The issue of racism is a delicate topic that everyone might want to leave out from discussions, but the fact is racism is part of our society, and it has eaten deep into the heart of different individuals, and we attack you at any time because of the your race.
The belief that all members of each race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race, especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races.
According to Wikipedia;
Racism consists of ideologies and practices that seek to justify, or cause, the unequal distribution of privileges, rights or goods among different racial groups.
The issue of racism has affected both young and old, and NGO and government institutions has tried different campaign strategies to let people understand the issue of racism, and why they should stop being a racist.
Racism affects a lot of people in all works of life, it happens at the airport, at an office, at schools, at the restaurant and others. Some people believed that a particular race is more superior to the other race, so the inferior race should be treated with disgust.
But having face the issue of racism for so long, it is seen as a cancer that won't be healed as many people will continue to be ignorant to the fact that racism is bad. Since you and i can't change the perception of a racist and abolish racism, it is better to get over it in the society.
Read : Indian Students Support Africans With Information Placards, Africans Complain Of Unlawful Treatment In India
How To Overcome Racism
Ignorant People Are The Racist
Racism can be quite frustrating most times, i remember my time at one of South East Asia airports, I was going through immigration, and when they held my passport, it was war, they had to do the scanning, asking me questions like, are you the one in the photo? how much do you have on you? Can you open your wallet for us to see?. Now the truth is all these laws are not really the immigration laws, these are laws that have been implemented by the Immigration dept. just to frustrate people going into their countries. I have seen a lot of other countries gone past immigration like nothing happened, and it was a sweet home ride.
Before you can overcome racism, you have to first understand what it is that it is largely due to ignorance.
People with white skin (White Supremacist) believes that the white skin, blue eyes, blond hairs are superior people. Also, the Black supremacist believes that the black skin and hair are superior to white skin. So people waste part of their life arguing about whose skin is more superior.
Ignorant people are mostly racist, because they lack the knowledge that we don't choose where we want to be, we just grow up and we there, that is what life has given you, they don't put themselves in the shoe of whoever they are discriminating. Most of them actually lack basic education, and knows nothing about the skin.
I remembered on a sunny afternoon in the public bus, a middle aged woman was trying to chat me up, and she was looking me with disgust, and i can see racism written over her forehead, but i chose to ignore her person, she then later summoned courage, and ask if she could see my hands, i stretched out my right hands, and she was using her finger to clean me up, she had a bottled water, poured a little on my head and tried to clean me up, at this time, i already lost my cool, and was like; hey, are we cool?
She later said, that was the first time she'd seen a black man, and she had always believed that black men are black because they don't take their bath, so she believed i had some whiteness under my skin, you could see how foolish she is..
I have a very "You must be an idiot" kind of laugh, so i burst out laughing, and she was ashamed, and i told her...This is my skin. If you cut me to see what is under, you will see my blood only.
And a lot of people are like this, they don't understand your person, they are filled with hate because you are black, or Arab or Hispanic. They have no idea you are there and not your choosing, they are ignorant, i sometimes call them stark illiterates, so am not bothered, i just say within me, that's another ignorant fella.
Start Setting Your Goals
Like i said above, racism will continue to be in our modern society, and there is nothing you or I could do about that. The other best method of overcoming racism is getting busy and setting your goals.
I have been in different job interviews where people look at me with disgust immediately they noticed my skin colour, and even before i leave the room, i know am not going to get the job, no matter how friendly or brilliant you seem to be, if the final say is coming from someone that is a racist, you are not getting it.
Remember that people want you to succeed, they will see your success before asking you how you get there. So while people are trying to play the racist card on you, or won't give you their job, why don't you see it as an opportunity to start something on your own.
Start a little something and see what you can come up with, when you get your mind so occupied with achieving, you will hardly see people.
Don't stay at your house, complaining how people hate you and making you jobless, find a way you can start funding yourself to be better than you are.
Teach People How To Treat You
Why some people are always happy to see us, some are not. But the truth is that some people don't know how to react when they see a black man in the room, they don't know what to say. They only know that they shouldn't use the N-word, and what else.
I was at a family dinner, and someone was telling me how HIV has affected the whole of Africa and Ebola killing Africans. Then i tried to let them know that Ebola did not even attack some part of Africa, and even some countries that had Ebola where quickly managed.
And on the greetings subject, i told them to greet them just like they would greet a Chinese, Arab and somebody from their own race, as far as it does not include hitting me, then am good.
Set A Good Example
Sometimes, people are quick to judge us others based on what some set of people had done to them, people fail to realize we have both good and bad people. So sometimes, we need to let people know that "Look am the good guy".
Set a good example and don't set a bad example, because its form basis of someone that is also from our race and will appear at that same place sometimes again.
