“I was once asked why I don't participate in anti-war demonstrations. I said that I will never do that, but as soon as you have a pro-peace rally, I'll be there.” (Mother Teresa)
There is nothing that makes me angrier than racism in all its
forms and any bigotry that goes with it, but does fighting against it help in
any way? Initially, I wanted to name this post “Choosing the Battle Against
Racism”, but then I remembered the above quote by Mother Teresa, and I realised
that, in all honesty, I am tired of fighting. So, I prefer to use the word
‘peace’ or the term ‘to stand up’. ‘Peace’, in this instance, mean knowing when
to speak and, when that happens, to always remain calm despite the burning
anger. One way of standing up is what I am doing now – to write about my
feelings about racism, sharing it with you, and to hope that I will make some
form of positive impact wherever this post goes.
I cannot remember exactly how my thoughts around the subject
developed, but I remember speaking out against it even as a child, the more my
awareness of it grew. Through the years I had many conversations with both racists
and non-racists (including those who honestly believed they were not racist
even though they talked in a derogatory way about people who do not look or
think like they do), as well as with both blacks and whites. As a white
Afrikaans speaking male, I also experienced racism, not only from black racists
against me, but also from whites who believe that I agreed with them simply
because I looked like them.
In all these conversations I never once heard an argument in
defence of racism that made any logical sense at all (so much so that I must
think carefully exactly what to say here and what to leave out, otherwise this
post will be way too long). I have heard white people telling me that most
blacks are criminals because most prisoners are black, forgetting that not only
are there more blacks in the country than whites but also things like poverty,
and the fact that it is many times whites who are the leaders behind big crime
syndicates. I have heard black people telling me that they hate all whites for
what they did to people in the Apartheid years, to which I answer that I agree
that what happened in the past was not right and I do judge my ancestors for
their part in it, but I do not understand why I am being hated because I was
not there.
Racism come in many subtle and open forms but the most ironic are
those people who try to use the Bible to justify their racism. One of the worst
I ever heard, is that the Bible says black people cannot be human as they do
not have a crown on their heads (afr. kroontjie). I still have a standing
and open invitation to anyone who can even point out the verse in the Bible
that says this and believe me, I have searched for it. Others argue that God
told the Israelites not to mix with other nations and that means that interracial
marriages are sinful. Careful reading of this part, however, reveals that it
was not that God had a problem with the mixing but with the fact that other
nations did not believe in God. My own arguments include that there is a big
possibility that Moses, one of the greatest biblical figures, had a black wife
and that the woman spoken of in the Song of Solomon was a black woman. It is
possible to argue about interpretation for hours, but I do not believe that it
is possible to justify hating any race by referring to the Bible (or any other
Scripture worth the description of Holy).
Now, in South Africa there is a mistaken belief that only whites
can be racist. I do see this racism from them towards blacks on an almost daily
basis. This includes refusing to speak in English to someone who can obviously
not understand Afrikaans, or being arrogant, unfriendly, and uncooperative
because they are not being helped by a white person. I sometimes have an
immense desire to apologise to other races on behalf of those from my own race
while at the same time I take it as a personal insult. However, blacks can also
be racist even though Apartheid was the creation of white people (and before
any white person smiles – this is nothing to celebrate). Being in an
interracial marriage I have been mistaken for a European by my fellow black
South Africans, but this is not the worst – one manager of a restaurant also
called me pale.
Is it so difficult to believe that some Afrikaans men see no
difference in race when it comes to love? Believe me, there are more of us than
you would want to believe, especially the younger generation. Then again, here
is something to remember about the older generation of white males - many of
them were too scared to start a relationship with black women due to the times
they were living in. Stereotyping is as much a form of subtle racism as it is
to be openly racist.
I am not suggesting that we forget (or get over) the crimes of the
past or ignore the ongoing injustices being committed on all levels of society.
I am suggesting that the older people get over their fear of the unknown and get
to know other normal people around them even though they look different (I am
not saying do not be careful, crime is a South African reality, but do not only
watch the black man because it might be your white neighbour who steals from
you. Crime has nothing to do with race). Come on, if my grandparents can do it
then any other older person can do it. For the younger people I suggest this:
stop believing everything that the older generation told you about ‘all white
people’ or about ‘all black people’ and make up your own mind about who can be
trusted and who cannot, again this can never be based on race but only on
character.
South Africa is not the only nation struggling with this. The USA,
with the Black Lives Matter movement, Britain, Germany, Israel, France, India
are all countries (and these are only the ones I read about regularly, it is a
worldwide phenomenon) where there is a daily struggle against racism and other
forms of discrimination. The racial problems, like any other social problems of
the world will not be solved any time soon. However, each of us, and especially
those of us who honestly want to live the spiritual life, can do our small part
in declaring peace, harmony, friendship, mutual respect and understanding. Each
of us can act in small ways by speaking up against the uncle who cracks a
racial joke at a family gathering, or defend a colleague who is being disrespected,
or argue against the unnecessary accusations of racism (the so-called ‘playing
the race card’).
Remember this, God made us all. We are all part of God. God is Light
and in light all the colours are represented.
May the One God, with many Names and many Manifestations, bless
you.
