Racism is a PANDEMIC
a top-of-the-list social evil
George Floyd’s murder and the Black Lives Matter movement had rekindled the anti-racism movement that had till then laid almost dormant. In almost all parts of the world the talk about racism is again gaining momentum as a measure to identify and dissipate long drawn explicit and implicit blows of racism suffered by the racialized population.
Racism is an evil that has thrived in society, rarely checked. But recent activism has sought to change this by instigating the formulation and effective implementation of federal policies and actions that would curb this widespread malpractice. But mere government intervention is not enough. The role of social infrastructure and institutional conditioning is equally vital, if not more. A variety of social domains have been playing a part in harboring and promoting racism.
The racialized population faces immense injustice and difficulties in procuring that which others, who are white or synonymous, face little to no difficulty, or at least no prejudice. These include, but are not limited to, employment, criminal justice, credit markets, education, housing and health care and ultimately, wealth. To provide support to these claims, a survey conducted in 2001 concluded that over a third of blacks and nearly one-fifth of Asians and Hispanics believe that they had missed out on a promotion or a job because of their race. It is also surprising (but not) to know that when it comes to income distribution, the net worth of an average American black family is merely one-tenth of that of an average American white family.
Institutional racism has also played a huge role in worsening the life of the racialized communities. This has been observed in the form of suppressive legislative and healthcare practices.
Even though democracies around the world claim to be racially neutral and culturally diverse, they have failed to provide their racialized communities with the same lifestyle that their white counterparts enjoy.
When people think of white, as a color, they tend to think of purity and peace. When they think of black, they associate it with darkness and evil. These have been portrayed even in biblical plays, assigning white to angels and black to demons. I have never been able to make sense of these deep-rooted prejudices. I can’t help but think that the world would be an infinitesimally better place if everyone was color blind, or color indifferent.
