A beautiful young woman stands
in the doorway of the room
you are sitting in.
Her name is Olga from
Novosibirsk, Russia.
To you and me she is a nice, attractive and we wouldn’t know where she came from, her attitudes, nastiness, accent, nationality, background - until she speaks and we meet in some way.
Believe me, Olga is living in a project and volunteering on holiday programme, - she is great!
Another young woman stands in the door and immediately there is a different reading in our eyes, brain, feelings, awareness and guardingness.
Before this person meets us, relates, shares accent or attitude, we see the young woman is black. As a white person, and most in this community are white - we can be prejudiced before we even give a person a chance.
When I was a kid in St. Helens, Lancashire, my dad always called me a nignog!
When Joan and I went working in an Approved School (Joan 22/me 26) we met black kids/families for the first time and I was shocked to discover that ‘nignog’ was not a friendly, superficial, jokey insult - it was an abbreviation of nigger/golliwog!
I learned so much in that context. I learned so much in The London Borough of Newham for 10 years. I need to learn so much more here and now because it is so easy to be prejudiced - even racist. (I hate it, I hate it!)
When I lived in Canning Town my front door was sprayed with the letters 'N.F'.
Shortly after, I came to run a Project in Romford 20 years ago, my car was sprayed with big letters,
'N.F'.
I feel disturbed writing this because I truly hate racism and I feel uncomfortable hating anything!
I was interviewed some time ago by a young Asian woman doing research into racism. I talked about this stuff - and more.
It also made me think! Feel! Determined! Committed! Reason for writing this?
I feel we have to watch it!
We can display attitudes to others of a different skin colour without knowing it. So I write and ask us all to consider being sensitive to this issue whatever our skin colour.
Feel our feelings.
Check how we feel when we see someone.
When we talk - to someone.
Then ask - self - am I using the right attitude?
You may or may not put your hand up to the Christian faith. (Would you?)
The YMCA, who I still do a lot of work for, does - in small projects and worldwide.
We need to be striving for growth in this racist/prejudiced world - as in all the things we do!
PS I have a friend called Harry Cumberbatch. His surname is not his family name passed down generations.
The surname was forced on him and his fore-fathers by a plantation owner whose name was ‘Cumberbatch’ - when they were bought into slavery. |
