Tokenism is Just Triangulation with Extra Steps

By Sharonda Harris-Marshall

In daily run-ins with white people, I’ve often wondered why they consider white privilege an abstraction. And one day it hit me: most white individuals I’ve encountered don’t “believe” in white privilege because of token Black people.

Because a few select BIPOC flourish in an otherwise white space, stubborn white people don’t understand why other Black people struggle. How can white privilege exist if Black Harvard grads exist? America voted in a Black president so why are Black people still complaining about racial inequalities?

For most of my life, I’ve occupied the token role. As a child, I was once the only Black child in my school. I was often one of a handful of minorities in my honor classes. I was the only Black person in my fine arts program in college. I work in predominately white fields and I’m praised unnecessarily for just existing. I’m often the only Black person or one of a handful representing my professional interests.

But tokenism is harmful to marginalized people. It’s an abusive tactic used to reinforce white supremacy even in the people it supposedly benefits. Tokenism is triangulation with extra steps.

In a standard triangulation pattern, the manipulator uses one victim (the Golden Person) to antagonize or humiliate another victim (the Scapegoat), exploiting both parties. The Golden Person will receive accolades in bad faith for the sole purpose of making the manipulator feel superior to both the Golden Person and the Scapegoat. Token minorities are the Golden people to white supremacy manipulators.

White supremacy thrives on promoting just enough people of color to favored status to reinforce the myth we live in a meritocracy. However, leadership often remains white or white-majority. Tokenism protects white interests and status above all else. Because successful Black people exist, whites can continue to ignore historical and systemic injustices that affect our society. Whites don’t have to feel personally responsible for continuing discriminatory policies because, Oprah.

Tokenism has defined race relations in the US ever since freedman and wealthy landowner Anthony Johnson sued another Black man to legally own him, forever setting up the unique class system that exists between minority groups and individuals who can assimilate into white society and those who cannot. Although American BIPOC are the least likely to be considered whiteadjacent, the acceptance of some of us means white society can continue to gaslight all of us.

As tokens, we are meant to be either the exception to the rule or a social experiment for white liberal organizations to test their colorblind missions. Tokens are expected to be spokespersons for their races but also are expected to tolerate daily emotional labor under the guise of friendship. Sometimes, the token will believe themselves to be “better” than those other people and some will become active participants in systemic racism.

Other times, a token person might recognize their role and attempt to use it to highlight racial and social injustice. When that happens, whites will violently suggest the token is in debt to whites for the opportunity. Whites will make sure that successful BIPOC knows that their success is conditional and dependent on white approval.

Just like other abusive tactics, tokenism damages the Golden Person’s psyche. Tokenism sets up the token to credit their white mentors for their personal success. The token may develop imposter syndrome, which lowers the chances of the token questioning their white colleagues’ mediocrity. Whether white organizations tend to or not, they guarantee once the token wises up and leaves, the door stays closed for other BIPOC for a while. If anyone questions why a white space stays white, leadership could point to that one time they did integrate the space with disastrous results. And that’s why leadership decided to hire the executive director’s nephew with no previous job history instead.

We’re not falling for it anymore.