The NAACP(National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) in the US has recently accepted the resignation of the head of the Department of Agriculture’s rural development office in Georgia. It has been on the basis of her public racist comments. It seems there is more to the comments then what the youtube edits show and the woman does talk later on about how she also had to overcome her own racism. It is interesting how the slur of racism can quickly draw blood.
I am a product of the marriage of two people from two different races. As that product I have often seen racism in both races. I see there is racism not only amongst whites but also amongst those of colour. Race is important, it is about a culture, often beliefs and behaviours. It is hard to go outside the confines of our own race and see what is going on outside those confines if we are unable to think differently about ourselves and others. If we limit ourselves by our own skin we limit ourselves to be defined by others. Evolutionary survival at its most basic and primitive level requires that we are able to distinguish ourselves from other tribes. This is the sad thing about racism, when we, any one of us stay in that place of limitation and tribe, it limits us in the same way we limit others. The good thing from all this is that it reminds us it still exists and does exist. No need to pretend to hide it under the carpet, racism still exists inside and outside the NAACP.
©2010 Yaz.
Dr Yaz Headley 