Reflection On Racism And Inequality

This is a topic that I would not feel comfortable remaining silent about. Institutionalised racism is still ongoing and prevalent within modern society and therefore to be passive about it is to allow for it to continue. Systematic racism is something that has been ingrained into our society for centuries and still exists to this day because it is perpetuated by ignorance.

As children, we love openly, freely and blindly. But there comes a point in a BAME child’s life where they realise that this will only last so long because their race begins to feed into the way they are perceived, and even puts them at a disadvantage. From that point onwards this realisation becomes their everyday reality

Society Today

● POC have their appearances and cultures mocked, fetishised, appropriated

● Any chances at career progression are hindered by the glass ceiling of privilege

● There are companies that pride themselves for having diversity within their workplaces as if it shouldn’t be a given, leaving many feeling like a ‘token minority’

● People of colour are consistently underrepresented in the media

● There are black men and women dying at the hands of the people that are meant to protect them due to a racist narrative that society has created for black people

Racism is not something that can be combatted by people of colour alone. The active presence of racism in today’s society can only be met with the collective action of all races. Those in a position of privilege have a responsibility to recognise their advantages and utilise their power to help expose the oppression of people of colour and actively confront racial injustices that they witness. It is still incredibly apparent that the black community is most heavily impacted by systematic oppression, and therefore members of other minority groups should observe that they still have a social responsibility to speak out and address the inequalities outside of their own race too – this is of course not to undermine the discrimination that other ethnic groups endure either.

We must all work to combat racism together.

In times like these

In times like these being black should not be something people are scared of. A skin colour should not define the personality or what is expected of a person. There are many factors within this world that oppress people due to things that are out of their control. That being said, even if there was a control on what colour you are, there shouldn’t be a more favourable colour. But there is. And that’s what needs to be acknowledged. There are things which put certain people at an advantage and this is not fair.

As Females

As females, it is made hard for us to escape things like sexism and prejudice. Include the colour of our skin with that and other problems such as racism and discrimination – multiply the injustices. We have to recognise these things in our society and speak out. There shouldn’t have to be a social pressure in order for us to actively combat inequality. It is our duty as humans regardless of race, sex or religion. We have a duty to each other. And right now, we have a duty to those who are hurting. We need to do more. We need change. We need to realise that these things matter. Black lives matter. This is not just a trend which will blow over. This is reality. And here we are dreaming like those before us for things which should already be in place. It is time to wake up. It has been the time to wake up.

Amplify your voices and speak.

Taking Action – What we can do:

● Actively educate yourself on the way racism feeds its way into society at every level

● Seek to learn about the experiences of other races: ask questions, ask about their perspectives

● Recognise that you if have privileges you can utilise this to raise awareness

● Use your platforms to expose others to certain topics surrounding racism

● Speak out against racism that you witness within your own community/race/culture

● Donate to initiatives that help support those affected by racism

● Take action with petitions  here 

● Donate to BelEve to support our young women to develop their Anti- Racism Social Action Project   – Donate Here

Blog Written by Jennifer Pham & Rachael Oloyede