The Invention of Whiteness

A tool to maintain the global oligarhs' minority rule

 by Ezili Dantò

George Zimmerman is Peruvian white. As Haitians, we know the hard way, how the majority of Latin Americans treat the Black or the Native indigenous.

We live, on an Island with Dominicans where the Bateys are where Haitians are enslaved. Most folks born in Mexico or Latin American countries are defined as Hispanic and that term is only defined as "non-white" in the US.

"Hispanic" outside of the US generally mean descendants of European whites from Spain no matter their skin tone who identify in aesthetics, ideals, habits and nationality as WHITE. And that whiteness identification makes them supposedly superior to Black Brazilians, Black Peruvians as well as Haitians.

There was a time when the European tribes looked upon the Irish as the "Blacks" of Europe or before the end of the Cold War, where even some Slavics, Romanians or some Russians weren't quite "white" enough. But America needs those immigrant "white" numbers up and identifications with white supremacy going in order to keep the majority in the world from rising against its tyranny. Divide to conquer.

Of course in America needing the numbers, the Irish became white. Soon though, as America needs numbers more, all the Latinos along with Japanese, will be categorized as whites? Zimmerman used the confusion to alternatively identify himself as Hispanic and white. Depending on who his family wanted to manipulate. Much has been forgotten about Zimmerman's many inconsistencies, and the attempt to have his wife hide monies raised from the white communities for his legal defense.

The one light in this case, is the Latino/Latina communities, used to being considered as almost lowly Blacks in the US, refused to let Zimmerman divide them from standing with the Justice for Trayvon defenders.

George Zimmerman had a choice of race and ethnicity

 Zimmerman had the benefits, privileges and choices of race, presumed "Americanism" and ethnicity  that Trayvon Martin could never have because he was Black and seen as an unassimilated Black youth. These privileges operate to further institutionalize racism.

On the US census and government forms, Hispanics have a choice to define themselves as white Hispanic or non-white Hispanic. The choice is fictional like the white race. A political choice depending on the individual identification for those who can get away with it in US. For even if an African marks himself as non-Black, his features and skin color will operate to deny him privileges others who can pass for Italian, Israeli, Argentinian white, Hispanic white, Spanish white or Greek are accorded.

Trayvon Martin, dark-skinned Blacks and Blacks without features culturally defined as European features, do not have such political and survivalist choices under white supremacist's US.

Historically, in the US whenever poor people came together to fight the oligarchs/robber barons/one percenters to push for change because the conditions were so oppressive for all working peoples, no matter skin color, in each case the ruling class turned to white supremacy to beat back the efforts from below. (Watch, for instance - The Invention of the White Race.)

Zimmerman and how white supremacy works

Here's how George Zimmerman's acquittal worked the white supremacist's US system. George Zimmerman's brother, Robert, told Bill Maher that George is not white, could "NEVER be white."  He identifies their mother as Afro-Peruvian and his father as a US-born white, "our father is from German descent" he says. This, to somehow show George Zimmerman cannot be racist.

Later on, the family publicly dropped the identification with Afro-Peruvian and their Hispanic roots.

On Fox News, Robert Zimmerman "passed" the family as white for the benefits that that provides in America's injustice system. The family dropped the emphasis and identification with being part African-Peruvian. The Zimmerman family specifically said that they : "...chose NOT to publicly identify with their Hispanic roots since the fatal shooting in order to emphasize self-defense."  

In white supremacy America, that strategy works. Especially notable is that Zimmerman's white US-born father is a judicial officer in the US who probably knows well the legal privileges of being white to that of part "Afro-Peruvian."

For instance, for Afro-Peruvians in Peru "racism remains so deeply ingrained in Peru that many don't consider the practice discriminatory." (See, Lima: Where the pallbearers are black .)

 

_{Associated Press/Rodrigo Abd - In this July 2, 2013 photo, black pallbearers put on their white gloves as they prepare to handle a coffin during a burial in Lima, Peru. These pallbearers are in the job precisely because of the color of their skin, a phenomenon unique to this South American capital that was a regional seat of Spain’s colonial empire for more than three centuries and where racism remains so deeply ingrained that many Peruvians don’t consider the practice discriminatory. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)}

George Zimmerman's acquittal shows, certain non-black people of color definitely do reap the benefits of anti-Black racism, both in the US, in Peru, mostly all over the world. 

Trayvon Martin had no such choices. He was Black and dead. He had been born to a world and in a society that generation after generation imposes a presumption of criminality on Blacks. Born in a world that conflates Black with being criminal. Whiteness plus the unevenly applied Stand Your Ground Laws which removes the obligation to retreat helped make the Zimmerman defense strategy a slam dunk. Because George Zimmerman had those choices, he could choose a defense strategy that empathized his whiteness and rarely publicly identified with his Black and Hispanic hyphenates other than to use them to deflect charges of racism. For, "white people who kill black people in 'Stand Your Ground' states are 354% more likely to be cleared of murder."

Blaming the victim, Trayvon Martin, is not justice. But it sums up the historical relationship that Blacks have had with people in the US who hold power. Statistics show, George Zimmerman's use of deadly force, on an unarmed child that he provoked, is a criminal act mostly when the victims are white.  

Zimmerman provoked the fight and is responsible at law -if racism wasn't involved - for the consequences, for the death of Trayvon Martin. The double standards are clear. The white perpetrators of crimes, especially in killings of Black people, are still, in 2013, under Obama, more likely to get an acquittal.

"I still don't understand what Trayvon Martin was supposed to do," Amy Davidson writes in the New Yorker Magazine.  "There is an echo, in what people say Martin should and shouldn't have done, of what people say to women when bad things happen to them in dark places." (See also from Ezili Dantò, For Trayvon: Obama a day late and a dollar short).

Ezili Dantò of HLLN
July 2013

***

*********************************************

In memory of Trayvon Martin, consider going to see Fruitvale Station, the story of Oscar Grant. Much like Trayvon Martin, Oscar family did not get justice. His story is now on film. For other positive action, see also Justice for Trayvon: Actions You Can Take ;  The Justice for Trayvon Action Kitor the info here.

"Uncle Sam Zimmerman:
George Zimmerman stalked a young man and picked a fight. When the youth fought back, George shot him dead in ”self-defense.”

Uncle Sam, also a self-appointed “protector” (as in protection racket), stalks the world picking fights. When the victims fight back, Uncle Sam screams “terrorist!” and kills them."-- Per Fagereng, Host of the "Fight The Empire" show on KBOO radio, Portland.