Racial Justice and Equality - Part 2 - Powerful Thoughts and Context from Simon and Tassy

Edited BY

G P Kennedy

Simon...somewhere in Western Australia

 This is a photo of me at work the other day.

 

 It looks like I might be in disguise but actually I’m just protecting myself from sun, dust and flies.

 

 Still, it’s pretty difficult to see anything about me and therefore to make any assumptions or kick start any racial or other prejudices.

 

 As soon as I take of my hat, my sunglasses, my head sock there I am for all to see.

 

 Truth is I am 51, white, bit scruffy looking and basically an average looking male for where I live, Australia.

 

 However, there are a people who were here way before Captain Cook and the others. And I can I assure you that if I was an Aboriginal male of the same age many people in this country would have a very different, instantaneous opinion about me.

 

 I’m sure it’s the same in North America with the Native Americans and in South America with the indigenous tribes. All this hate, abuse and misunderstanding about people who were actually there first.

 

 Then you have the situation in America recently with the BLM campaign. I’m no historian or social expert but basically these are people who were abducted and torn from their families in Africa to be taken to another country to be slaves for rich white folks. And this went on until fairly recently. And only in the last few decades did they manage to get, in theory, the same rights and privileges as everyone else living there. 

 

 Except they haven’t really have they? It’s the same in the UK with Indians and the same here with Asians. Even when a group of people make up a very significant part of a population you can see racism and inequality everywhere.

 In Australia, a country of immigrants and the descendants of convicted criminals, most people would not consider themselves racist. However I believe that often it is the small things that are the worst when they are repeated over and over. I have heard many instances of Aboriginal people here referred to with any number of insulting terms. When a lot of people talk about Asians its “That’s what they are all like” or “What do you expect, they’re Asian”

 

 On the surface maybe it doesn’t seem too bad but when you hear it a few times a day from different people in different situations surely it points to an underlying current of intolerance and dislike.

 

 I can scarcely imagine what it must mean to be a person of color in America at the moment. It’s no wonder people are angry and want to demonstrate their feelings about the way they are treated by Police or others. In Australia it has been widely reported but a lot of the coverage refers to the protestors as ‘criminals’, ‘anarchists’ and other far reaching terms. It just shows that we don’t know how to deal with any disruption to the status quo.

 

Like many First People, Aborigines in Australia face endemic racism

 Why is that? Well, money might not be made, votes might not be gained and people might actually be allowed to have feelings and to show them.

 

 This is turning into a bit of a ramble so I'll try and sum up by saying I am lucky to live where I am. When I was younger I had long hair, lots of ear rings, wore some weird clothes etc.. and had to endure a few jokes and a bit of a hard time when applying for a few jobs. Nothing to worry about really and I could change those things if I wanted to.

 

 I cannot imagine what it would be like to be persecuted for my race, my sex, my age, my religion or anything else.

 

 We are all tiny drops in a vast sea of humanity, clinging onto a ball of molten rock as it hurtles through space.

 

 What do we tend to do? Look up in wonder and gaze around us and think how we lucky we are?

 

 Of course not, we look down and over our shoulder. Point at people, make broad assumptions and kid ourselves that ‘we’ are normal and ‘they’ are not.

 

 It’s bloody sad and I honestly can’t see how or when it will change. All through history we have fought, stolen, conquered and subjugated. We are still doing it now but most people don’t know or don’t care.

 

 How can we begrudge anyone for standing up for what they believe in and saying they won’t stand for it anymore?   

 

 All power to them I say and maybe we could all look at ourselves and others and realise we are all the same. We have enough to worry about without inventing barriers and pushing people away.

 

 Stay safe everyone, peace out and look out for each other.

Tassy - Karachi, Pakistan

 As the world grapples with protests and news coverage about George Floyd, BLM and racial justice, Pakistan has remained more or less oblivious to it. The issue is of little relevance here as we are not a racially diverse country. That doesn’t mean for a second there is no racism here. 

 Pakistan has been irresponsible in providing its religious minorities with equal opportunity. 8% of Pakistan’s population is considered minorities; they consist of Christians, Hindus, Parsis, and Sikhs. Over the last 20 years, those that have the means have emigrated to countries like Canada and Australia, seeking better opportunities there.

 

 The treatment of Pakistanis of African origin (Sheedis or the Makranis from the Makran Coast of Balochistan) has long been victims of economic, social and political deprivation. There have also been diminishing rights given to the indigenous Kalash community as a result of forced conversions. 

 Minority religious sects such as the Shia community (the second largest branch of Islam), the Ahmadis (a Punjabi Islamic revival movement) and the Hazara community (Muslims from central Afghanistan that have a big base in Balochistan) also have had a huge loss in lives due to targeted attacks because of religious persecution.

 In Pakistan, racism is very much ingrained into our culture and language because of our colonial history. The word `gora` or white tends to be referred to in the positive sense. In contrast ‘kala’ or black is used to put someone down. 

Whitewashing beauty is part of Pakistani culture

 Beauty standards for the vast majority are associated with being fair-skinned and having Caucasian features. Matrimonial advertisements are a common feature in the subcontinent, and it is rare to find anyone looking for a bride or groom who isn’t fair skinned. 

 Marketing campaigns of consumer-oriented industries spend millions on the advertising and sale of skin whitening products. Models in most advertisements are almost always fair skinned. Thankfully, the trend is now beginning to change with the rise of Generation Z, and with awareness through movements like BLM.

A truck artist remembers George Floyd

 There was however some response in the country after last weeks protests around the world. The BLM acronym was used to highlight the inequality and mistreatment towards Pakistan’s Baloch community, using `Baloch Lives Matter`. Our trucks are highly decorated with distinct floral patterns and bright imagery. One of our truck art painters paid his own tribute to George Floyd.