"When Blackie go out at night, all you can see is her glow-in-the-dark teeth."
~ Couldn't Keep it to Myself: Hair Chronicles by Tabatha Rowley
~ Couldn't Keep it to Myself: Hair Chronicles by Tabatha Rowley
As a dark skinned woman, I have heard taunts like this rather frequently in my life. Often times, they have come from close friends that get an insult as an answer back. It's okay to taunt every once in a while when it comes to friendships because there is an established bond of trust that is above something as petty as someone's skin color.
The problem comes when someone who you don't know starts insulting you for your skin color. It becomes a problem when people become so blinded to who you are as a person because you happen to be a shade darker than them that they begin to harm your life in any manner.
"Racism is the belief that a particular race is superior or inferior to another, that a person's social and moral traits are predetermined by his or her inborn biological characteristics. Racial separatism is a belief, most of the time based on racism, that different races should remain segregated and apart from one another."
~Anti-Defamation League: Racism
The issue of race is a dangerous one. When discussing skin color, I feel like I'm on a tight rope, just a wrong move away from committing a serious mistake and getting scolded. I'm sure many other people feel this very way. When it comes to an issue as sensitive as racism, there really are no winners in any kind of argument. There is no black and white, no matter how skin color is perceived. There are only blurry shades of gray that change depending on a person's life and personal situation.
It is a shame that in this modern era, there are still issues concerning something as superficial as skin color. It is heart-breaking to hear a song like 2pac's Changes, which was first released on October 13, 1998.
I want this to sink in for a second. 1998. More than eighteen years ago. And it's almost two decades later and the inequality problems this man rapped about are still as clear today as they were when this song first came out.
It seems like every time I wake up, there's a new story on racism, inequality, police brutality, unfairness, and more on the news. There are thousands of experts on this social scurr and an innumerable amount of articles, essays, and thesis works that all speak about how humanity has formed some erroneous and almost ridiculous standards because of skin color. These are just a few I found:
Dosomething.org- 11 Facts About Racial Discrimination
Not only are there all kinds of scientific articles from people that know what they are talking about, but there are countless stories detailing the danger of racism and discrimination. Tabatha Rowley's Hair Chronicles is one of those stories that detail just how someone can be treated simply because they happen to have darker skin color. It's a very good story to read that speaks of more than just race, though, for there are also themes of substance abuse, child abuse, and class inequality.
Not only are there all kinds of scientific articles from people that know what they are talking about, but there are countless stories detailing the danger of racism and discrimination. Tabatha Rowley's Hair Chronicles is one of those stories that detail just how someone can be treated simply because they happen to have darker skin color. It's a very good story to read that speaks of more than just race, though, for there are also themes of substance abuse, child abuse, and class inequality.
We are not an ignorant civilization. Humanity has surpassed the Stone Age. Then why do we continue to hear about so much ignorance? Why do we have to wake up every day to a new story about how some innocent black kid was shot down because the police didn't give him the benefit of the doubt? Why do I have to wake up every day and wonder if that will ever be me or my family?
When will we ever make a real change?
Hi Irene! Discrimination is definitely a problem that shouldn't be happening. The link about the 11 facts about racial discrimination give concrete examples of the ugliness of the situation, and how black people are being mistreated by the society. Like you, I'm exhausted of waking up everyday to some horrible news about the topic. There is still a lot of room for improvement with this particular problem!
ReplyDeleteWhile I was reading this, I remembered the cases that are hapenning with African Americans. Society is going back on history instead of going foward and make the world a better one. I really liked the quot that you addd to the post. It sums up what racism is and the consequences it creates. I admired how you talked about your own personal experiences. We should get racism and not continue to spread it, as you mentioned. There are many people being discriminated right now to whom society are willing to make them suffer. Another thought that crossed my mind was Trump's racist comments. It is sad and alarming. Great post.
ReplyDeleteIrene, I have to admit that I disagreed with you when I read that it's okay to taunt friends. Yes, you can fool around with your friends and make jokes about each other, but one always needs to be careful. There must be a limit. You may be having fun, and then, when you least expect it, you or the other person says something that makes you mad at each other. This could easily ruin any friendship. Also, it is a shame that we are living in such an advanced society that with each step forward in technology, it goes back 10 steps in terms of morality and virtues. It is incredible that we still see people who are racist, sexist or homophobic. Those mentalities are very archaic, but somehow they manage to survive in humans throughout the years.
ReplyDeleteI ask myself the same question every day... Why is racism still a thing? Even when it has been proven that skin color is not related to any certain capacities or actions? I must admit I was very shocked while reading a lot of the facts in 50 Thought Provoking Facts about Race and Racism. I couldn't believe that South Carolina did not overturn its ban on interracial marriage until 1998! I also was startled to read that churches in the 19th century made you compare yourself to a piece of wood and made you pass a comb through your hair in order to see if you could go inside. They were such "kind christians"! Not to mention when I realized Thomas Jefferson was a racist. These were such surprising things. I really enjoyed this post of yours. Oh, and remember in the "stone age" people weren't judged based on their skin color; it's a "modern" thing, like said in the 50 facts. Otherwise, amazing post!
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