Sharon Gramby-Sobukwe
Restoration On December 18, 2009, the United Nations proclaimed the year beginning January 1, 2011, the International Year for People of African Descent: with a view to strengthening national actions and regional and international cooperation for the benefit of people of African descent in relation to their full enjoyment of economic, cultural, social, civil and political rights, their participation and integration in all political, economic, social and cultural aspects of society, and the promotion of a greater knowledge of and respect for their diverse heritage and culture (United Nations A/RES/64/169). This is good news, but my enthusiasm is tempered, for this is not the first time such an effort has been made. In recent history there have been two World Conferences to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination, held in Geneva in 1978 and 1983; three Decades to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination, (1973-82, 1983-92, and 1993-2002); and the International Year of Mobilization against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia, and Related Intolerance, which culminated in the world conference of the same name in 2001 in Durban, South Africa. Yet racism persists, not only because of structural discrimination but also because of our collective failure to reconcile and restore relationships as individuals, groups, and nations. The Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent was established in 2002 as a result of the abovementioned conference in Durban. They studied countries from various regions
G lobal Positions of the world, visiting and examining several very closely, including the United States at the invitation of the US government. The working group found that people of African descent commonly face structural discrimination and that poverty is pervasive and disproportionately high among people of African descent throughout the world. They are most often engaged in unskilled and poorly paid labor, leaving them vulnerable to unethical employers and economic shifts. This poverty is compounded by discrimination in accessing fundamental services such as health, education, and adequate housing. Poverty puts children at risk for malnutrition and health problems, which often result in children leaving school before they have acquired basic skills. In addition, discrimination is typical in the justice system. During questioning, interrogation, and arrest, people of African descent are racially profiled and often mistreated by officials, suffering violence, acts of torture, and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment by law enforcement officials. Discriminatory laws and sentencing, combined with policies that severely restrict reintegration into society, increase the incidence and duration of imprisonment, thereby destabilizing families, altering cultures, and undermining values and ethics within communities, ultimately resulting in a pernicious cycle of poverty. The racism at the root of this cyclic poverty, the working group report notes, is hard to identify. Structural racism is “... deeply rooted in tradition, literature, arts, and practice. Because of its social acceptance and absence of malicious intent, it [does] not at first sight appear to be wrong...” And often “the victim of structural racism [is] blamed for the situation which [is] considered to be the result of his or her culture, indifference, or passivity.” Increasingly, internalized racism is the result. Internalized racism is when victims of racism begin to believe in (even if subconsciously)–and therefore behave according to–the stereotypes that constrain them. One working group member described the context
for internalized racism: ... the transatlantic slave trade and the balkanization of Africa in 1884 ... forced Africans to focus their energy on freeing themselves. As a result, little was known about Africa prior to slavery and frequently persons of African descent could not come to terms with their African heritage. Education needed to reclaim and value African history and the continent’s role in world history. The issue was not only to educate people of African descent, but all people of the planet. (Report of the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent, April 2010). This description of racism would seem to prompt an aggressive and compassionate response. After all, the global, structural, and internalized dimensions of racism described in the working group report are more sophisticated and enlightening than our typical reduction of racism to “the color of skin.” However, more often than not, people of African descent are as unaware of our internalized racism as others are convinced that racism no longer exists. The resilience of our collective denial is not, unfortunately, finally dismantled by report findings. Instead, racism is an emotional issue deeply connected to our own selfperceptions and views of justice. When we identify with Christ, his love empowers us to seek justice and provides the courage and confidence to challenge racism in all of its personal, structural, and internalized dimensions. This process is one essentially focused upon restoring relationships by taking responsibility, confessing/repenting, forgiving, making amends, and, finally, reconciling. Dr. Sharon GrambySobukwe is director of the Masters of Organizational Leadership program at Eastern University, St. Davids, Pa.
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