As headlines continue to highlight the LA protests and rising tensions around immigration, many in Black communities are asking: Is this our fight to fight?
In short—yes. But the conversations sparked by these events are valid and shouldn’t be dismissed. Since the 2024 elections, the distrust Black communities have felt towards America has intensified. As voter demographics were revealed, the 92% who showed up for collective well-being realized, yet again, that support isn’t always mutual. For many, this realization triggered a retreat from socio-political engagement.
This retreat involved unplugging from the news, avoiding social media debates, and tuning out entirely. While they say “ignorance is bliss,” that expression does not apply to historically marginalized communities in this context. In a conversation with Joy Ann Reid, theGrio discussed the internal conflict many Black Americans are facing: Do I lock in or tune out?
“I think number one, we should be informed. Step one is we need to understand what’s going on there. It doesn’t help you to completely tune out,” Reid said, before acknowledging the collective exhaustion many Black people are feeling. “I know there’s a temptation when the bad things are happening, to just kind of go dark and say, ‘I’m only going to watch Tubi and I’m not going to pay any attention. I’m just going to watch the housewives, and I’m going to forget everything else.’ You have the right to watch the housewives and watch Tubi. You should enjoy your life, but you need to remain informed, because what you don’t want is to have these things hit you like you walked into the street and got [hit] by a Mack truck.”
She emphasized that these policies, even if they seem to target others first, will eventually affect Black communities, because as the African American proverb goes: “Because when America catches a cold, Black folks catch pneumonia.”
ICE raids are increasing across the country, with law enforcement stopping and detaining those they deem “suspicious.” This has led to U.S. citizens being detained for days or even weeks while their citizenship is verified. That kind of unchecked enforcement impacts not just Black immigrants but also Black Americans, especially when immigration status checks are riddled with bias.
According to a 2023 survey, only 34% of Black Americans hold a valid passport. A University of Maryland study also found that People of Color (11%) are more likely than White people (8%) to lack documentary proof of citizenship (DPOC), meaning they either do not have or can not easily access these documents if needed. These gaps can make Black communities more vulnerable in an increasingly aggressive immigration system and policing.
“The things that are happening that you think are only going to [happen] to brown migrants or to foreigners or to people who work in the federal government only, they’re coming for us [Black people] because they always do,” Reid continued.
A fact that many users on X have highlighted: “People struggle with the concept of multiple truths existing simultaneously. The distrust that black people in America have towards other groups (white, latinos, Asians, etc) is VALID given the results of the election. That being said, immigration is VERY much also a BLACK ISSUE,” one X user wrote.
Similarly, journalist Dr. Stacey Patton wrote in a Facebook post, “Let’s not act like standing in the background is some magic cloak of safety for Black bodies. Do Y’all really think white supremacy is out here cross-checking protest rosters before it decides who to target? If you’re Black, YOU ARE ALREADY IN THE LINE OF FIRE. YOU ARE ALREADY A TARGET. Doing your part “in the background” is fine if it’s strategy. But don’t dress up fear as discretion. History has shown us time and again that silence, the background, and the sidelines don’t save us. They isolate us.”
“My argument was championing mass deportation is bad for Black people. My was argument WAS NEVER Black people should be on the frontline to fight against ICE or immigration. My argument was about supporting, rallying, and cheering for mass immigration being bad,” content creator and advocate Conscious Lee tweeted.
Ultimately, when advising Black communities on how to navigate the ever-changing socio-political landscape, Reid encouraged folks to view it like a relay race:
“For Black America, we’ve got to stay informed. But the way I think about it is it’s a relay race. When you are in a relay race, each member of that relay team has a chance to run and a chance to rest, and the run and rest cycle is literally how the race is won. So each of us has that baton at a certain point to do our part in that race,” she explained, noting how the rest cycle is important for one’s mental health in these times. “There’s a lot being thrown at us all at once, and it’s deliberate. It’s designed to make you exhausted, it’s designed to make you afraid, and it’s designed, honestly, to make you tune out and to make you indifferent.”
“So definitely in that relay race, make one of those laps rest. Make one of them joy, make one of them being informed, and make one of them action. Segment off your life into not just constantly being in action and in the fight. Take time to also do for you, because that’s the only way that you’re going to not be too depleted to fight,” she concluded.
