While I have no problem with peaceful protests, I wonder about the people who conveniently jump on bandwagons. I know some people and yes, some white people, march alonside non-whites and their support is genuine but sometimes you can spot the ones marching because they feel guilt or because they want to convince themselves and the world they aren’t racist. And for some, it’s the thing people are doing now, so count them in! As a multiracial woman, I have published my thoughts based on the racial prejudice I have faced from all races in “Look at My Face".
Racism isn’t just between black and white or white and everyone else. If you look harder you’ll see it’s an infestation based on hate among all ethnicities. Racism is learned. Racism is ignorance. It is cruel and plain wrong and it is exhausting because it won’t go away. We all have to look within and make the changes in our own lives that can make it go away. We have to NOT teach racism to our children. We have to STOP judging each other by the colour of our skin. Racism is not the responsibility of one race of people. And it won’t end because some people jump on the bandwagon of the moment. It’s time to rise from the ground and show love to the people around you. Time to put down your signs and turn your attention to putting down your judgement of people who are different from you. Time to acknowledge we all bleed red, we all need oxygen to live and none of us us more important or better than the next person. We all have to acknowledge the racism that exists in law enforcement and depending on where you live, we need to acknowledge the racism that exists amongst educators and healthcare workers. Racism is archaic. Time for us to be progressive. Time for us to act with kindness and love. I don’t care about the fatigue of various ethnicities when it comes to the anti-racist movement. Too many black and brown persons have died because of their skin colour. It has to stop and it stops when we tirelessly work on ourselves and our children to rid our communities of racism. It’s a long lasting job. It’s a big, involved job but it’s a job that has to be done. But it’s not done right if you’re doing it out of guilt or pity or because it looks like the right thing to do. Changing yourself before you change others is not an easy task. When I think of doing my part to end racism, I choose not to get stuck looking back at the failure of past generations or those currently around me. I hope if we concentrate on changing ourselves, we can change the future and just maybe…maybe… racism will die its long overdue death.
