Black Lives Matters!
I have wondered all my life why some people just decided to hate the other because of their colour or because they feel superior.
"Black lives matter!' This has been the enchanted word on the streets all over the cities of America. The matter of black lives matter sprung from the killing of a black man, George Floyd, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, and has left the streets of the American cities flooded with protesters. The people are upset at this denial of life for the 46-year old Floyd.
Racism has been a bad blood injected into the blood streams of many Whites from a very long time.
I am black! So what?
I am white! So what?
I am white! So what?
I understand now that is not all about the colour, there is more to this racism gene. Lets unravel together!
First, what is Racism?
The noun word is coined from the word Race.
Race: According to Western States Center, has two meanings.
1) Race is a false classification of people that is
not based on any real or accurate biological
or scientific truth. In other words, the distinction we make between races, has nothing to do with
scientific truth.
2) Race is a political construction. A political
construction is something created by people;
that is not a natural development; is constructed or created for a political purpose.
Hence the noun Racism which means prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one's own race is superior. ( From the Oxford dictionary)
Western States Center also reveals that: The concept of race was created as a classification of human beings with the purpose of
giving power to white people and to legitimize the dominance of white people over non-white
people.
It might interest you to know the historical construct of Racism.
1) Religion: Before the reformation 15th century (1500s) and 17th century ( 1600s), the whites had always had an impression about the blacks. This dwelled for so long in their hearts until they courageously passed round this question amongst one another, " Does the black man have a soul? Is he human?".
These questions, I would assume because of their colour and strenght. The black man was black and strong, while they were white and not so strong. Moreover, the blacks were their slaves... These were questions thrown by the churches, and they vacillated between opinions.
The catholics and protestants came up with different answers at different time which created two significant difference between the two systems of slavery.
I will share an extract of the Western States Center on this topic:"With the increasing importance of slavery, religion was used
as a means to justify racist divisions,
classifying people of color as ‘pagan
and soulless." However, “As substantial numbers of people of color
were converted to Christianity, and as
religion itself lost much of its power
as a legitimizing agent, justifications
for the brutality of slavery changed. The slave-based economy in the south
necessitated a racist exploitative system, which led to the development of
biological, zoological and botanical
theories to ‘explain human difference
and to justify slavery'."
So you see, they created a belief that slavery was ordained of God.
There are about 11 more constructs of racism, but it doesn't interest me because the truth remains:
We are humans, Sons and Daughters of God, the creator of the world.
It doesn't matter the language, the traditions, the food, the ethnicity. Whatever it is that defines us, we are humans!
It's not nice to have another hurt, deprived of their rights, killed and abused.
It's not nice to pretend all is well with one another when all is far from being well.
Humans have the ability to think, act, react, decide, feel, relax, create, procreate and many more. Now that is who we all are, black or white. We can do these things.
This is not the first riot that has shaken the foundation of the American foundation of freedom for all. In many instances, racism had been the cause of many upheavals in the country.
In 1968, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. America's top apostle for nonviolent protests, was killed for his stand against the virus of racism. John F. Kennedy's death followed suit. All these deaths, because some people dislike others because of the color of their skin color.
It is evident, from our day to day life, that a black person can be as intelligent as a white one, and vice versa. The color of the skin does not symbolise the color of the mind. It is also evident that racism is not taught, but it is a system. It is a system that tells people that one race is superior to the other, thereby corrupting the mind of the so-called superior and driving it way into future generations.
No one is superior in the eyes of the maker. Let's love each other and stay clear of racism. It begins with you.
If you want to read more on the constructs of Racism.
Visit:https://www.racialequitytools.org/resourcefiles/Western%20States%20-%20Construction%20of%20Race.pdf
Everyone is human and should be treated with love and respect. #peace
This is a very serious issue, @UwemKing. I have seen a lot of people who have been bullied because of the color of their skin. It is a disease that is eating up the rising generation of the self-called "superiors". We really have to stand together to fight this. Thank you for this post. You are doing well.
ReplyDeleteTrue, True! Blaqsnow
DeleteThis is very informative and educating. Blacks also need to learn to value themselves the way they were created and value what is black, including black cultural heritage. Only then will others value us the way it ought to be.
ReplyDeleteExactly AJKingsley
Delete