My friend Avuyile, wrote a response to my poem, ‘i not me’, that i posted earlier today and i felt that it deserved it’s own space here on the blog and Avuyile gave me permission. i hope each one of us will take time to really listen to these words…
I am meek, for in my meekness I am forced to tolerate you imposing your ideas into my system.
I suffer in silence for my cries echo an uncomfortable feeling on your back side thus the words “move away from the past”.
I die daily at your sight, a sight that not invokes feelings of hatred rather anger and resentment for you have for a long time disregarded my humanity and my ideas.
I have sacrificed so much for your benefit yet still my efforts and my energy seem to have gone down the drain. How long should I continue in this vain? For in my sanity you regard me as insane. Take a moment to listen to my heart beat, feel the motion, it is a motion of sorrow, a motion of pain of the many sufferings I have endured at your hands.
To see your gay abandon each day awakes feelings of disdain, for it is the utter carelessness and ignorance to my hunger and my yearning. The very desire to live and pursue what makes me who I am, the many things I have missed out on my kids, wife, cousin, and my community.
I am forced into servitude not with a whip rather the brutal wrenching of my dignity.
For what is humanity when the comfort of my entire is subjected to such treacherous conditions? For the very I have is quenched and muffled under huge promises of lies and deceit, covered with a broad smile yet soul still yearns for freedom and my heart still heavily bleeds. We preach equality and justice yet the very justice is a “thorn” in your side while for many it is a luxury they can only dream about.
For I am faced with so many adversities that I come to the conclusion that there ain’t no place for me in society for my cries for justice constitute discomfort for those who have benefited from decades and decades of marginalization and the demeaning of my entire existence.
The winds of change are blowing, the storm of justice is well under way…….
[To read the original poem that inspired these words, click here]
[…] [For my friend Avuyile’s response in poetic form, click here] […]
All white people are racist and
over-privileged.
– The typical white family has 20 TIMES the net worth of the typical black
family due to the legacy of 400 years of formal white supremacy and ongoing
racism (institutional)
– The typical white family receives 6 TIMES the income of the typical black
family
– Whites occupy over 70% of upper and middle management positions in South
Africa
– White unemployment rates are much, much
lower than the unemployment rates of people of colour.
–
Employment networks are structured racially in favour of whites so
whites are far more likely to just enter the race for a job than people of
colour are
–
The fundamental phases of acquiring a job are structured heavily in
favour of whites, and against people of colour
– White parents are able to give their
children their own cultural white names without fear that their children will
be discriminated against when applying for a job
– Job applicants with white sounding names are more likely to be called back
for job interviews than applicants with black sounding names even when
qualifications and work experiences are exactly the same.
–
White people aren’t presumed guilty until proven innocent
–
When interviewing for a job, white people are viewed as more capable and
competent therefore they are more likely to get the job than people of colour
are
– Whites can take for granted that their president will address the nation in a
white language
– Whites can go to the pharmacy and buy bandages that are labelled as
“flesh” or “skin” tone.
This is evidence that whiteness is still central and groups of colour
are peripheral
–
When a white family moves into a neighbourhood, property values rise,
not fall
– White children can go to school and be taught in their mother tongue
– White children can go to school and learn white history, white literature,
white art, and white poetry. Yeah we don’t call it “white” this and
that, but that’s what it is. Whiteness is still the norm and default in
everything.
– White people can use their natural accent without fear of anyone presuming
they’re incompetent
–
White people are over-respected even though they are racist and have
caused so much destruction, heartache and misery all over this planet
– White people aren’t compelled to commit cultural suicide
– When a white person commits a crime like terrorism that crime doesn’t stick
to everyone who is white unlike if an Arab person commits terrorism. There have
been over 100 white terrorists in the USA and only 19 Arab / Muslim
terrorist and the crime only sticks to the Muslim and Arab people.
– If a white person under-performs in an academic environment he can take for
granted that his slip-ups won’t been seen as a group defect
– The
playing field is extremely uneven in favour of whites and you can’t expect
people of colour to ignore that. People
of colour should be angry and intent on changing it.
Thanks for stopping by, Xolani, I can hear the anger, hurt and disappointment in your comment and I feel that so much of it is true. However, I don’t think all white people are racist to the same extent and so for some of us who really are hungry to see greater equality and balance, we desperately need people like you to show us how we can make any kind of difference to the status quo that currently exists. Big change is definitely needed but small change is more likely and so can you give us some ideas of some small ways we can get started to changing ourselves and the situation in the country at large. I am listening, as are many others… What would you suggest to get us started?