POC solidarity has long been romanticized in society as this community of minorities that stick up for each other in the face of oppression. As incredible as that sounds, it rarely comes to fruition. With the constant anti-blackness and unexpected internalized biases of every minority group within America, POC solidarity is slowly dying out. I believe the main reason behind oppressed communities not vouching for each other is not only the ingrained anti-blackness in many minority groups but also the competitiveness between minorities to prove that one of the oppressed is somehow better than any other oppressed group. Regardless of what category is the most prevalent, both types tend to achieve the same thing, a divided America with minorities fighting each other. Before I begin, I will emphasize anti-blackness as being separate from racism targeted at other POC; because it is the form of racism most embedded in American society and is the most common in other minority groups.

To begin, Black Americans are not only one of the most prevalent minority races but also the most disproportionately discriminated against. This is due to many factors, key among them being institutionalized racism and taught racism. Institutionalized racism can be defined as any form of discrimination embedded in an institution or accepted practice. Some common examples are gerrymandering, gentrification, and white-based medical care. These forms of systemic racism have created massive obstacles to Black success and have worked to keep many Black Americans in poor conditions without proper help. Unfortunately, this type of racism isn't easily solved as it has deep roots in American history and won't be reversed without serious government action that is unlikely to happen for a long time.

But the other type of racism is much easier to address but might be even more harmful in day-to-day life. Taught racism is a form of discrimination established from childhood and internalized. When people are taught certain biases, they carry them throughout their entire life and subconsciously judge and harm the people they believe are lesser than others. This type of racism is dangerous because it sneaks up on people, and most don't realize their inherent biases until they are held accountable. This trope has been increasingly common among celebrities like Gina Rodriguez and Camilla Cabello. These two women are not only a part of the Latino community but were also ignorant of how harmful their inherent biases were until brought to light. Gina Rodriguez was flamed by the internet for saying the N-word in a song, and although she immediately deleted the video and apologized, the harm had been done, and she had been oblivious to it. Her inherent biases allowed her to say a word that has long been used to dehumanize Black Americans for the sake of singing along to a song. This is the type of racism that may seem insignificant but has severe consequences due to its casual integration into society. Like many others, Gina Rodriguez has acted without understanding the repercussions of her actions, which is an educational problem, and an endearing overlooked bias she's been taught. Furthermore, Rodriguez has also come under fire for excluding Afro-Latinos from the representation conversation. Many people believed her tweet asking for Latino representation from Marvel and DC movies was dismissive of the incredible Afro-Latino actors already working for these movie franchises. Rodriguez's exclusion of Afro-Latino actors, intentionally or unintentionally, is the culmination of taught racism embedded in her thoughts from a young age. This ingrained bias pits races against each other and not only halts POC solidarity but perpetuates race wars.

Similarly, Camilla Cabello has used the same slur and had a Tumblr account where she shared heinous, racist memes targeted at Black culture. This sparked outrage among fans everywhere and solicited a response from Normani, an African-American singer who was a part of Fifth Harmony alongside Cabello. Normani has spoken out in the past about the discrimination she faces as a Black woman in her industry but was particularly devastated that a person she trusted, respected, and loved could berate or allow the belittling of her skin color, community, and culture. In response, Cabello gave a long-winded apology and even claimed she attended racial healing sessions to combat her internalized racism. But her apology was too little too late. People make mistakes; I can understand that. I can't understand how a person can work with, be around, and inspire Black women while simultaneously having biases against them. Cabello, like Rodriguez, is a woman who has been taught racial prejudice at a young age and has carried the disruptive sentiment throughout her life. No number of "racial healing sessions" can erase the anti-blackness she's participated in. Although I'm not well-versed in the relationship between Black and Latino Americans, it's apparent through mainstream media that both communities have enduring biases against each other. Whether this was caused by the Sociedad de Castas that persisted in Latin American society for a long time or the grouping of Black and Latino peoples, it has hurt both communities immensely. It makes no sense for the two most numerous minorities in America to be hindering each other when their mutual solidarity could solve many cultural problems within the United States. But to be able to join in cultural unity, both groups have to overcome the taught racism pushed upon them to truly embrace and value the other groups' members and benefit from the melting pot that is American society.

Analogously, another set of minority groups that have been put at odds lately is Asian Americans and Black Americans. This relationship is starkly different from the relationship between Latinos and Black Americans. The solidarity between Latinos and Black Americans is hindered by ingrained cultural biases, and the Asian-Black relationship is burdened by the fight for white approval. Asian Americans have long been placed on a pedestal compared to other minorities. This "model minority" treatment has caused many Asian Americans to push conservative anti-black sentiment to appeal to White Americans.

