r/ThoughtWarriors

Unpopular opinion, but I think Van and Rachel’s insistence on blurring the distinctions around what it means to be a Black American is partly a product of where they grew up. They’re both from the South, where the Black population is predominantly made up of Black Americans. In contrast, I was raised in NYC, where there are large, distinct Black immigrant communities (Haitian, Jamaican, Trinidadian, Guyanese, Nigerian, Ghanaian, and many others) living alongside Black Americans (though our numbers are dwindling in NYC with a lot of us getting fed up and moving to the south).

Rachel even said on her Morally Corrupt podcast that many of the distinctions we make in America are unnecessary because “we’re all Black.” In my experience, that’s a sentiment I hear far more often from Southern Black Americans than from people in places like New York, where the Black diaspora is much more diverse and those distinctions are part of everyday life. K Michelle (a southerner) said the same exact thing on the most recent episode of RHOA.

So when Van gets on the pod and argues that Haitians deserve an open pathway into this country, they deserve easy access to becoming citizens, and that we should simply provide whatever they need without asking difficult questions, I find that both unrealistic and intellectually shallow.

Living in New York my entire life has given me a very different perspective. Many immigrant communities don’t come to the United States looking to merge into one shared American identity. They come here to build a smaller version of the country they left behind, centered around their own language, culture, businesses, religious institutions, supermarkets, and social networks. And really have no interest in including Black Americans in any of it. My mother has stories for days on how some Nigerians act in the workplace once they find out she’s a Black American — and she’s their boss! Also have heard of stories of Filipinos only looking to hire other Filipino’s in hospitals. Same goes for Indians. It’s all very calculated.

And look there’s nothing inherently wrong with preserving your culture. But we also shouldn’t pretend that solidarity across communities is automatic because people share the same racial category.

In fact, many Black Americans have experienced the opposite. I’ve personally known Haitians, Africans, and other immigrants whose parents explicitly told them not to associate with Black Americans because they viewed us as being at the bottom of the totem pole. I had a Haitian friend, told me her parents said exactly that. Now imagine. People from a 3rd world nation, telling you in your own country that you’re actually the bottom of the bottom. Interesting.

Experiences like those are why I push back when people insist that “we’re all just Black” and therefore have identical interests or experiences. Southerners need a reality check. And I do remember Van discussing having his Black American wake up call on an old episode but hey like it or not: race matters, but so does someone’s ethnicity, culture, history, immigration status, and national origin. I’m over people pretending those distinctions don’t exist. It’s silly and doesn’t create solidarity. It just ignores the very real tensions and differences that people experience every day.

Edit: and for what it’s worth, I’m not moved by labels like ADOS, FBA, “xenophobic,” or “racist” being used as shorthand in these conversations. They do not scare me lol.

2nd edit: and this is part of why some of the core issues within the Black diaspora remain unresolved. Yall are reluctant to engage in honest, substantive dialogue. Instead, you’d rather derail conversations into misinterpretations or arguments about points that were never actually made. Y’all don’t actually want real unity. You just want Black Americans to shut up and not shake the imaginary unity table all of y’all are eating off of except for …well you know who.

I think the talking points on the pod around the Texas race have been fine. But I think we’re forgetting the real question which is why did she even run?? She could’ve been much more impactful writing alongside James as a representative of a district instead of running directly against him. Does this not feel a little fishy to anyone else? It’s like she’s doing more harm than good for the Democratic Party while sowing seeds of division instead of trying to actually help the people.

I want to share this because it’s one of the rare political conversations that doesn’t get lost in vibes, spin, or bad‑faith nonsense. It’s grounded in facts, grounded in reality, and grounded in the lived experiences of Black people. Also Reecie says her and Rachel spoke after Tuesday podcast.

This take on Jasmine is incorrect/misquoted. Everyone should check out Clay Cane and Reese's segment. They're (respectfully) more entrenched in politics and what is going on. Its important to be clear and accurate in our narrative recounting and framing of this.

It is up to Talarico and his team to convince people to vote for him. But folks, especially non-Texans, are talking at her like SHE would be the reason Talarico loses, instead of focusing on Talarico's lack of strategies to authentically and honestly outreach and speak to the needs of the Black people that initially supported her. He has spoken on other groups, mainly Latine folks. He has not explicitly done this with Black voters and has, in fact, not accepted multiple invites onto influential Black political news outlets (including Clay's show). Please let's not paint some Black people who want to hear from Talarico as the problem. Also, there are MANY Black Texans that are saying they will vote for him, regardless of any particular concerns bc the other option is worse.