Fifty-odd years ago, my grandad was asked to sit in a segregated area (with dogs) at his local pub. Fast forward to the present day, people of colour continue to face racism and discrimination on a daily basis.
Many would argue that we live in a fairer, equitable, and more tolerant society, and whilst that may be true to some extent, there is no denying that discrimination still exists. It just happens to be carried out in a more invisible and sophisticated way.
One thing I find extremely frustrating is having to prove discrimination. It takes courage for anyone to open up and share their personal story and life experiences, but to then have them downplayed, questioned, rationalised, and justified is beyond infuriating and insulting.
Recently, my younger cousin shared his own experiences of discrimination. In the space of six months since starting to drive, he had been stopped by the police twice. On both occasions, there were no obvious reasons as to why he had been stopped, but he had. On one occasion, the police decided to search his car. His friend, who was parked right next to him, was not searched. His friend was white. Furthermore, the way they were both treated was very different too. One police officer smiled and spoke to the white friend in a more respectful tone, whereas my cousin was faced with an aggressive and rude tone.
During the same week, my niece shared how racism was taking place against a black boy at her school, and the boy making those racist remarks did not face any consequences. It’s important to add that, whilst people of colour may have similar life experiences and hardships, it would be extremely ignorant of me to say Asians face the same difficulties as the Black community.
THE NOW
We may not be told to “go back to where you came from” on a regular basis and, regardless of whether people outwardly say something racist or not, racist vibes are still felt. From the way someone looks at you when entering a room, to how you are being followed around a store and searched at an airport. This is why I say racists are sophisticated; they don’t need to say anything anymore, they can just act racist instead.
Sadly, we live in a country where institutions refuse to acknowledge and address racism. Whichever institution we join – whether this be school or the workplace – people of colour are expected to tone themselves down just to “fit in”.
Years of conditioning teaches us to keep adapting. We’re told not to speak out, work twice as hard, and to keep our heads down. We’re also told to just accept racism, as we don’t want to be seen causing trouble.
It never seems to get any easier. Once we enter the workplace, we use the same conditioning to stay safe. Rubbing shoulders with the ‘right’ people to get ahead rarely happens, as the likelihood of us running in the same circles or having something in common with those in privileged positions is fairly low (confirmation and affinity biases are real things).
If we’re ‘lucky’ enough to work in a company where feedback is encouraged, we still think twice before speaking out because of possible consequences. A friend of mine recently referred to this as “career suicide”, which I felt was perfectly summed up. People in power don’t forget what you said, they remember it and then use it against you when the time is right.
INTENT & POWER
People in any position of power have a real opportunity to support those from diverse backgrounds, if they choose to, but I have seen many say the politically correct thing with no action ever seeming to follow. They show versions of themselves for us to idealise, and when the words are there, we tend to excuse the reality.
Maybe the intent is there, but without action, intent doesn’t count for much. I’ve personally seen it time and time again; people make bold commitments to support people of colour, but something changes along the way. They become a part of the system that is there for profit, and not humanity.
On a side note, people in power genuinely fascinate me. I love watching them closely to analyse their words and actions. I’m always curious to know who they are without the labels and fancy job titles, as we tend to forget that they too are humans battling with some sort of insecurity, just like the rest of us.
It’s a good question for us all to ask ourselves, “Who am I without the labels?” For me personally, the answer is always I’m a human being first and foremost, and I’d rather be me, than be someone else. Maybe it’s age or life experiences, but one thing I know for sure is that nothing is worth selling your soul for. I refuse to betray myself and my truth for any institution or political game. I simply can’t.
The more we encourage others to take up space, unapologetically, and stand up for one another, the more we teach society how to treat us.
People underestimate the power of true allyship. It’s one thing defending yourself, but seeing someone use their privilege and power (genuinely) to support another human is rare.
If we come together to call out racists, and begin to recreate the systems that support any sort of discrimination , we collectively set a tone. Racists have got away with too much, for far too long, and companies continue to profit off discrimination.
*All views expressed on this site are my own and do not represent the opinions of any entity which I have been, am now, or will be affiliated.