Open the Doors and Let Us Out: Escaping the Coloniality of Racism

Abstract

Racism is an integral part of racialized groups’ experiences as Whiteness continues to foster the power and privilege it affords to White people. This has resulted in the racialization of Black bodies inflicted by racism. For Black youth, escaping the coloniality of racism may seem to be an impossible task as racism is ubiquitous, and has been deeply embedded in societal structures for hundreds of years. However, a heightened consciousness of racism provides a platform to fight against racial injustice. Instead of being locked in systems of oppression whereby Black bodies are wounded, there is a movement in the youth population to end intergenerational racist ideologies of what it means to be Black. Open the doors and let us out: Escaping the coloniality of racism empowers Black youth to embrace their Blackness, use their bodies and voices to reconstruct their racial identities and positionalities in society with pride and dignity.