There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. – Galatians 3:28
Growing up in life, I never really experienced racism directly. I may have experienced it indirectly without my knowledge but nothing properly in my face. I guess this is why I have struggled to accept that it is part of everyday life in the UK. I was not living under a rock to the point that I was totally absentminded about its existence but there was definitely a hint of “people are really playing the victim card” mentality strolling through my mind.
Another major factor that I think contributed to my mindset was growing up in a Yoruba environment. My parents were not racist, but as I overheard their conversations with their friends and families, I observed that Yoruba people can be prejudice to their fellow Nigerians from other ethnic groups, let alone xenophobic to other Africans and West Indians. This is before we even mention Caucasians. So there was a definite thought of hypocrisy when I considered the cries of racism from the black race, based on my PERSONAL experience.
I haven’t even touched on the case of black people and the infamous “N” word. The whole debate on whether it can be used by those who are not black has been flying around for as long as I can remember. I have never personally been offended by it but I understand why people find it offensive especially with the historical context so I do try my best not to use it but it can slip out during my shameful coarse jesting moments (something I am trying to work on).
Hopefully, I have presented a compelling argument on why the whole racism topic to me was just water on a duck’s back. As far as I was concerned it was something I knew existed but almost didn’t care about.
A couple of years ago when the “Black Lives Matter” campaign was really being pushed, I was one of those guys that tried to combat it by saying “All Lives Matter”. What my ignorance didn’t take into consideration was the initiative was not saying other lives didn’t matter because black lives did. It was just focussing on a particular cause. It’s almost like telling Prostate Cancer UK to stop focusing on prostate cancer alone but include breast cancer and all the other forms of cancer.
Sounds ridiculous doesn’t it, well that’s how I felt when Michael Omari Owuo aka Stormzy was getting criticised for setting up a scholarship to fund two black students to go to the University of Cambridge. Yes, I agree that other backgrounds face poverty but Stormzy was fixing a specific problem that was close to his heart. I guess this was probably one of the main catalysts that made me start seeing things differently.
I am an avid football fan as most people that know me will tell you but for some reason in 2018 and 2019, at least in my conscious knowledge, madness seemed to sweep the world and racism ramped up. I’ve seen racism in spurts when I was younger like when England played Spain in 2004 but they seemed to be rarer cases. Without following too closely, I also heard about the cases in countries such as Russia and other parts of Eastern Europe. But for some reason, something must have been dipped into the water in 2018 as it was becoming more and more obvious from the fan throwing banana skin at Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to the abuse hurled at Raheem Sterling. John Barnes became a regular on our screens and it was so jarring because his knowledge of racism was apparently far superior to his knowledge of analysing a match even though he was only given 5-minute slots on each channel to share his expertise. I think he had enough speaking about it everyday and just stuck to interviews about it from his bed.
Raheem Sterling did great work in challenging the media with their unconscious bias and presented two young players who performed identical acts yet the media presented them completely differently. One was criticised for being able to buy a mansion for his parents despite only having a handful of appearances while the other was applauded for doing the same thing. I will offer you no prizes for guessing the difference.
You just have to look at the criticism of Meghan Markle, who I do not believe is perfect. But which royal family member is? It was Eamonn Holmes’ rant that really drove me up the wall and I lost all manners of respect for him. I probably would have had a little bit more respect for him if he said his dislike for her was because she had black in her rather than him going round in circles to say he did not like her look. You also have to look at the press coverage she has received in comparison to Kate Middleton for their similar actions and ask yourself what’s the difference? Again, I’m giving no prizes for correct answers.
During the coronavirus lockdown here in the UK, I have been listening to podcasts which I have found amazing. I came across an old interview of Floyd Mayweather which was done just before he fought Connor McGregor. During the interview, he compared their personas and their public perception. One was cocky, flash and arrogant while the other is confident and charismatic. I’m sure you can see the continuous trend – and I can go on and on.
My own personal opinion, which should not be taken as gospel, is subconsciously groups of people believe black people should not have the confidence and success that they do. In these times, the gap is getting smaller between black and white people with more and more diverse individuals progressing into more influential positions.
I’m not one for ranting without solutions, although, I am learning that there is a time for everything under the sun including ranting. I am not looking to reinstate the Black Panther Party and start protests and marches either. I am literally here to say that I was wrong, that I have learnt and that I am in support for those who are fighting racism. I also applaud the likes of Tyson Fury who refused to allow his fight with Deontay Wilder to become a black vs white thing as well.
My final encouragement is not to be despondent with the widespread racism permeating the planet but to continue excelling and continue shining because success knows no colour.
God bless and live in peace.
Twitter: Seun88
Seun Rasheed 