by Belinda Moses
What is racism? Racism is the prejudice, discrimination or antagonism by an individual, community, or institution against a person or people on the basis of their membership of a particular racial or ethnic group, typically one that is a minority or marginalized. There is a worldwide belief that some races possess distinct characteristics, abilities or qualities that make them superior to others.
Racism does a lot of damage to both individuals and the community. It has a huge mental health impact on people who experience it causing them to have feelings of sadness, anger, depression, as well as having constant fear of being verbally or physically attacked. These impacts can reduce people’s ability to work or study.
In a future without racism there would be;
1. Equality
Racism largely contributes towards inequality when it comes to getting opportunities. Black people have a difficult time getting employment, access to resources, health care and general services. Until we fight racism to the letter, we can only imagine how great America would be for people of color.
2. Healthy Minds
Racism affects people’s general well-being when they are denied equal access to jobs, services and education. Lack of these vital needs may lead to mental health problems that the affected may not even afford treatment for.
3. Respect
Racism creates a society where people do not trust and respect each other. When allowed to flourish, racism lessens us Black people, and eventually this affects us all as neighbors, workmates and friends. We should love and respect everyone equally regardless of skin color.
4. Fair trials
They say, two people can do the same crime at the same place but get different time just because of skin color. Racism causes unfair arrests, incarceration and even murder of Black people who have not been proven guilty of any crime. We only achieve fair trials by fighting racism first.
5. Development
Racist individuals decide who to or not to work with and this denies bright minds the opportunity to put their skills into practice. The chance is given to an unqualified individual of the same race leading to poor results. This not only has an effect on the individual but also the productivity of a country. A world without racism would give qualified people equal opportunities regardless of race.
6. Fair treatment
Racism has seen an increase in cases of harassment in society. Black people have been mocked, insulted and even assaulted yet no measures are being taken to stop all this.
This is just my imagination of how the world would be without racism, it would be a great place to live in. I wish we could focus, and join hands to make this world a better place for all. Let’s realize that we all need each other, no one is better than the other, and we are all human.
The war against racism has already begun, it’s tough but the future is bright. This Black History Month, we have a dream and it’ll come true. Let’s spread love and fight racism.
