police Abolitionist Derecka Purnell [LINK]- “Police abolition” initially repulsed me. The idea seemed white and utopic. I’d seen too much sexual violence and buried too many friends to consider getting rid of police in St. Louis, let alone the nation. But in reality, the police were a placebo. Calling them felt like something, as the legal scholar Michelle Alexander explains, and something feels like everything when your other option is nothing.”
Teaching Isn’t About Managing Behavior It’s About Teaching Students Where They Really Are [LINK] by Christopher Emdin- “The best teachers don’t just keep teaching. Instead, they use their pedagogy as protest: They disrupt teaching norms that harm vulnerable students. In my years in the classroom since 2001, I’ve learned something about how to do this. I call it reality pedagogy, because it’s about reaching students where they really are, making sure that their lives and backgrounds are reflected in the curriculum and in classroom conversations.”
What’s In Your Movement Pantry [LINK] by Deepa Iyer and Trish Tchume
White vs White Passing LatinX. What Am I? Part II by Priscila Garcia Jacquier [LINK]
LUTZE SIGHTINGS
Doin’ The Work Episode 31: The Social Justice Doula [LINK]
How To Talk to Mami and Papi About Anything: Dad Denies Systemic Racism [LINK]
Intensive Anti-Racism Learning Series: Our Fund Foundation Partners with Equality Florida and The Alliance for GLBTQ Youth [LINK ]
LISTENING
Last month I shared a playlist with you all and I am sharing anther one again. I created this playlist for my Black Feminist Sunday Service that I had last December. Enjoy! (Spotify): [LINK]
Voz Episode 1’Stay in Your Lane: Decentering Settler Ego in Digital Spaces” [LINK] -this is a great episode for people who are interested in the nuances of LatinX identity and how to take up space ethically online.
Peepshow Podcast Episode 60: Ignacio Rivera on Healing Sexual Trauma and Sexual Liberation [LINK]- an episode for people who are interested in sexual liberation and how survivors of child sexual abuse can heal using sex and kink.
FANTI 24. Black Women Have Been Left Out of #MeToo [LINK]- this episode explores the intersection of hip-hop, race, and racism and how the #MeToo reckoning is slow to happen within hip-hop.
Lady Don’t Take No with Alicia Garza: dream hampton Brought Revolution [LINK]– dream hampton is one of the most important culture makers of our time and I appreciated this conversation between a millennial and gen X-er about revolution and the generation al differences between the two.
Episode 402: Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman [LINK] – this is an excellent episode for those of us who take platonic love seriously and want to partner with our platonic loves and make art with them. This is also a great episode for writers and they talk candidly about money.
Toure Show: Eddie Glaude- I love James Baldwin [LINK]- a conversation about Glaude’s new book in which he is writing alongside Baldwin. If you love Baldwin you are going to appreciate this conversation.
The Nod: The Case for Abolition [LINK]- this interview is with Beth Ritchie a brilliant scholar who has been writing and thinking about abolition for a very long time. This a super short podcast episode that does a good job of introducing you the major concepts of abolition.
It’s Been a minute: Reckoning With Race in Journalism [LINK]- this episode gave great context for the racial reckoning happening in news rooms.
The Ezra Klein Show 344: Free Speech, safety, and ‘the letter’ [LINK]– for those of us who are interested in the nuances of free speech and the need for discourse.
The Dig: Read This, Not White Fragility. With Jarred Loggins and Wendi Muse [LINK] – for those who want to read something more complicated and rigorous than DiAngelo’s book and do not know where to start.
Why Is This Happening: America on Drugs with Dr. Carl Hart [LINK]- This episode debunks everything you think you know about drug use and addiction..
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Last month I shared with you all a GoFundMe to help me fund my getting an intern. In less than 24 hours I collected all the money and hired an intern. Please meet my amazing intern Nohelya pronouns they/them.
I'm a Taurus Sun, Aquarius Moon, Leo rising (though I used to think I was a Virgo rising for the longest time), Aries Mercury and Cancer Venus 💙
I was raised on the ancestral lands of Lenape people, colonized and known today as New York City. I was born in what is known as Guayaquil, Ecuador, the traditional lands of the Inca people. The majority of my blood family still lives there, but I have made beautiful soul connections with my chosen family over here.
This summer I’ve become hella connected with Pachamama, Mother Earth. I became a plant mom in May and soon after started volunteering at my community garden. I’ve found so much painful and blissful healing through connecting with the Earth. As I build my politics through self and communal education, I am guided by the lessons the land gives us towards liberation and healing to all sentient beings of this Earth.
Similarly, FOOD IS LIFE. Next time you eat, PRAY TO AND THANK THE EARTH AND THOSE WHO TENDED TO THE LAND AND ANIMALS FOR THEY BROUGHT ABOUT SUCH DELICIOUS NUTRITION IN YOUR LIFE!! Honestly food is one of my favorite things to talk about, consume, share, create 😌
I love chatting AND listening. Throat chakra open. I love connecting with people, sharing stories, and learning from one another!
2. A Black trans woman in South Florida is in need of emergency funds. Brielle is a leader in her community and was recently a victim of anti-Black violence within a non-profit setting. She is need of monetary support. Please donate if you can and boost this campaign. [LINK]