The Black experience in America is unlike any other.
The past and current oppression of Black Americans have created metaphoric blinders for the Black community. These blinders prevent us from fully seeing and empathizing with other marginalized groups.
This past month, “You People” was released on Netflix. The film depicts an interracial couple that conflicts over their races and religions. It exemplifies what can be called the “oppression Olympics.”
The “oppression Olympics” are defined as “a competition between people for the title of ‘most oppressed’” by the Harvard Political Review. This form of competition is harmful to all marginalized groups and pushes white supremacy forward.
In racial conversations and debates, a common rebuttal to the severity of slavery is the Holocaust. While I believe mentioning the Holocaust in response to Black trauma is anti-Black, we can’t continue to downplay the harm done to the Jewish community. 
Sadly Jewish people only make up about 2.4% of the U.S. population, according to Pew Research. The number would have likely been much larger if not for the horror that was the Holocaust. This fact is lost on many Black Americans because of the vast socioeconomic differences between the two groups.
It’s hard to see a group as oppressed when they’re above you financially. Even if the average Jewish person isn’t financially well off, White supremacy in America paints a different picture. 
Similarly,  East Asians battle the model minority myth and various hate crimes throughout the U.S. The model minority myth portrays Asians as the perfect minority, according to NPR. This takes away from the pain and struggles they also face.
Once again, it’s difficult for Black people to sympathize with this because we fall on the opposite end of the spectrum. Black Americans have been demonized in the media for so long, so when people complain about being portrayed as the standard, sympathy is not the first emotion that comes to mind.
In the beginning of the Stop Asian Hate movement, Black Americans stood in solidarity, but as time went on the support became less visible. This is in part because Black Americans still have their own battles to fight, but also because of the proximity to whiteness.
This serves as a major barrier for people of color because whiteness is synonymous with power, high status, wealth, etc., so being within close proximity is the goal for many POC. 
Since Black people are the furthest from white, things like power, wealth and high status seem out of reach for Black people. This mindset is linked to a great divide among POC and interferes with solidarity efforts between other races. 
When non-Black people prioritize whiteness over our struggles, it makes it hard to empathize and stand in solidarity. Anti-Blackness runs rampant in POC households and is detrimental to everyone.
Black Americans should have more empathy, but it comes at a cost. I believe anti-blackness is the tradeoff for Black support in America. This switch would help POC progress because it’s hard to care for people who don’t care for you.
The oppression Olympics is a direct result of racism and white supremacy. 
The struggles and trauma of other people of color should be handled in a delicate manner, no matter the severity. This transition can begin by unlearning the oppressive systems in society.
Jemiah Clemons is a 19-year-old Kinesiology major from Miami, Florida.