Racism Is More Than Skin Deep

To perhaps understand better what it feels like to be a black person who feel he/she is  part of a minority, and who feels they are racially profiled and discriminated against, can be a challenge for any white person who prefers to be on the sidelines on this debate. As a white person I would like to have a go at what it ‘might’ feel like and sure I will fail in any case.

The first time I will have to confront the fact that racism is more than skin deep, is more than a state of mind, would be when my first baby girl comes into the world. After the initial joy of that birth my mind will ramble a bit, as it often does, and I will soon come to realise that that small innocent bundle of joy will be discriminated against just because she is black before she even leaves the maternity ward. Of course it wont be obvious at first for discrimination lurks in the shadows of the mind of others, when even they would be outraged to think that they had a racist bone in their body. My thoughts later would be in securing my daughters future where the odds are stacked against her that she will have one that is remotely secure. We all know the statistics that tells us the facts on this one too, and there is the opposing points of view that tells us as well that it is their fault; that too much is given to them already, let them get a job. Fu…them who cares anyway. Here is some of the maths on the stats:

In the United States, and these issues do not have borders, infant mortality for blacks is twice as high as that for whites. As they get older the odds are still stacked against them on the mortality part as well with 17 deaths in every 100,000 against less than 2 deaths per 100,000 for whites. In 2012 black people murdered 431 white people against 2,614 for white on white murder.  It is also perhaps worth noting that the murder rate for black on black has fallen 38% since 1995. Some may suggest in whispered murmurs that is because that they are getting more civilised. These facts are but a small sample soundbite of a very large, complex, yet distorted picture and the jury is still out on whether a zebra is a white horse with black stripes or a black horse with white stripes. It will only take someone with horse sense to figure that one out.

Unless you are a paid up member of the klu klux clan or your emotions are made of steel and ice, and you only ever gave lip service to black people where you thought the man in front of you was ‘very intelligent for a black guy’ and never really got past that point in your state of mind; if you were were not outraged by the savagery and brutality of black citizens being murdered by white cops recently (and these are just the ones we know about) then I suggest you do not have a heartbeat let alone a heart. 

When a cop shoots dead an unarmed man in the back eight times who is running for his life and then plants a taser nearby to give the excuse of a fight over the weapon is one thing; but when other cops verify his version of the event then that becomes a conspiracy. 

Unless we as citizens without borders or a colour code fail to become part of a collaboration to stop these murders and change the law, change the training, and change the mindset of cops who think they are not just the law but are above it too, then no one is safe and the murders will continue.  

Rodney King spoke it best when he said: “Why can’t we all get along?”  but of course it is more than that: When a nation becomes deeply divided along any lines, they effectively become opposing and weakened forces virtually all of the time. Even the victorious find it a hollow victory. Only with the benefit of collaboration can any party, big or small, ever be truly strong again. The cliche is a truth: united we stand, divided we fall. And when the endless benefits of that become crystal clear, we will then wonder why it was not thought of before and carried through.

Barry Clifford