Racism is an ongoing issue that many minorities face on a day-to-day bases. YNOT organises anti-racism workshops often under the heritage capacity building project. The workshop presentation was very powerful and insightful to those in attendance. As an African myself I was able to related to so much of what Quammie talked about, just because of my skin colour. I understand that I am often at a disadvantage in comparison to my peers of other races.
Racism is systematic and started about 300 years ago and will continue until someone decides to stand up and do something about it. As blacks we are usually labeled as loud, rachet, ghetto, uneducated etc. because of the way our society has adapted to justifying its way of thinking. Racism is systemic and structural It affects our school system as well. In our school system many black students tend to focus on sports rather than academics because teachers try to push us to sports. This goes back to segregation and slavery when those of the white decedents received better education than those of black decedents just because they see themselves as superior and if you don’t look like them, you’re at the bottom.
“They don’t want to hire us for higher positions to limit and discourage our growth, they know if we are above them, we’ll bring in our own people” that’s the mentality in which most organizations and corporations have. They feel threatened by our presence as well as being displaced. They’re also afraid of what we can do if we’re placed above them regardless of the credentials in which we have under our names and it’s all because of what we look like and what they know we are capable of achieving if given the opportunity.
The workshop was full of information that you just had to be there to really understand, but we hope to see you all at the next one which will be held on March 20th 2023 by Rudi Quammie Williams.
Grace Clottey
