For Brown Girls with Sharp Edges and Tender Hearts: A Love Letter to Women of Color

by Prisca Dorcas Mojica Rodríguez

Assimilation was and is a key component of colonialism, and it was required for survival for many Indigenous people.

The idea that you must elevate someone’s existence means that you do not view them as capable of knowing what is best for themselves. This is a dehumanizing act veiled as a benevolent one, and whether intentional or not this is the history and foundation of missionary work today.

A lot of Latin America is comprised of mestizos, meaning people who are part European and part Indigenous. To this day, Latin American mestizo people are largely anti-Indigenous, and this is a result of being told that Indigenous people are inferior and mixing means elevation. We did not create anti-Indigenous sentiment; we were taught it, we were forced to accept it, and then we internalized and perpetuated it on our own. That is the insidious nature of colonization. Many people have survived by assimilating toward the dominant group’s values, and this internalized racism continues to traumatize entire nations.

The white people I met there were well-meaning, well-read liberal folks who happened to know all the ins and outs of racism and colonialism, but somehow positioned those problems outside of themselves rather than taking ownership of them. They did not understand themselves to be part of the problem, and they did not see themselves as benefitting from these systems of oppression. Many saw themselves as strictly allies.

It was in this program that I first encountered the term voluntourism.

Its like when i did the racial training at aok i gained vocabulary

To begin healing the generations of trauma white people have inflicted on Brown and Black people, white people first have to hold themselves accountable.

The delicate dance required to make my white peers feel safe sucked the life out of me. And even when I was trying to not “be the issue” or “cause drama,” I still got the same responses: “You’re taking things too seriously.” “It’s not always about race.”

“Not all white people…” “Not my experience…” “I have a Latina friend.” “Are you sure that is what happened?” This is white peoples’ coded language for: “You’re being too aggressive,” or “You’re being too Brown,” or “You’re making me uncomfortable about my racism.” Instead of addressing their own issues, they will vilify you.