As I'm sure you've seen written a million times before, I didn't know how to start writing this, or even whether to write this. I am white, and can't even begin to understand the privilege this grants me over somebody that is black. Because thats the bottom line isn't it? Somehow, the colour of our skin dictates how we are treated.
When we put it like that, it suddenly becomes to clear how ridiculous that notion is. The basic difference between different skin colours is the amount of a pigment called 'melanin' it contains. This basically just determines the amount of protection a person's skin has against UV light - in a nutshell, that's it (I had to get a little bit of science in there!!!).
So, why, in 2020, is this still a problem?! Well, as many of us know, this all began with slavery way back in the 1400's. Slowly but surely this was eradicated, but it took until the 1800's for slavery to become illegal in the US... Despite this move, things were far from equal. Black people still had no civil rights and were still segregated from white people.
By the 1950's in America, there were hints of integration between black and whites, such as in sport and schools. Then, FINALLY in 1964, the Civil Rights Act outlined legislation to stop racial inequality and in 1965 black people were FINALLY allowed to vote.
As I'm typing this, and the more I read I honestly can't believe how recent this all is. HOW was racial inequality in law for so many years? But more importantly, why haven't we still reached true racial equality all of these years later? There were so many events that led to these changes, but the bottom line is - people had to step up and speak out. Just as we still need to do today.
So, how bad is racial inequality in 2020? Well, as we all (hopefully!) know, blacks are at a significant disadvantage compared to whites. In the UK, black students leaving school with A levels will go on to earn an average of 14% less than a white school A-level leaver, with only 6% of blacks studying at a Russel group University compared to 12% of whites... One of the most shocking facts to me, was the fact that a black workers with a degree will earn 23% less on average than a white person with a degree... As we know, the story is the same around the world. In the US, black criminals serve an average of 20% longer for committing similar crimes to whites and only make up 15% of total US student enrolment!
Something I have seen time and time again on social media is the idea that if you're white, you're either not involved, or can't do anything. This is NOT true. A recent UK study found that 75% of white students reported to only have white friends, whilst nearly 16% of US students report bullying or harassment of some form due to the colour of their skin. We CAN do better - so, how? We can:
Diversify our friendship groups and make a conscious effort to be inclusive of people of ALL backgrounds
Diversify your social media - follow people of different skin colours and backgrounds (for me personally, I have learnt SO much about other cultures by doing this!!)
READ - the more you read, the more you can understand and can develop an awareness for the current situation
TALK - talk to friends, talk to family, raise awareness about racial inequality and the steps we can all take to try and change it!
Sign petitions - but do your research first.
Donate if you feel able to do so. If you want to raise money without spending it yourself, search "black lives matter donate playlist" on YouTube - the ads on there raise money for the cause!
If you're comfortable to do so in these times, attend a protest - or support those going. Personally, I would highly recommend only attending socially distanced protests, and wearing a mask/gloves, making a conscious effort not to touch your face and ensuring you practice excellent hygiene!
A recent study has shown that it takes about 3.5% of the population to protest and fight for change, for change to occur... That is something that is realistic and something we should all try to work towards!
From spending time on social media, and talking to those around me, one thing I have taken away from this is, we need to try and build each other up rather than drag each other down. There may be people not posting on social media because they don't want to say the wrong thing, but they are actively learning about the situation and trying to better themselves. Equally, there may be people regularly posting on social media who haven't actually read the resources they are advertising. BUT the most important thing to remember, is that everyone is trying their best. We have to try and raise each other up and support each other in these difficult times, for one clear goal - TRUE racial equality.
There is always room for more love and kindness in this world, so we should all work together to bring change! The more we educate ourselves, talk about the issues and campaign for change, the quicker we can ensure a black person truly is equal to a white.
I have tried to research and educate myself as much as I can before writing this, but that's not to say I feel confident in the issues, nor do I pretend to understand what black people have, and are going through. Despite this, I eventually reached the conclusion that saying something was better than not saying anything at all. But, if anyone has any comments or further information for me to use to further enhance my knowledge PLEASE let me know.
Please, stay safe and be kind!
B x
Resources...
> Scientific article about black vs white skin: Rawlings, 2006. Ethnic skin types: are there differences in skin structure and function? https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-2494.2006.00302.x
> Brilliant page about the history of blacks and slavery: https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/black-history-milestones
> UK race report statistics: https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/race-report-statistics
> US race statistics article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-30214825
> 11 facts about racial discrimination: https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-racial-discrimination
> 3.5% of the population is needed to bring change: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190513-it-only-takes-35-of-people-to-change-the-world
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