First things first – black lives matter, they always have and they always will; the sooner we accept this, the better.
Photographs: iStock
Text: Conrad Egbert
Racism has been programmed into us. Fight it.
Institutional Racism is real and needs to be uprooted. Believe it.
Avoid describing people by the colour of their skin; it’s ignorant and divisive.
Actively dress cross-culturally. Include ethnic wear into your wardrobe;
buy a sexy choli or some gorgeous African prints.
"Achievement has no colour" - Abraham Lincoln
Racism = hate.
Don’t allow racist conversations within friend circles or at work; shut it down immediately.
Racism begins at home; no one should get away with it, not even family.
Hate shall not prevail.
Patrisse Khan-Cullors, Alicia Garza and Opal Tometi. Google them.
Don’t be afraid to unfriend racists and haters; you’re better off without them. It’s the only way to bring about more significant change.
Shout out more about the wonderful people in your life, the good ones, the role models, the ones with that Markle-Sparkle.
Be Barack and Michelle Obama.
Don’t be subservient; we’re all one race – the human race.
Colin Kaepernick. Kneel.
"The true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members" - Mahatma Gandhi
Listen to those who say they’ve been victims of racism. Let them speak. Try to understand them. If possible, apologise on behalf of the entire human race; we’re all guilty for letting us get here. Support black-owned and run businesses; literally, put your money where your mouth is.
Tamir Rice, Breonna Taylor, Rekia Boyd, Eric Garner, Aiyana Stanley-Jones, Tanisha Anderson. Their black lives mattered.
"Do the best you can, until you know better. Then when you know better, do better" - Maya Angelou
Actively diversify your circle of friends to include people from multiple races and cultures. Learn about them. Respect them. Some cultures were here long before your countries were.
Not all white people are racist. Don’t hate.
Not all people of colour are anti-racist. Beware.
We can never fully understand what a person is going through until we step into their shoes. Try living in their skin.
Forget what mama said and go ahead and smile at a stranger; it changes society.
Elevate white people who fight for the cause; they’re our Trojan horse in the battle against systemic racism. At the same time call out those who play the racist card to further their own agendas; they’re not our friends.
Listen to Whitney Houston, Maria Carey and Aretha Franklin.
But also listen to Dolly Parton, Shakira and Nora Jones.
Be colourblind; look past the dermis and directly into the soul.
Stand up for each other, whether in the street, at home or in the office.
R.E.S.P.E.C.T
Sit next to each other; be that Benetton Ad.
Love.
Know who Emmitt Till and Elijah McClain were;
the Jim Crow Laws.
Watch Hairspray and pump up the volume.
Learn about the Emancipation Proclamation,
the Black Wall Street and Brown Vs. Board Of
Education of Topeka.
Educate yourself about white privilege; it’s not just a cool catchphrase but history about years of white advantage vs architected black disadvantage.
Martin Luther King said ‘genuine equality is economic equality.’ Reparations must be made.
And last, but not least, George Perry Floyd Jr.