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Dismantling Racism Resource Book

Two of the more subtle ways that society blocks solidarity within groups from ever occurring are
the tactics of assimilation and tokenism. There are extraordinary pressures for members of any
“minority” group to assimilate, to drop one’s own culture and differences and become a mirror of
the dominant culture. This process requires turning one’s back on one’s past and one’s people.
Assimilation supports the myth of the melting pot in which all immigrants were poured in, mixed
a bit, and then emerged as part of the dominant culture: white, heterosexual, and Christian.

Assimilation is a first requirement of those who are chosen as tokens in the workplace of the
dominant culture. “She’s a Jew but she doesn’t act like a Jew.” “He’s black but he’s just like
us.” Tokenism is the method of limited access that gives false hope to those left behind and
blames them for “not making it.” “If these two or three black women or disabled people can
make it, then what is wrong with you that you can’t?” Tokenism is a form of co-optation. It
takes the brightest and best of the most assimilated, rewards them with position and money
(though rarely genuine leadership and power), and then uses them as a model of what is
necessary to succeed, even though there are often no more openings for others who may follow
their model.

The tokenized person receives pressure from both sides. From those in power there is the
pressure to be separate from one’s group (race, for instance) while also acting as a representative
of the entire group. “We tried hiring a person color but it just didn’t work out.” (Therefore
people of color can’t succeed here.) The tokenized person is expected to become a team player,
which means that identifying racist activity within the organization or working on behalf of one’s
community is seen as disloyalty. The pressure from one’s community, on the other hand, is to
fight for that community’s concerns, in other words, to help from the inside. Of course, it is
virtually impossible to work from the inside because the tokenized person is isolated and lacks
support. It is a “no win” situation, filled with frustration and alienation.

At the heart of this strategy, which gets played out at every level of society, is an individualized
approach to success. The example of Horatio Alger and the notion of “pulling oneself up by the
bootstraps” still lives. Daily news reports do not show successful organizing efforts; in fact, the
media minimize even undeniably successful ones as was the case with the reporting of the 1989
Gay and Lesbian March on Washington. The media reported the march to have 200,000 in
attendance when it was announced by Jesse Jackson from the stage that police and march
organizers were reporting over 500,000 there. Instead of reporting group efforts, the media
concentrated on “human interest” stories, following the lead of people such as Ronald Reagan
who give accounts of individuals who beat the odds and succeed. They become “models” for
others in their circumstances to follow. But what good are models when closed systems do not
permit general success?

Group organizing, even among progressive people, often gets replaced by an emphasis on
individual solutions. Hence, instead of seeking ways to develop an economic system that
emphasizes cooperation and shared wealth, people encourage entrepreneurship and small
business enterprises. Union organizing is under siege in an effort to keep labor costs low and
profits high. In the women’s movement, more women choose individual therapy rather than
starting or joining consciousness raising groups. In the area of health, communities do major

Dismantling Racism Project 31 Western States Center