Explore More Information: ​​​​​​​​Commitment to Addressing Race, Color, and Ethnicity: P-CoC's unwavering stance against interest convergence is reflected in its commitment to establishing a dedicated affinity group that exclusively addresses issues of race, color, and ethnicity. This stance arises from the recognition that these forms of inequality are often dismissed as relics of the past or, worse, reduced to token gestures of inclusion. Such gestures, rather than driving meaningful change, tend to reinforce and widen the disparities between marginalized communities and those with more societal privilege. These actions focus on surface-level inclusion, offering symbolic representation without addressing the structural inequalities underpinning marginalized groups' challenges. As a result, they can create the illusion of progress while leaving systemic barriers intact, ultimately deepening the divide between privileged and marginalized communities. Rejection of Tokenism and Superficial Actions: P-CoC actively rejects interest convergence to avoid superficial, performative actions that do nothing to disrupt the root causes of inequality. This commitment is rooted in our dedication to authenticity and substantial change, as we acknowledge the difficulty in securing the broad public and social support needed for lasting transformation. Despite the challenges, we remain resolute in our effort to navigate this paradox, striving to promote real change while resisting quick, tokenistic solutions that fail to create meaningful reform. Navigating Intersectionality and Privilege: A critical element of this dilemma is that marginalized individuals within racial and ethnic groups often lack additional identities of intersectional privilege, which places them at the lowest rungs of the social hierarchy. For instance, individuals who have historically benefited from racial privilege—such as those who are not persons of color—may face additional forms of marginalization (e.g., based on religion, gender, or other federally protected characteristics), but they can still leverage their racial privilege to gain support and influence for issues that affect them. This ability to leverage privilege allows them to secure support from influential allies who relate to their racial privilege, thereby providing them with more leverage to influence outcomes that serve their interests. In contrast, non-persons of color often lack such racial privilege, either systemically or in the form of influential allies who do not share their identities, leaving them without the same means of support or influence. The "Catch-22" Paradox: While avoiding interest convergence helps prevent tokenization and superficial efforts, it also makes it more challenging to secure the broad social support needed to address the complex, deep-rooted issues faced by individuals impacted by race, color, and ethnic marginalization. Moreover, rejecting interest convergence is crucial to eliminate the "savior mentality," which is itself a significant issue. Relying on racial privilege to garner support inadvertently reinforces this savior mentality, which undermines the very work P-CoC aims to accomplish. When the organization bends to accommodate interest convergence, it defeats the core purpose of challenging systemic inequalities. Thus, the catch-22 paradox lies at the heart of P-CoC's formation, as the organization is committed to navigating the delicate balance between rejecting tokenism and working to build the necessary support to create real, lasting change on issues surrounding the exclusive work on race, color, and ethnicity marginalization.