I’d like to preface this by saying that I talked to this individual and explained why her actions are incredibly harmful but since then, no changes have been made. And in the age of the Internet, it’s your OWN responsibility to educate yourself and become a better ally.
I came across a dietitian that branded herself in her IG handle, her business, etc as “Indigenous”. After communicating with her, she revealed that she simply supported Indigenous people and wanted to bring awareness to different cultures as “the term isn’t technically specific to one population”. This dietitian was a white woman, branding herself as Indigenous with no statement expressing that she isn’t.
This isn’t ignorance anymore, I believe it’s blatant bigotry. As a white woman, she doesn’t experience any systemic or individual racism or oppression. She may present her intentions innocently, but the consequences are severe. You do not get to pick and choose identities that do not belong to you, just like BIPOC individuals simply can’t escape their oppression. Since communicating with her, she said she understood the repercussions of her actions and decided to create a disclaimer. It’s been a week. No changes have been made. What do you think this means?
Nutrition Diversified 