Answer
Short Answer:
- 4 things non-blacks should do to contribute in a meaningful way to overcoming anti-blackness and racism within themselves and their communities:
- 1) learn
- 2) reflect
- 3) challenge racism in their circles
- 4) take action
………….
We all watched with anguish and horror as George Floyd died trapped under the weight of a police officer’s knee pressed against his neck.
George Floyd was a victim, not just of this police officer’s callous disregard, but of a system that seems to care little about Black lives, that seems to consider them somehow as less than human and that seems to find black people threatening, dangerous, and a nuisance.
Even when they do the ordinary things that we all do: things like leaving their home, taking a walk in their neighborhood, going for a run, driving, sitting in a coffee shop, the ordinary things that we do, basically living.
Racial Inequality
Racial inequality affects every aspect of our Black brothers’ and sisters’ lives. It’s not just a system of policing that surveils and controls Black people. It’s not even the criminal justice system that disproportionately punishes Black people. It’s a lot more than that.
It’s that when Black people go to seek medical services, when they have a problem, a health problem, they’re not taken as seriously as other people.
It’s that it’s difficult for Black people to find jobs at the same rate as other people. It’s that even if somebody has a good job, even if someone has a great credit score, they might not be able to land a place to rent just because of the color of their skin.
These are patterns that we see not just south of the border, but in tolerant, multicultural Canada as well.
I Can’t Sit By Silently
I may never experience the fear that Black men feel when they leave their homes, when they walk around, when they drive their cars.
I may never have to warn my child before he goes out to be careful, to watch what he says and does, to be obliging and obedient if he happens to come upon some person in a position of authority.
I may never experience the feeling of being watched while doing innocuous things, of being followed in a store out of fear that I might steal something. But still, I can’t sit by silently.
The Quran tells me clearly,
“O you who believe, stand firmly for justice as witnesses to God even if it be against yourselves, against your family, and your relatives.” (Quran 4:135)
We shouldn’t consider it the work of our Black brothers and sisters to fight racism. They shouldn’t bear that burden.
We should consider it our responsibility as well. We should feel responsible for what’s happening, and we should try to do something about it.
4 Things To Overcome Anti-Blackness and Racism Within Ourselves and Our Communities
Here are four things that we can do. The first thing we can do is learn. We need to ask ourselves: What are we doing to continuously educate ourselves? We all went to school and we learned history.
But there were many gaps within that history. Many stories were left out. How are we filling in those gaps? How are we including diverse voices, especially the voices of those who were marginalized or left out?
The second thing we can do is reflect. We need to ask ourselves what sort of assumptions and biases exist within our minds and what we can do to change them. When we see a Black person walking behind us in the middle of the night, how do we feel?
And if so, why do we feel that way? Moreover, when we look within our circles: our circles of family, our circles of friends, our colleagues, what sort of faces do we see? And who do we include and exclude? And if so, why again? Those are questions we need to ask ourselves.
Third, you can challenge racism within your circles. You are in a unique position to influence your family members, the people closest to you. And perhaps you may even end up changing minds and perspectives. So that’s a great place to start.
You might end up engaging in some very difficult conversations, but it does get easier as it goes. So don’t be afraid to speak up when you hear someone or see someone saying something racist within your family circles and within your friends.
Fourth, you can take action. If you see an active racism occurring before your eyes, don’t walk away, or ignore it, or pretend it didn’t happen. Try to support the person on the receiving end of that racism.
Other things you can do is join a protest in your city, or volunteer for an anti-racism initiative, or even donate to a cause or an organization that empowers and elevates Black youth.
You can also hold individuals and institutions and organizations to account. So contact your public representatives and ask them what they are doing to eradicate systemic racism.
You can even contact your religious organizations and ask them how they are including Black voices and Black individuals within their institutions in positions of leadership and power.
These four things: learning, reflecting, challenging racism within our circles, and taking action can help us to contribute in a meaningful way to end anti-Black racism within ourselves and within our communities and institutions.
Black Lives Matter
And finally, to my Black brothers and sisters, you matter. Your lives matter. God has given you value and dignity and worth as human beings.
And God sees your suffering and your fight for freedom and for justice. May God protect and elevate and empower you. May God comfort all of those who have lost loved ones, or who fear losing their loved ones.
And may God give us the wisdom and strength to stand alongside you and support you as we work together for a more equitable and just future for us all.
I’m Safiyyah Ally for Let the Quran Speak.
Please continue feeding your curiosity, and find more info in the following links: