Lascelve Graham | Racism: Our day will come

COMPETENCE, LACK of ability or performance have absolutely nothing to do with where the masses of dark skinned (black) people are in the world today.

A lack of responsibility has absolutely nothing to do with the standing of black people in the world today! The devastation and plundering along with the dividing up of Africa and Africans by the most powerful military and economic nations on the planet (white, European); the transatlantic slave trade; and the racism directed at dark skinned peoples are the reasons black people are where they are today. The black people who have succeeded have done so in spite of the tremendous odds to which the above actions subjected them. A number of the economically successful have achieved at a very high price, spiritually, mentally, psychologically. Many are neither fish nor fowl and are adrift and lost in terms of their identity. They have given up identity for image. They have had to sell their souls, their very being to get ahead. It brings to mind the question, “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and suffers the loss of his soul?”

Racism is the rationale, the justification for the transatlantic slave trade and the concomitant physical, social, economic and cultural oppressive measures designed to disadvantage blacks. It has caused the relentless physical, mental and psychological abuse of black peoples in the attempt to generate self-hate and foster the worship of white peoples and what they represent. It has endeavoured to brainwash black people to the extent that the blacks will give up their very lives to defend white causes against their own! One of the pillars used in this psychological warfare is the warping, distortion, twisting of the facts, and the manipulation of history, in an attempt to make blacks feel worthless. Unfortunately, sadly, but understandably, a number of dark skinned people have succumbed to the consistent pressure and believe the lies. Publicising the truth as exposed by history and science is stirring up hatred and not moving on, according to the white is right adherents. I suppose they don’t subscribe to the belief that the truth shall set you free. Instead, their mantra must be that the truth, the facts will generate hatred. Attempting to move on by running from the truth is not progressive. Whites must take responsibility for their actions, show remorse and subsequently act appropriately to make amends. Some won’t even admit that racism existed or exists, much less to acknowledge structural or institutional racism!

The idea of moving on as propounded by whites, with respect to blacks, suggests that blacks have been standing still or regressing, and that blacks can only do one thing at a time. This flies in the face of what competently run companies do with regularity in the form of an audit, which looks back at actions taken with a view to righting the wrongs and ferreting out corruption. This doesn’t mean that the company is stagnating or not moving on. It strengthens their forward movement. There is also something that humans do all the time called multitasking and there is also the business of division of labour, where different groups do different things. Black people have moved on and continue so to do. That is why there is the expertise in different areas, e.g., history, sociology, anthropology, archaeology, etc., to do the audit and bring to light the structures and subterfuges used to oppress black people. These experts also highlight the distortions, falsifications, untruths and lies perpetrated through the centuries on black people. Black people have moved on and continue so to do, but the injustices brought about by racism continue to slow them down and force them to operate below their full potential. Activism is about removing this heavy load, providing opportunities for the masses of black people and allowing the explosion of excellence and brilliance that will result thereafter.

A LIE

The concept of ‘races’… biologically, physiologically unmixable, distinguishable groups of people, has no basis in science. It is a lie that races exist! Racial diversity is a figment of the imagination, a myth! Although there are so many examples throughout history that refute the idea of inferior or superior races, in spite of the evidence to the contrary, the racists persist. Despite proof acquired over decades, centuries of research by light skinned (white) and scholars of other hues, of very high esteem and credibility, which show that all peoples are equal, and that it is circumstances which change to elevate one or the other, the racists endure. They refuse to accept that there is one race, the human race. They continue to be wrong and strong! They press on regardless. This would not be a problem if they were not as powerful as they are, if they did not run the world. However, because they do, racism pervades the world, with devastating effect on black peoples. Just look at the confirmation hearings for the Supreme Court justice which recently took place in the USA, with the first black lady ascending to that position, after 233 years! There is no remorse, retreat, shame or taking of responsibility of any sort by whites, who are the offenders, the wrongdoers, but black people are expected to be benign, continuously forgive, forget and move on quietly. It is like someone coming down heavily on another’s toe and being surprised and indignant when the person screams in pain. The focus is on blaming blacks (the victims) for their condition.

Black people need to understand and take strength, succour from the fact that in times past, for most of history, they were the dominant peoples of the world, that there were highly developed African civilisations with complex cities and centres of learning, where a number of the highly rated European scholars like Socrates, Aristotle, Pythagoras, Plato, Hippocrates and others studied for many years. They need to understand, among other things, that the colonisation of Africa did not happen before the 19th century because African kingdoms were initially too militarily strong, and independently supplied with locally made arms and other armaments, for European countries to colonise. It was only after the industrial revolution in the 18th century, when the Europeans invented automatic rifles, that they were able to colonise Africa. This was about 350 years after having landed in Africa. Civilisation did not begin with European dominance. African kingdoms thrived for a long time, and were not colonised, from the times of the Ancient Greeks through the arrival of Europeans in Africa. Africa gave the world architecture, mathematics, medicine, the richest person who ever lived, Mansa Musa, among other things. Africa gave the world the human race, and the differences in skin colour are simply a response to differences in solar radiation, full stop! Circumstances changed. No powerful empire lasts forever. As the Carpenters sung some years ago, ‘our day will come’, again.

Dr Lascelve ‘Muggy’ Graham is a former captain Jamaica senior football team. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com .