A TikToker is pushing back against calls for Black separatism, telling her followers that a permanent racial split would fail to protect Black and brown communities and that mutual understanding is the better goal.
Kylie Brewer said in a video posted to the platform that the idea comes up frequently in her comment section.
“There’s a movement called Black Separatism and I’ve had a lot of people comment this as well, but basically saying we should have stayed separate,” Brewer said. “And while I don’t blame people for thinking this because of all the pain and the hatred that white people have caused, there are three main reasons this would never work.”
Her first reason, she said, was that separation would not hold.
“No. 1, white people don’t know how to leave black or brown people alone, ever,” Brewer said. “Most of the humor that white people have and the feeling of camaraderie in whiteness is based on excluding other people, specifically people of color. So if that’s taken away, guess what? White people are gonna go into these all black or all brown towns and commit horrible acts.”
Brewer said her second reason was history.
“No. 2, there is a historical precedent for this,” she said. “Every time there was a thriving black community, white people went in, burned the city down, And also l*nched people. And here’s some screenshots and if you wanna research these communities, really tragic what happened.”
The video included images that Brewer said viewers could use as a starting point for their own research. She did not name the communities in the portion of the video transcribed here.
Her third reason, she said, was about what a shared society should look like.
“And finally, No. 3, the main thing that we need to all work towards is an understanding of each other and seeing differences as something to be a celebrated, not as something to be erased,” Brewer said. “That is why I’m very antiassimilation.”
She closed the video with a call for a society that makes room for cultural difference.
“I think everyone should be able to live how they wanna live and bring their own culture into the society we build because we are stronger together,” Brewer said. “Even if it doesn’t Feel like that.”
@kylie.brewer While I understand wanting separation from white oppressors, this would have horrible effects. To all wh!te people: WE NEED TO DO BETTER!! (***Yes, redlining and white flight already happens, but this vid is about legal, government-enforced segregation) #humanrights #education #antiracism #sociology
♬ original sound – Kylie Brewer💝
