This isn’t my usual blog about issues relating to economics, behaviour and people but is probably still relevant. Many people reading this will have a diversity and inclusion responsibility on them, this could be formal or informal but they have a responsibility to judge others on their merits not on the colour of their skin.

I’m brown. I’m of Indian descent. I am not black. I do not want to co-opt a movement not intended for me nor do I want to undermine it in any way. My experience is individual to me as is anyone elses is to them.

However, I think there are some universal tenants to racism, in particular the racism that a non white person experiences in a white dominated country. I am listening to ‘Why I’m no longer talking to white people about race’, having started reading it a few years back but not finishing it. While the author is black, it’s interesting how many of the same fundamentals apply to black and Indian. I was also told growing up that I would have to work 10-20% harder than the white person next to me to achieve the same amount. I was also brainwashed by school, media and society to believe the First World War was a war of white people, only to find out the historical truth that almost a million Indians fought for the British, and many thousands of black West Indians. The list goes on.

I do believe, and I make no comment whether this is positive or negative, the racism I have experienced in my life is much more behind closed doors, insidious and indirect compared the experience of some of the black people I know where it is much more overt, aggressive and systemic. If you have not experienced either, then be thankful for not living a life where you’re never sure you’ll get what you rightfully earned, where seeing the police brings up fear from somewhere deep down inside and where almost every meeting you have at work or in life you are aware you’re different, you’re in the minority or quite often the only person of colour in the room. Racism is not just the KKK lynching people:

If you didn’t want to date someone of another skin colour……that’s racism.

If you mocked the names of people from another culture……that’s racism.

If you ‘twitched your curtains’ when that non-white family moved into your neighbourhood…..that’s racism.

All of these I’ve seen or heard from friends and colleagues I’m close to. I have to admit my own culpability here that I don’t call people out on it, whether that be through fear, idleness or most likely in my case the want to “fit in”. It’s not good enough from me and now that I’m old enough and have two mixed race daughters, I’ll seriously try to be the person who stands up to it, for their sake.

This is why I found yesterday’s black out on Instagram galling. Some of these people don’t want to make a change, they make a single effortless click much less an uncomfortable change in their lens on the world. More than that, they are part of the bandwagon and therefore part of the problem.

If that post was the first step to you taking a more active role, and doing something about it, then I apologise and wholeheartedly support you. How about smiling at that non-white person you see on the street? How about engaging in a dialogue with non-white friends about their experience? How about not voting for leaders who are openly racist? However, and I have seen this many times before so you’ll have to excuse my cynicism, many people’s engagement ends with a single act of clicktivism. Your hypocrisy and virtue signalling can go elsewhere, it’s a mockery.

In the past decade non-white people have gone from being told ‘we understand’ when it comes to racism to ‘we couldn’t possibly understand’. This is a move forward, no doubt, but a small one. I have felt over the past few years that not understanding has been used as an excuse for inaction. If you or people around you want to make a difference, act. Do something about it. Try and fail rather than not try at all.

I’ll end with another admission of culpability, I have a group of friends that I’ve know since I was 4 or at least primary school. To my recollection I’ve never tried to talk to them about racism and they’ve never tried to talk to me about it. That’s understandable, it’s awkward, there’s a fear of getting it wrong and avoidance is easy. It’s inexcusable, if friends as close as that are unwilling then how are we as a society going to take the next step and actively call out examples that we see.

Actions speak louder than words (or clicks).