1. Why can't black and brown people just assimilate? it would make it so much easier.

Cultural assimilation is by definition a racist construct that assumes that the minority culture doing the assimilating is less valuable than the dominant culture that requires assimilation. In the past is 500 years, black and indigenous people have experienced annihilation, excessive imprisonment, and slavery, both of which sought to eradicate, exploit, or diminish them. As a result, these cultures have fought hard to remember who they are through ideals and social mores that preserve their identity.​

2. Why are my BIPOC friends so angry? I didn't create this situation.

True, you might not have created racism but by default, all non BIPOC people have benefitted from a system that was biased towards them and prejudiced against everyone else. The resentment your BIPOC friends feel is based not only on who benefitted from their marginalization but also on who fails to take action against injustice. This is a wave of collective anger.

3. Woah, I thought we were talking about culture not race here. Aren't they different?

​Yes and no. While Black and Brown people have built a culture based on traditions passed down from ancestors, their ways of translating value is heavily influenced by the construct of racism and their oppression. As a result, many aspects of BIPOC culture are likely in direct response to AND a direct result of racism and the rebellions against it.

4. Why do so many African American people have a southern accent and/or speak differently?

Approximately 40% of African and indigenous people entered America through a port in Charleston, SC.  As slaves were forced to learn English, they incorporated some of their ancestral language with that of southern dialects to form a new way of speaking. Most African Americans stayed in the South until 1916 before starting the first wave of The Great Migration. This coded language in itself was an act of rebellion and was kept secret to avoid the controlling gaze of slave owners.  This ancient cadence has been carried down for centuries and is an integral part of black culture.It's important to note that slaves were deprived of education during slavery and even after using Black Codes which contained Anti-Literacy Laws, and then via Jim Crow laws.