By Sunday Usende Johnson

Racism is one of the oldest evil created by man against man and justified by man. Racism is not limited to the inhumane treatment given by a “superior race” to an “inferior” one, rather, it includes seeing nothing wrong with such actions.

Therefore racism goes beyond the acts. It is a mindset thing, and solutions should be created that targets the purification of the mind. Since the killing of George Floyd in America by the police, daily protests by citizens around the globe have erupted. Emotions are very high. Wounds of those whose loved ones received similar fate in the past have reopened.

People who were oblivious or in denial of the existence of racism have been forced to wake up to this unfortunate reality because of recent events in the USA, the UK, and other parts of the world.

When a history-shaping event of this magnitude occurs in human civilization, it leaves a lot of pertinent questions unanswered. One of these questions is that asked by humans all over the world, especially those who are not in the heat of this Black Lives Matter protests. “How do we react as individuals? ”  “Where does this development leave the rest of the world?” “How can an African respond to this?”

Here are some of the ways you can respond to the issue of racism and, in turn, make the world a better place.

1. Understand it.

I think every human is morally obligated to seek to understand an ideology that has allegedly had lead to the systematic oppression and death of millions of people over the past 400 years. Everyone should have proper knowledge of racism.

It is unsafe to rely on the knowledge handed over to you by your parents. This is because such information may be severely flawed. This applies to Caucasians whose forefathers have over the years concocted ideas to justify slave trade, systematic and institutionalized oppression of a minority group on the grounds of color. It behooves the descendant of such ancestry to seek the right knowledge, be objective about it, and then have the right and unbiased perspective.

Most disciples of racism or apologists have a skewed understanding of the concept of racism. When you do your independent research, you will be amazed at what you will find. You will wonder if there ever existed such a time. You will be forced to think deeply about this concept of racism. You’ll be better informed to educate yourself and your close associates.

2. Understand your privilege

A lot of people who do not understand racism or are indifferent about it are oblivious of the privileges they have. They make a general assumption that others are treated the same way. They are blind to the institutionalized preferential treatment of people based on color because all is well with them.

When we understand our privileges, and we are honest about it, it forms a basis for comparison with victims of racism who do not. If you are white and you don’t have to worry about being racially profiled by the police every day, it helps you understand that it not normal for someone else who shares everything similar to you but color, to be treated differently.

If you are black but live in Africa, you still have a privilege, howbeit, different kinds. You’ll know there is an injustice when you have so much freedom to go about your activities at home in Africa, and your fellow black brothers and sisters in the West have to look over their shoulders every time they go out. They have to worry about being flagged down,  pulled over, arrested, or even shot at when they go out. When you establish this privilege, then you will better appreciate any departure from it, which becomes racism if premised on skin color.

3. Let love and the bible guide your racist thoughts.

Again,  all religions and even atheism teach and practice love towards one another as humans. Our existence as humans is meaningful because of our neighbors, and as such, we should treat others the way we would love to be treated. As a Christian, it is easy to make reference to love as it is taught by one of the greatest teachers-Jesus Christ. He said that love is the greatest of all commandments. He also said that one could not claim to love God and hate his or her neighbor.

READ ALSO: Racism: Nigeria needs to take the lead again in Africa

This, our love for God should be reflected in our love for other humans. The bible also teaches that man is fearfully and wonderfully made. No man is less or inferior to another. When this ideology remains at the forefront of our consciousness, and we apply it to our daily dealings with others, it becomes difficult to be racist or have racist tendencies or be apologetic about racism.

More so, there are lots of inspiring bible verses against racism. Theses scriptures should enlighten our minds about our ancestry from the beginning of the world.

If we have the same parent — Adam or Noah — Whichever suits you; why then should we treat our brothers or sisters differently because of the color of their skin?

4. Have empathy for the oppressed.

You don’t need to have the experience of a black American before you feel compassion. And trust me,  you sure don’t want to have such an experience. Where you can’t walk out at night with a hoodie on and not be mistaken for a criminal. You experience several forms of racial profiling on a daily basis. How do you show empathy, especially when you’re worlds apart? Listen to their stories.

Personally, even though I am in Nigeria, watching YouTube videos of personal accounts of black minorities experiences all kinds of abuse because of their color has made me better picture how bad it hurts to suffer a similar fate.  Watch documentaries about the Civil rights movements and the life and time of its main actors. People like Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X should be studied. Their lives were all about the struggle against racial inequality.

You can move further to create ripples of empathy by sharing these stories and raising the consciousness of this evil among your circles.

5. Have the courage to change your racist behaviors.

Many of us do not know how racist we are until we begin to have a soul searching conversation with ourselves in the light of current events. It is easy to point fingers at other but difficult to tell ourselves the truth and more so to change our ways. Ask yourself,  “have I ever been racist?”.

You may have unknowingly condoned or even consciously participated in racial prejudices. You may be part of an organization that practices systematic oppression of racial minorities. You may not overtly support it, but you have not spoken against it or made an attempt to use your position of authority to make a change. When we find out that we are guilty, we should be brave enough to change our behaviors.

6. Speak up and Speak against all forms of discrimination and oppression.

Be ready to voice out in strong terms against racism of any kind.  Frown sternly at friends and close associates whose actions or words are racist. Educate the receptive ones and encourage them to change their ways.  Use any platform you have to add your voice to the movement against racial inequality. The premier league did print “black lives matter” on the jerseys of football players as matches resumed. That is a good example of using your platform to advance a course.

Residents of the UK, USA, Germany, France trooped out in their numbers to protest against racial prejudices. That is one way. There are several other ways one can join in the advancement of this just course.  You don’t need to be an American resident or citizen to lend your voice. In this age of technology, your social media handles are enough. You can achieve so much with it. Also, you can search for social groups with activities already in motion and tag along, or you can donate financially to the cause.

7. Discourage tribalism

Most of us in Africa experience a domesticated variant of racism, where the feeling of supremacy is not predicated on color but tribe or ethnic group. Some tribes feel more entitled to certain privileges over others because they believe that they are superior. They perceive other tribes to be second class and make them go through different kinds of oppression because of that.  They disallow inter-tribe marriages. They preserve certain positions of leadership in a multi-ethnic society for a particular tribe.

This ingrains the supremacy idea into the fabric of society, making it difficult for upcoming generations to make a change. You may not be able to do much about this, especially at the national level, however, you can start by being tolerant, loving, and respectful to your fellow countrymen regardless of their ethnic or tribal affiliations.

8. See every human the same.

It is one of the most fundamental steps against racism of all shades. We need to see every human being as the same regardless of the color on their skin, ethnic or religious or geographical affiliations. When this idea is crystallized at the subconscious level of the mind in everyone, then we would have made significant progress in our fight against racial prejudices.

All religious teachings since time immemorial are in uniformity about the origin of man. All men are from one stock-from God- and are created equal. Racism, on the other hand, posits that certain groups of humans are superior by nature to other humans. This is the idea that forms the bedrock of racial profiling and prejudices. The book of Genesis states clearly how God created man in his image and likeness. We need to accept this fact and teach it to our kids.

Sunday Usende Johnson is a medical doctor in search of collective happiness. He is a productivity coach and a healthcare delivery expert.

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