The “Black Elephant” in the Room

Why has calling out Racism become the “Black Elephant” in the room. The demonisation of “Wokeism” has played its part and those who feel that over the years their needs have been ignored see their moment for retribution and they are mostly middle-aged/elderly White men who occupy most of the powerful positions in the Western world and also wield much power across the rest of the world. The argument is that Women, Black People, Gay people, transgender people, and people with disabilities have had their way for far too long. Even Black people and other ethnic minorities have been seduced into thinking that they better not complain about Racism lest it makes their situation worse and that is the mindset that has been infused into the psyche of many Black people. We have prominent Black people whose ascendency has been aided by their refusal to acknowledge and talk about Racism and very often lauded as “A credit to their Race”.....guess who’s coming to dinner! The consequence is that many younger Black people believe that political activism about Race will be detrimental to their futures and their careers.

As the year comes to a close, we start to think about where we would like to go on holiday in 2025. As Black people do we prefer to go to the places we feel most safe such as where we have family and where we know we will not experience Racism or if we are of a lighter complexion, we might feel more comfortable to go somewhere where our African heritage is less obvious, and we might be able to pass for something more Mediterranean.

There was a time, more recently, when as Black & Brown people we had concerns about sending our children to the high street in case they were attacked by right wing thugs but thankfully it did not quite get to that but let us not forget it was less about ethnicity but more about colour and those who could hide their ethnicity took the safe option. As Black people I have no doubt that there have been some concerns when we travel to other parts of the world particularly where those peoples may not have encountered many Black people before in real life, and the locals have their own stereotype of what we, as Black people, are supposed to be. Most countries outside of Africa and the Caribbean have their own slang words for Black people; their equivalent of the “N” word and only a deep dive will discover what those words are and I am sure that some of you are aware of some of those words. Certainly, when my family visited Alexandria (Egypt), yes that is in Africa, we had that “Which planet are you from “ look. So, if places in the African continent buy into western stereotypes about us., surely no country is immune from that!   I have not even referenced places like China, Japan or Russia where there are many stories where our presence seems to be amplified; and not in a good way. We recently heard stories about Black Ukrainians being treated badly when the war started there and there has been little recognition of that in the western press. Many countries that value their reputation as democratic, multi racial and cosmopolitan sometimes fail to see the bigger picture regarding racism and because some good things happen does not mean bad things regarding Racism does not happen as well!

I saw a recent survey that listed the top 10 countries that Black people should be concerned about if they were to visit as tourists. Some of the countries quoted will no doubt argue that they see no argument that suggest that Black people are treated differently but many of the western countries that made those arguments have been cruelly exposed over the years. Some people may remember when the Tunisian President described undocumented Black African immigrants as “hordes” bringing “violence and crime” to Tunisia; and yes, Tunisia is in Africa! . Black people and Asian people but more so Black people occupy a special place in the perceptions held by other ethnic groups whether they are prepared to admit it or not! Association and proximity to Black people is no assurance that they will either be respected or treated in a non-discriminatory manner!

The myths and stereotypes about Black people seemed to have been shared all over the world. Partly by the dominance of American inspired western influences via western capitalism and social media, films and advertising. After all no matter where you go you will always find a place that sells Coca-Cola. Stereotypical tropes have reached places where American influences have been the only means by which some parts of the world have any knowledge of Black people. The myths of slavery, violence and savagery are strongly featured in American culture and translate in every language and culture, and we are very often judged by these preconceptions and the reputation for our supposed excellence in sports and music is no antidote to any underlying Racism……and sometimes feeds it.

Of course, these judgments that people have are very often exercised here at home in the UK.  Let’s not forget there are many places in the UK where many white people have never encountered a Black person despite the paranoia about our ubiquitous presence. We are all aware of those parts in this country where we get the extra look or there is something about the vibe that is inconsistent with our sensibilities. ……sometimes if we speak with an accent or a different language whether it is too British or too foreign, a judgment will be made. I was told more recently by a university student who was on a bus in Southampton and was talking with her friends in her home language and was told by a White passenger to speak English….this is what was happening in the 1950s and there are many stories like this that as Black people we experience and choose not to make a song and dance about it, even though we are supposed to be good at that, and that is interpreted as a sign of racial harmony here and abroad.

Society has convinced many of us to either ignore Racism or pretend that it is not happening and those who raise it as an issue are accused of over sensitivity or paranoia. We are also persuaded to diminish its significance by calling it “micro-aggressions” which is the new polite way of saying Racism so that we don’t upset the perpetrators…..and here we are worried about the sensitivity of those who have no problem in ignoring our demands for Racial Justice and Equality….What a mixed-up world we live in. If we are going to be subjected to Racism….lets go down swinging and invite all the Black elephants into the room!

Have a Festive Season!!

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