Racial Discrimination

A Sad Reality Still Facing Our World

It is saddening that racial discrimination is still taking place worldwide, yet we are one people regardless of our skin color. This issue has raised a lot of eyebrows, whilst causing headaches and pain in this world. In fact, some have committed suicide over this matter. Being made to feel like scum underneath somebody’s feet is a bitter pill to swallow. One ends up feeling as if your sheer existence on the face of earth is a bad joke. However, despite the efforts being made to conscientize and educate the masses, still racial discrimination is rearing its ugly head like a snake about to strike. Back then, during the colonization era, we could pardon the culprits for being misinformed, hence the reason why they continued with this inhumane treatment but now bringing back those painful and deeply buried memories does not sit well, especially with us black people. Truth be told, we didn’t choose to be born with high levels of the melanin pigment. Despite all that is thought of us, we do pride ourselves in our heritage, although we are the most preyed upon people by racists.

This is to some extent why the African continent came to even be nicknamed the “Dark Continent” with regards to our skin color plus the misconception that we are primitive in all the ways that counts.

Up to now in sports such as cricket and rugby, you find many black people being segregated and looked down upon due to racial discrimination issues. In my own opinion, there needs to be a paradigm shift of looking at our different skin color. Needless to mention that we are one people and we all deserve the same respect due to every individual alive on this planet earth. That said, let us not bring back the slave trade period through veiled racial discrimination stunts. Currently even in some work places, the white and Chinese people see themselves as a cut above the rest by the way they roughly handle their black workers. Consequently, blacks have been tagged with derogatory names such as Negroes, bastards, nincompoops, bloody kaffirs and the list goes on. Nevertheless, what hurts the most is when as blacks we practice racial discrimination towards our other brothers and sisters. In particular, a certain light skinned guy that l know of once called me “black girl” just because he has Lebanese parents. Also, this madness does not just end there, for we again discriminate those people living with albinism too. Thus, this is alarming and quite upsetting when we do not practice what we preach as black people. Instead of calling each other names, we must work together to make earth a better place to live.

My dad would recount to me that before Zimbabwe attained its independence, they were not allowed to be seen with the white farmers’ children because that would either warrant a severe beating of your life or sometimes, when worse came to worst, death. Henceforth, there are so many accounts where people have gone through this third degree from other races that see themselves as above us all yet in God’s eyes we are created in his image. Lucidly, it is just a mere lack of good judgement to be up in arms with other racists who look down upon other races. Indeed, that kind of mentality will be the death of this world. As we are battling with the dreadful Covid-19 global pandemic, this respiratory disease is not selecting that blacks will succumb to it whilst the rest of the races go scot-free as they are immune to it. Instead, we all are in danger proving there is nothing special about a particular race. This is why there are different shades of gray, likewise with races. In a way, this is why black people have been referred to as people of color so as to put it nicely. Whatever may be the case, personally l am a young black woman who is proud of her heritage. In addition, l love my kinky hair to bits and even if they say l have a flat nose without a bridge, that will not change how l view myself.  In fact, some even call it black beauty. The problem only starts when you start listening to what other people say about you because according to human rights we all have the civil liberties despite our skin color.

Equally, there are some white people who are dispelling this racial discrimination talk by marrying black people. All in all, these white people are proving that love will conquer the world and not racial discrimination. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are at the fore front of making people aware of racial discrimination. They are a good example of an interracial couple just like Serena Williams and her husband. One should love freely without being given ultimatums neither should you be called derogatory names over your skin color. Life is a gift from God and should be treasured, because we are passersby on this earth. Henceforth, for the time that has been availed to us, we must not be made to feel small, as if we are nonentities, for we all are equals regardless of gender or race.

The moment we all take this doctrine to heart then we shall live a happy ever after existence.  Adding to that, love yourself first before looking for approval from the next person of a different race. Actually, it is quite liberating to know that you can go anywhere without any fear of prejudice or victimization. Other tourist destinations in many countries do not garner a lot of support and visitors because of lodged racial discrimination allegations. According to me, what matters most is the good heart of somebody and not their skin color.  At our Roman Catholic church we had a white father from Ireland who took us all in and made us feel like we deserve a shot at life. This is the same way people should treat each other with love and kindness whilst reveling in our differences. Undoubtedly, we are different in our own good way when it comes to skin color.

This is a poem I wrote:

Racial Discrimination

The color of one’s skin doesn’t matter

We are all in this together for the better

One big family cohabiting to the letter

Racial discrimination should be a thing of the past

Like rust, it should be dealt with in haste

It’s continual occurrence in our lives is so annoying like a pest

Humanity is defined by different races

We are all beautiful with our different cases

Weren’t we all created in the image of God, our faces?

Color isn’t anything to go by in this lifetime

It’s high time we ring the chimes

Reality should sink in, Blue, Black, Brown or White we should have no qualms

Different in our own way

Racial discrimination should be abolished hey

Common sense requires we act as adults, okay

Racial discrimination is based on what really?

Or they are just excuses to mistreat others, silly

We call upon everyone to act in defense of these unscrupulous behavior by these fillies