Why and How Afghans in the Diaspora Must Stand in Solidarity with #BlackLivesMatter

Posted on by Noorjahan Akbar

Why we must stand with #BlackLivesMatter: We’re witnessing a historic moment and as a community of color, we must stand in solidarity with Black people as they take an awe-inspiring and courageous stand against police brutality and for racial justice and equity. Our silence in the face of historic and continued human rights abuses by the police and the United States government against Black people is complacency with white supremacy. Not only is standing with those demanding justice for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Ahmaud Arbery, Mubarak Soulemane, and the countless others killed by police the right and moral thing to do, it’s also essential for our own liberation as people of color. Our freedom as a human race and as marginalized non-white communities are inherently tied to one another’s freedom. Our safety as women is tied to the safety of all women. Coming from Afghanistan, a country that has faced the brute force of American militarism, we are especially positioned to call for police demilitarization and over-policing of marginalized communities. If for no other reason, we must stand with Black Lives Matter protests because as immigrants, we owe our rights to the civil rights movement. The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, which abolished the race-based immigration quota system in the U.S., was a direct result of Black activists’ labor.

How we can stand with #BlackLivesMatter: There are many ways to be part of the solution (aka ending white supremacy).

One of the key ways to join the fight is to arm ourselves with knowledge and learn, create, and uplift the language of dismantling white supremacy. Here are some resources to educate ourselves, and help us stand in solidarity and demand an end to anti-Black racism.

What we should refrain from:

  • Don’t engage in racial gaslighting. Learn about it here.
  • Don’t engage in what-about-ism. This is when people are engaged in one issue and instead of supporting them, someone says “but what about that other issue.” There are many valid issues right now. We have the capacity to engage in all of them. There is no reason to respond to this cause or any other human rights cause by bringing up another issue.
  • Don’t use hashtag Afghan Lives Matter. We are fully capable of creating our own language for our liberation as a people. We don’t need to co-opt the language of another oppressed group or take the spotlight away from their struggle. Let’s get creative and come up with language that is true to our experiences. I suggest #StopKillingAfghans if you are speaking up for Afghan refugees murdered by Iranian security forces, and civilians killed by terrorist organizations like the Taleban and ISIS or U.S.-backed airstrikes.
  • Don’t tone-police or write about how Black people should protest. We are in no position to tell Black people how to protest. We do not have the same experiences and lived realities. We haven’t endured slavery, Jim Crow, lynching, and modern day mass incarceration. Let’s listen and learn from Black people on the front lines and respect their methods for making their voices heard in a country that doesn’t value their children’s lives as much as a Target store. The only people who get to choose what the appropriate, effective, or right way of standing up to a form of oppression are the people who live that oppression. Here are four pieces that may be helpful in gaining more insight into this: from German Lopez at Vox, from a family whose restaurant was destroyed during protests in Minnesota, from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and from Aaron Colen at the Blaze.
  • Don’t believe everything you read online. This uprising has been an incredible lesson on checking our sources. Before you attack protesters, take note that cops and white supremacists have been the real violent rioters. They have run over protesters with their cars. They have instigated violence by hitting protesters and attacking them with tear gas during a public health crisis. They have violated freedom of press by unlawfully attacking members of the press. And they have killed people during protests against cops killing people. Let’s stand with the marginalized, not those in power. The second group doesn’t need our help.