It’s hard to write this post.
It’s hard to say the things I’m about to say. Because I wish they were never true. But denying that Racism exists is the worst thing we can do.
And denying that racism exists within ourselves & within our homes is a great disservice towards the fight for justice, freedom and human dignity.
If you are a person of colour reading this and think you are not part of the problem, please WAKE UP.
If you are a person of colour reading this and you think only white people are to blame, please check yourselves.
White Supremecy is the Devil; but are we its little helpers?
The recent murder of George Floyd by police officers Derek Chauvin, Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao on the streets of Minneapolis has sparked worldwide outrage against police brutality toward black men, women and children and the ongoing systemic racism that plague us to this day.
It was made evident in the video footage of George Floyd’s murder, that people of colour are also part of the problem and play an active role participating in the taking of black lives.
What Thao represents in a world overflowing with black oppression and black deaths, is the reaction of the non black person of colour to the undignified treatment of black people in our society.
Thao’s role in the murder of George Floyd shows exactly how people of colour are racists toward black men and women. It shows how POCs will see racism and DO NOTHING to stop it. He shows how POCs are complicit in a racist regime if they are not the ones being attacked. He also shows how POCs think they’re innocent because they aren’t the ones tightening the noose.
But Thao is guilty. Just like people of colour are guilty. Just because you are not the white man in power, just because you are not like Derek Chauvin, just because you’re not the one who has implemented and upheld a racist system, your silence and inaction is what allows the system to thrive.
There was never a time to be silent on racism and oppression. But I’m afraid that’s what we’ve been doing,
remaining silent when we read about the unfair treatment of black people on the news, remaining silent when we see the unfair treatment of black people on the street, remaining silent when our friends and families speak about black people in derogatory terms, remaining silent when our own elders use racial slurs, remaining silent when these slurs are heard inside our own homes. We remain silent when they come from our neighbours’ home. We remain silent when we hear it at a gathering and we remain silent when we hear it in private. We always remain silent.
We’ve become so used to blaming the system for the deep inequality that exists, but are also not actively playing a part in changing it. It’s time we ask ourselves the hard questions: what is it about us that we feel is better than a black person and why are we so afraid to speak up and challenge our communities where we know racism exists within it.
There comes a time when silence is betrayal
Martin Luther King Jr.
And it’s about time we admit to this betrayal.
It’s time we face the problem that non black people of colour are also racist towards black men and women. It’s time we face the fact that we’ve been complacent. It’s time to speak up.
Start calling out racism in your own circles. Start calling out racism in your own communities. Start calling out racism in your own homes. Call out all derogatory semantics!
But know that Racism goes far deeper than this. It goes far deeper than the n-word, and the k-word in South Africa. It’s about how we feel about those who have a different skin colour than us, those who don’t look like ‘us’, those who don’t sound like ‘us’, those who don’t live near ‘us’. It’s the very separation of ‘them’ and ‘us’. Pronouns are personal. It’s used to define ourselves. And also to exclude and to disassociate.
So when you hear someone using a racial slur, derogatory tones & language, this is the outward expression of something they feel within themselves, that they are better, above, more than, another.
So when you hear racist language from anyone, from an aunt, an uncle, a parent, a religious leader, this is why you need to call it out – because this attitude is then taught and passed down to younger generations that one race is better than another race.
So please, to all white people & POC, stand united with Black Lives Matter, so we can begin making positive changes today.
Remember, the changes we can make inside our own homes, are the changes we can make in society.
About Gameema 