2 days ago, a Kenyan man died upon receiving treatment, after being beaten up for sneezing in public.
The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is observed annually on the day the police in Sharpeville, South Africa, opened fire and killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration against apartheid “pass laws” in 1960. The date is 21st March and could not have come at a better time.
We recognise this day by portraying and educating the world about racial discrimination, it’s effects and how to eradicate it.
Racial discrimination has been at the forefront in recent years with the ‘Black lives matter’ movement by African Americans created by discrimination felt with the police force.
Apart from the atrocity that was slavery and the Civil Right movement with Martin Luther King Jr, the American police have allegedly been mistreating African Americans during arrests compared the any other races. There has also been complains from the service sector with companies such as Starbucks having to train their staff on racial profiling.
Today it is people of Chinese origin who face stigma due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
From as early as January, videos have been going around social media on discrimination of Asians (unfortunately many are still ignorant on the different types of Asians), from people making hurtful remarks to some even daring to physically assault them. All this discrimination has been made easy by the current American President Donald Trump calling Covid-19 the ‘Chinese disease’ on live TV and on social media and also insisting that the disease was created by China to wipe out Americans.
As a black person, I have gone through some type of discrimination, and questionned why I should be treated differently just because of my race.
With a lot of ignorance, or even lack of will, many are still racially discriminated.
There is still a lot of work to be done and it starts with you and me.
Transolution Services works with people from different races across continents, whose contributions have greatly contributed to where we are today.
We report racial discrimination across our social media and constantly educate people through our trainings and talks.
What are you doing?