Tokens

The systems of oppression don’t change, they just rebrand. One of the ways they rebrand is with tokens.

TW: racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, Hinduphobia

Screenshot Token Black, later called “Tolkien” Black, a character in the animated TV series South Park.

I first published the text below in a Twitter thread on June 10 2023. I’m republishing it here, edited for typos and clarity and with additions.

What is a token? A token is a person who comes from a marginalized identity and is uplifted by people with power to the detriment of marginalized people.

Justice Clarence Thomas — token

“Mahatma” Gandhi — token

Jawaharlal Nehru — token

Kamala Harris — token

Tokens are not only in positions of governmental power.

They are in NGOs.

They are in community orgs.

They are in political parties.

They are in workplaces.

They are the one person from their community in that space. The one Black person. The one queer or trans person. The one cis woman. The one Asian. And on and on.

Many tokens think that by accessing power through their privileged benefactors, they can somehow help their own people. If they are genuine, they find out quickly that their assumption was incorrect…