7 moments of Asian American and Black American solidarity

7 moments of Asian American and Black American solidarity

"Divide and conquer" is a maxim that has proven effective in numerous scenarios—such as negotiations and computer programming, for example. But, more insidiously, it has also been used to cement social hierarchies.

Wealthy colonial Americans used the perceived superiority of one race over another to disrupt the solidarity of those in lower income brackets and retain their hold on economic systems. During the early 1900s, labor groups of different ethnicities were often introduced on plantations to prevent strikes and maintain low wages, according to Ronald Takak, a pioneer of ethnic studies .

Fast forward a century to 2020, when the same tactic put Asian Americans and Black Americans on opposing sides of a fabricated struggle