The anti-Black axis: rethinking racial triangulation

ABSTRACT In this essay, I argue that the “insider/ foreigner” vector of racial triangulation misnames the Black American experience and obscures the fraught nature of Black American citizenship. Though Kim [1999. “The Racial Triangulation of Asian Americans.” Politics & Society.27 (1): 105–138, Kim, Claire Jean. 2000. Bitter Fruit: The Politics of Black-Korean Conflict in New York City. Yale University Press] recognizes that the insider status of Black Americans is constructed on foundations of anti-Blackness, I argue that we must actively name anti-Blackness as the organizing principle of US politics. This more accurately describes the racial hierarchy in the US, given the way so-called foreign populations are evaluated based on their perceived proximity to Blackness, their ability to appeal to whiteness, and their culture compared to Black Americans. I argue that racialization could be productively understood through sites of white supremacist harm – from the carceral state to restrictive immigration policies. Politically, we can more adequately resist the common problem of white supremacy by lending cross-racial support to the systemic struggles that Black, Asian, and Latinx groups face in the US. This perspective decenters proximity to whiteness, emphasizes the proximity of Black and Asian Americans, and reveals opportunities to build solidarity.