The Pax Romanus

Using the Roman Empire as metaphor, this chapter critiques how peace is often offered by empires only when they’ve absorbed and neutered their opposition. It challenges the reader to recognize when “peace” is actually suppression, and how systems co-opt BIPOC voices to preserve themselves.

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  • For BIPOC Readers:

    1. Ever been placed in a position where you felt like a symbol rather than a decision-maker? 

    2. What pressures have you felt to conform, to prove yourself, to reassure the dominant culture that you are ‘one of the good ones?’

    3. In what ways have you seen tokenized figures be used to pacify movements for justice? 

    For White-Bodied Readers:

    1. When you see a BIPOC leader in a predominantly white space, do you assume their presence is proof of progress? Why?

    2. Have you ever celebrated diversity without questioning whether real power was being shared with those BIPOC bodies?

    3. When was the last time you examined whether your institutions elevated BIPOC individuals as decision-makers - or merely as decoration? Would you be able to tell the difference?

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