Is our Language of Empowerment destroying Race Relations?
There’s a word commonly used in racial dialogue nowadays that I think is actually detrimental to race relations: power. “Self-empowerment.” “I am a powerful Filipina.” “Society has taken power away from us, and we must fight to take it back.”
To be sure, the use of the word “power” recognizes and uncovers many underlying unfortunate realities that plague our society – injustice, apathy, suffering. And to a certain extent, it might even be beneficial for a person: Someone who has felt worthless may finally feel like she can control her life if she believes that she is powerful.
However, “power” also comes with negative connotations, and we should seriously ask ourselves if the ultimate consequences are what we want for race relations. Read more
