In November 1960, six year old Ruby Bridges was the first African-American child to desegregate a white southern elementary school. From thousands she faced death threats, constant rejection and violent mobs all for her right to be educated. Classmates and most teachers even refused to be in the same room as her.
This was 60 years ago. Many of those who wished the worse for her are still alive. Those spiteful attitudes all those years ago may not be widely recognisable today but they are very much deep-rooted.
Racism was a problem and is still a problem. The killing of George Floyd triggered a collective grief and perennial inhibition for change which no longer confined itself to the borders of USA.
During such unprecedented times, the world has united on two fronts. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an adverse way of life for which lies great uncertainty. Whereas the Black Lives Matter movement has united ethnic groups of all kinds to recognise existing racism.
The world is listening to the protests. On social media and on the streets, the solidarity is there. While I do not condone any of the violence or looting which have widely occurred, change has happened. Millions have been donated in support, new legislations have been introduced and the media has addressed its reporting. Amongst all this, people are raising an eyebrow and educating themselves more towards the movement.
Racism was blatant and clear when reflecting on the treatment of black people in a history text-book. But these attitudes haven’t entirely gone; they have remodelled.
There is a stigmatic belief that the term symbolic racism pre-exists in the highest levels of society in USA and across the globe. This basically reflects a coherent belief system of which discrimination exists against different races. The extent of this being apparent is difficult to thoroughly unravel. Analysing government policies and approaches towards ethnic groups other the years can potentially reveal deep-rooted racism.
A similar scope can be focussed on media corporations. We rely upon their services for impartial news and stories. How are they reacting to this movement? Their angles and general coverage can implicate all sorts of theories surrounding their core values.
Racism isn’t always easy to spot. In the presence of a Black person, individuals would slip the ‘n’ word out of their mouths without a second thought years ago; although that hasn’t entirely ended. The word itself links to generations of brutal slave trade and white supremacy. Nowadays, our world appears to not be at this level of cruelty as the past. But inequality is there and within that often lies racism.
Those who counter the #BlackLivesMatter slogan with a prompt reply, #AllLivesMatter may be racist or on the wrong end of the stick. This movement doesn’t contest Black lives matter more than others. It asserts that Black lives are somewhat undervalued in modern society, in comparison to others. We all matter, but none of us can if Black lives don’t matter too.
Admittedly I was lingering over whether to write about this movement. It’s clearly a problematic subject. However racism is real and is still happening. All we can do is unite as one to make this world a safer place for everyone.
Photo credit: Jack Bird
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