Racial consciousness and the Together theme
I've been under the weather so this post is a bit late, but it's never a bad time to talk about these things.
One of the mistakes Unity seekers frequently make with black folks is they overlook the potential for erasure of poc. When unity means ignoring differences, only the "default" group gains any benefit. The injustices and inequality we face become background noise and that doesn't help anyone - except those that enjoy immediate benefits from poc injustice and inequality. In fact, it permits the status quo to keep going as it is. Look at old movies or television and notice how poc were seemingly invisible from our society. We were there, just invisible. Unless, of course, we were portrayed in a negative or stereotypical way. Then came the tokens, heavily portrayed in the 80's but improving since. We know what it means to be invisible. It's not just the usual Kumbaya criticism that is a challenge, it's also the lack of awareness of the unintended consequences white people rarely see.
Therefore, unity must include and even elevate, differences between people. It seems counter-intuitive but it's true. Black folks may not get on board if they sense they will be erased.
Here are two examples of getting it right, imo:
Android commercial Be Together, Not The Same #1 (animals)
Android commercial Be Together Not The Same #2 (piano keys)
