Written by: Tosin Ajogbeje / Date: 06/06/2020
Not too many people understand what racism is or what it means to be racist. Some fail to believe that racism is deeply ingrained in our society. But we need to be aware of the origins of racism. Racism is described as “a form of oppression that stems from discrimination against a group of people based on an inherited idea placed on people-to think that one’s skin color is more inferior/superior to others. ” Knowing when racism started is murky, but research claims it existed a thousand years ago. Slavery largely influenced racism- especially when African people were taken against their will to different parts of Europe and America. Slaves were transported in dreadful conditions and mostly tortured and mutilated, with some of them unable to survive the journey. Slaves lived a gruesome life working in plantations daily, prompting them to want to escape and rebel. As explained by researchers- slavery represents the greatest forced population transfer ever.
In the midst of slavery, scientific racism began to rise. Blacks were often characterized as closer to apes and compared to chimpanzees and gorillas. A typical example is that of Georges Cuvier, a known French naturalist and zoologist, who instigated scientific racism. Cuvier believed there were three specific human races: Caucasian(white), Mongolian(Yellow), and Ethiopian(black). He expressed that the Caucasian race- his own race was more superior to the other races. His linkage of isolation of human races epitomized the classification of their “anatomy of brain” and their “physical beauty.” Caucasian was known as “morally beautiful” in the context of having “oval head form” while black people were seen as having thick lips as compared to apes and addressed as “Negroes.” Cuvier is an example of how racial presumptions surfaced into the moral context of human identity. The ranking of human races by racial theorists like Cuvier, further foiled the progress of other races, particularly black people.
These early perceptions and concepts further led to racial prejudice and what we know today as white supremacy. Both notions of racial prejudice and white privilege have fully developed around the world and largely caused rebellious debates.
There is no doubt that racism is fully entrenched in the workplace, in educational institutions, and I mean everywhere. As a black woman, I can say racism has crossed my path, but has never defined my zeal to thrive. Microaggression is another tale to talk about. Communicating hostile and negative or derogatory comments to a (person of color) in an intentional or unintentional way is known as Microaggressions. For example, a lot of black people get things like “ your English sounds really good, so where are you really from or where did your folks originate from?”. Most black people also get told while having a conversation with a non-black person- “I have a black friend which means I am not racist.” And the common one, “Can I touch your hair or can I feel your braided hair, so is it real?” In cases like this, it can be offensive to suggest that black people are not good enough to understand “clear” English or to have beautiful hair.” If you turn the tables, it is rare to find someone tell a non-black person their English sounds great, especially when they emigrated from their country of origin. How else can you explain it when you walk up to another non-black person and say “ where are you originally from or where did your ancestors come from.” It is one thing to say to anyone that their hair is beautiful, but actually touching it without their consent can be improper.
In the wake of the wrongful killing of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, and many others, protests have increasingly triggered sensitive and “thoughtful” conversations across America and the rest of the world. Over the years, demonstrations have been happening to protest against the way black people have been treated by police officers in the US. Combined with the current pandemic, people are starting to see racism as a relative “pandemic” that needs to be stopped. Well, we all watched how the police improperly attacked George Floyd; it was glaring and frightening, and of course completely unacceptable. Because of this many celebrities and non-black people have continued to challenge the status quo by protesting.
Now we truly know why “Black Lives Matter” is important. We need to protect ourselves, because when we do, then we can protect this world together. With diverse people and various franchises and organizations sharing the hashtag #black lives matter on social media, we also need to practice what we preach by treating everyone fairly and equally in every aspect of life.
People need to ask themselves why having conversations about racism is truly important, people need to ask themselves how they can contribute to making everyone safe, people need to go home and teach their kids the importance of treating everyone with respect regardless of one’s race.
References
https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/05/health/racial-microaggressions-examples-responses-wellness/index.html
https://www.personneltoday.com/hr/black-lives-matter-employers-urged-to-take-a-stand-against-racism/
photo retrieved from Google images