I’m not Racist but Am I Antiracist Enough?

Am I Antiracist Enough?

It’s easy to know you’re not racist and it’s even easier to say it – ‘I’m not racist’. But the question I’ve been asking myself of late, since the despicable murder of George Floyd and the global peaceful protests for Black Lives Matter is – am I antiracist? And if I am antiracist, am I antiracist enough?

As a creator it’s my duty to speak up about racism. As a mother, my dedication to my children is that they grow up confident, caring and clever. Confident in the people they are, caring for the world and its people, and clever enough to follow their passions. There’s no room in my classroom for prejudice, discrimination or injustice. Antiracism for me starts at home. It’s understanding the definition of racism, and promoting its opposite. Racial differences DO NOT ‘produce an inherent superiority of a particular race’.

Collins Dictionary’s definition of antiracism is “the policy of challenging racism and promoting racial tolerance”. And so I ask myself am I continually challenging racism? And I ask you:

Dear Reader, Are you Antiracist?

Because it’s not enough to say ‘I’m not racist’. What YOU ARE has to seen to be heard – in your actions. What YOU ARE has to be heard to be heard – in how you speak and the way you talk. Don’t be silent. Speak up. As Seamus Heaney put it there’s ‘No such thing as innocent bystanding’

So let’s understand what racism is, and let us stop it. For once, and for all. For our friends, family, and neighbours. For those we work with. For those we work for. For those who live in countries that are our holiday destinations. And for those who visit our country for theirs. For our children. And their children.

Young Dubliners ask – “I wonder what will happen when we come together “- #IamIrish

Director – Kassandra Karema | Co-Director – Itchey Drew | Poet – Chinedum Muotto

What is Racism?

As per a number of dictionaries including Merriam-Webster’s current definition of racism, racism is:

1. a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race
2. a) a doctrine or political program based on the assumption of racism and designed to execute its principles, b) a political or social system founded on racism
3. racial prejudice or discrimination

However, as highlighted by Kennedy Mitchum, a recent graduate of Drake University in Iowa who is influencing a change in the above definition – racism is “both prejudice combined with social and institutional power. It is a system of advantage based on skin colour”.

Learning and Supporting Information:

Ireland:

NAACP – National Association for the Advancement of Colored People – naacp.org

Black Lives Matter – blacklivesmatter.com

Black Lives Matter Information Card – blackliveswillalwaysmatter.carrd.co

Further Learning:

National Museum of African American History & Culture – Being Antiracist

Brené Brown Podcast – Brené with Ibram X. Kendi on How to Be an Antiracist

NPR Podcast – The Limitations Of An Anti-Racist Reading List with Lauren Michele Jackson

PIN I’m not Racist but Am I Antiracist Enough?

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