Power in Culture: Stories from a Queer Black Woman (and a meddling white)

Dear Patrick: I am awestruck by your poem, “Savior Complex,” because… it highlights the inequality of how queer people of color are treated compared to their white counterparts. It shows how people seem to care, but it lacks sincerity. The poem really shows a contrast between what the witnesses are doing as the oppressed struggle against authority. One sentence you wrote that stands out for me is: “Posting to instagram/ Posing with their signs before they march/ Overly sincere crocodile tears,/ run the tap until it's dry.” I think this is genius because… not only did you use an idiom, you built off of it in a clever way. “Run the tap until it’s dry” shows that it is a cycle of fake tears in response to the atrocities committed against queer people of color happening around them. Another sentence that I loved was: “Policeman pass them and their paths of destruction/ To detain a man who also has a sign,/ But no path of destruction behind him/ And they never notice or care to intervene.” This stood out for me because it emphasized the difference between the treatment of different races. The policemen pass the white people of the crowd and specifically target the people of color. Although, the person of color is doing nothing different than that white person. That person is innocent, but still they are bullied while no one cares enough to stop the inevitable. I do strongly agree with you that there is a fine line between the treatment of races in the queer community. There will always be, even if it is just a little inkling, of bias and hate against those who do not fit the ideal complexion of the white man. One reason I say this is… this kind of discrimination happens in every community. People of color are harassed for just living on the same street. While, they are also being paid less than that of their white counterparts when it comes to the workforce. Another reason I agree with you is there are so many people who either ignore or fail to actually create change when it comes to this inequality. Communities are supposed to be there for eachother and supporters are supposed to fight with them. But when things don’t concern them, directly many just look the other way. As a world, we are supposed to come together and set an example for younger generations. When they look at communities, they should not see this. They should see what was promised to them: support, compassion, and accountability. Have you seen this article? ”15 things LGBTQ people of colour want you to know” I thought you might be interested in this because this includes the perspective of queer people of color, themselves. There are many things that many people could learn from this. One of the topics that stood out to me the most was “white fragility”. It is something that many are not aware of and it needs to be talked about more. Thanks for your writing. I look forward to seeing what you write next because… you are not afraid to call out those who fail to speak up for their counterparts or the people they have promised to support. I also love the boldness of your poem and your poem examples. They included strong messages with strong words to capture the reader and get them interested in the message itself.