The latest example of this occurring is Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard. This lawsuit was filed by a couple of Asian-American students that didn't get into Harvard and blamed affirmative action for their rejection. These students claimed they were shoe-ins for Harvard because of their stellar grades and test scores, but their Asianess took away from their chance of admission. Alone these accusations have some merit. It's not rare to see admissions officers lump all Asians into a single bubble and project their own racial biases onto Asian-American students. But the worst part of this case is that these students believed that if they were Black, they would've been automatically accepted. These supposedly brilliant students blamed affirmative action-the best equity promoter in higher education- as the culprit rather than actual racism and legacy preference in the admissions process. This type of thinking is the competition for white approval that exists among minorities that makes it incredibly difficult for POC to succeed equally. These students could've filed a lawsuit calling out Asian-American discrimination in admissions processes, but chose to blame Black Americans, and a system designed to promote POC education for their rejection letters. The result of this lawsuit was affirmative action being abolished. Meaning that underrepresented communities in higher education will have their chances of attaining quality higher education halved. This causes long-term consequences, as fewer POC being college-educated leads to fewer POC in successful positions, which makes it harder for POC to get out of unfavorable conditions. It also creates a more white-dominated society where only white people are in positions of power because all the other races have less access to education. Education is the single most important pathway to opportunity and to eventual success. This case stripped many POC of education, effectively taking away their chances of being as successful as they should be. Affirmative action has acted as a beacon of hope for many brilliant POC, and it's heartbreaking that another POC group is what caused its demise. As tragic as this predicament is, it's neither sudden nor surprising. Anti-blackness has been rooted in Asian-American communities for as long as Asians have been in America. It's caused by a need for success which for many POC is white approval. Whether it be through abolishing affirmative action or Presidential candidates who believe the Confederate flag represents "service and sacrifice and heritage," the need for white approval has unfortunately made many Asian Americans embrace anti-black ideology and become colored pawns in a white man's game.

Additionally, many POC need to understand that when faced with oppression, having an "every man for himself" attitude warrants failure for everyone. Tearing each other down to please the oppressor isn't radical; it's falling right into the trap laid for you. This trap has been planted since the beginning of American civilization; it only acts as a deterrent to unity, not as a pathway to individual success. But how did oppressors create this intricate loophole against POC solidarity in the first place? POC wouldn't turn on each other without reason, so what's the bait that makes POC fight against each other's success? It's simple, what does every community want for its people? They want success, but white people don't want them to be competition, so white peoples make POC compete against every other minority to prove they are the only ones capable of thriving in America. It's supposed to be the survival of the fittest POC, but in reality, consists of POC fighting against each other so the white man doesn't have to get his hands dirty. This plan is carried out by a multitude of propaganda spewed by the American government, conservative media, and anyone who sees a united POC front as a threat. It manifests itself in the harmful, degrading, and ignorant stereotypes about each POC community, making other POC look down upon them.

It's the reason Black Americans have long been seen as criminals and thugs when they've tried everything to escape poor conditions in an America that works against their very existence. It's why Black Americans are seen as uneducated and lazy when, in reality, Black-dominated schools are incredibly underfunded, Black entrepreneurs have the most difficult time acquiring business loans, and anytime success is achieved, it's burned down (Black Wall Street). It's why Black Americans are labeled as "ghetto" when embracing a culture they created for themselves in a country that stripped them away from their original land.

It's why Indigenous peoples are considered savage drunks when they've had their rightful land stolen from them, placed on reservations, and had their powerful culture mocked for the sake of Halloween costumes.

It's why Latinos are called "border-hoppers," drug dealers, and illegals when they wanted to escape violence and create a life for themselves and their families.

It's why Asian Americans have been taunted for their accents, native languages, and called offensive names like "cow worshippers," and "dog eaters," all because they wanted to create success for themselves- in a new world while retaining their cultural identity.

It's why Arabs/Middle Easterners are called terrorists when they wanted to create lives for themselves free from oppression, war, or violence.

All of these stereotypes placed upon POC were intended to not only get white people to continue disapproving of minorities but also to get minorities to disapprove of each other. Unfortunately, minorities have been baited by these carefully curated stereotypes and have opposed cooperation with other POC. Even worse, many POC have a mentality that believes if they weren't given undeterred support in their crisis, then they shouldn't be obligated to help out when another minority is in trouble. This mindset is incredibly damaging and makes POC solidarity seem like a chore rather than a movement structured to uplift every oppressed community. If you have an attitude that revolves around what other POC groups have or have not done, then you are halting the process of minority success in America. For POC solidarity to succeed, we need to be "all for one, and one for all."

For example, the American Civil Rights Movement (1950s-1960s) was a black-led movement designed to combat segregation, institutionalized racism, and discrimination of all types. This movement created massive strides for the African-American community; while also making huge strides for other minority groups. The civil rights movement sparked the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, which promoted Asian immigration, Asian naturalization, and designated each Asian country a minimum of 100 visas yearly. The civil rights movement also sparked the Chicano movement (1960s-1970s) which was started by Mexican-Americans but comprised of advocates from all Latino cultures. The Chicano movement fought for bilingual acceptance, cultural programs designed to accept Spanish speakers, improved working conditions, and more Chicano teachers and elected representatives.

More recently, we've seen an insurgence of solidarity between Black Americans and other minorities through the BLM movement and Stop AAPI Hate. Both of these movements protested widespread violence against minorities, often consisting of people from all different races protesting and advocating for reform. These acts of resistance show that POC are indomitable when rallied together. Change is possible, but it requires effort from every minority in America.

To breathe life back into POC solidarity, we need to unlearn our subconscious racial biases and reeducate ourselves about Black and POC struggles. Every person has to make a conscious decision to rebuke anti-blackness within our respective communities and to stick up for other minorities when they are being oppressed. It's not only our civil responsibility, but also the only path to minority success in America. Without POC acting as a united front, oppression will continue to run rampant, and true equality in America will never be achieved. We either relentlessly push each other up, or die in the white man's trap.

In the timeless words of Martin Luther King Jr., "We must live together as brothers, or perish together as fools."