I don’t know about you but I believe all human beings belong to a single species and share a common origin.
We are born equal in dignity and rights and we all form an integral part of humanity. All peoples of the world possess equal faculties for attaining the highest level in intellectual, technical, social, economic, cultural and political development.
The differences between the achievements of the different people are entirely attributable to geographical, historical, political, economic, social and cultural factors. Such differences can in no case serve as a pretext for any rank ordered classification of nations or peoples.
And this is what I call a Race!
On the other hand, Racism is when someone is treated differently because of their race or culture. It can include things like calling people names or excluding them and even denying them of service at a business or things like job opportunities.
It may also be termed as the hatred of one person by another — or the belief that another person is less than human — because of skin colour, language, customs, place of birth or any factor that supposedly reveals the basic nature of that person. It has influenced wars, slavery, the formation of nations, and legal codes.
During the past 500-1000 years, racism on the part of Western powers toward non-Westerners has had a far more significant impact on history than any other form of racism (such as racism among Western groups or among Easterners, such as Asians, Africans, and others). The most notorious example of racism by the West has been slavery, particularly the enslavement of Africans in the New World (slavery itself dates back thousands of years). This enslavement was accomplished because of the racist belief that Black Africans were less fully human than white Europeans and their descendants.
Racism operates at a number of levels, in particular, individual, systemic and societal. There are different types of racism and they include:
- Individual Racism
- Active Racism
- Passive Racism
- Cultural Racism (Racism at the Cultural Level)
- Institutional Racism (Racism at the Institutional Level)
- White Privilege
- Conspiracy
- Empowered Person of Colour
Furthermore; everyone, no matter what their nationality or race is, has a right to live happily and free from discrimination. If you feel someone’s being racist towards you, here are the steps you can take. The main thing is to walk away, keep safe and talk to someone you trust. You don’t need to retaliate or respond.
If someone is being racist towards you, the most important thing is your safety. If you feel vulnerable, stick with groups of friends you trust.
Also try to:
- Keep evidence
- Tell someone
- Report it
- Stay safe online
- Get others involved
- Never give up!
- Support others
Remember, you’re not the one causing trouble. You’ve done nothing wrong.
Also you don’t have to be the race or culture that someone has assumed you are when they say or do something to you in order for it to be a hate crime or incident.
