18,996 victims. Would you want to be included in these figures of racist incidents that occurred in the United Kingdom alone last year? Would you want to be verbally abused on a daily basis purely for the colour of your skin? This is the unfortunate reality for millions of people worldwide as they suffer the torment of racism.
I utterly stand against racism! It is inexcusable. It is sadistic. It is unpardonable. It is events such as the horrific attack upon an 8 year old black girl, in Northern Ireland, who was hit in the head by a brick, thrown into her bedroom window which makes me despair of this current society. It is turning on the TV to see the shocking images of a young black boy shot down by the police in Ferguson, Missouri, that make me realize that despite the ending of slavery in 1865 and regardless of the fact of the Race Relations Act that was passed in 1965, [which states quite clearly that it is illegal to racially discriminate against another individual], human beings are just as racist today as they always have been.
Is there an excuse for such behaviour? Do you think this is acceptable? Martin Luther King Junior said in 1963 – “All men are created equal.” I believe people should be treated with respect, equality and dignity; after all we are all the same beneath our skin. We are all born in the same way; we all live and love in the same way; we all die in the same way. The fact that people living nearer the equator have black skin created by melatonin to protect them, is actually a miracle of evolution. Unfortunately, this has been used as an excuse to humiliate, to enslave, to murder.
Ask yourself. If we don’t stop this now, then when; after more innocent unarmed black people are tragically shot? After more people are demeaned and degraded on a daily basis through verbal and physical abuse?
How would you like to be called names because of your cultural beliefs, tradition or even colour, because that is the reality of life for many entities of ethnic minorities. Well this is happening everywhere, every day. Racism is one of the world’s foremost issues at present, which sadly, to me, a number of people are still unaware of. Racism can be witnessed in incidents of racist abuse, harassment and discrimination; racism is also manifested indirectly, in the form of prejudiced attitudes and lack of recognition of cultural diversity. Inequality and injustice are only two of the consequences of racism. I strongly believe it is rude, insensitive and hurtful and furthermore creates excessive conflict amongst different ethnic groups – that usually dissolves into violence. Sadly, people simply can’t seem to tolerate ethnic differences; they will always have something against colour which has led to deaths of many innocent people; the inability for relationships to develop; the fracturing of society.
There’s only one objective explanation for racism. In other words, it’s all in your head.
Certainly, I could talk about the world documented murder of Stephen Lawrence and Michael Brown, two victims of this deadly disease; I could mention James Byrd – an African-American murdered by three white supremacists; but I choose to speak about the everyday harassment in the lives of people of my age, who are trying to get an education and grow up safely.
One of the reasons that racist discrimination is such an immoral act is that it leads to people having low self-esteem and feeling worthless. Take for example the horrific event of Khadija Fahat. The 14 year-old was a victim of daily torment at school. Other children her age would verbally abuse her and throw objects at her. Khadija would go to school every day feeling depressed and desolate expecting something to happen. Typical questions she’d be asked were “Why were you behind 9/11?” “Did you bring a bomb to school today?” What disgusts me is that this all this happened because she wasn’t white; she had a darker