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“Conversations with friends and family, both online and in real life, can be the hardest. But it’s these conversations that can be most effective.” — Bert Blundon, NUPGE Secretary-Treasurer
Ottawa (21 Mar. 2022) — The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is observed annually on March 21. It marks the anniversary of when police in Sharpeville, South Africa open fired into a crowd of peaceful protestors in opposition to apartheid. 69 people were murdered, and 180 others were injured.
The theme for International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination 2022 is “Voices for Action Against Racism.” The United Nations describes the theme as:
- highlighting the importance of strengthening meaningful and safe public participation and representation in all areas of decision-making to prevent and combat racial discrimination;
- reaffirming the importance of full respect for the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly and of protecting civic space;
- and recognizing the contribution of individuals and organizations that stand up against racial discrimination and the challenges they face.
Age of misinformation
The creation of social media came with many advantages. It allows people to connect with their friends and family abroad. It can be used as a tool to show breaking news events and document them in real time. But it also came with a steep rise in misinformation and as a vehicle for the far-right to organize.
Internet literacy—such as how to fact check, what constitutes a reliable news source, how to spot doctored footage—is of vital importance. Far too often, people share graphics or videos from severely biased sources with skewed facts or straight up lies. They join hashtag campaigns without knowing their origin or the issue at hand just because the tags target a politician they don’t like. Unfortunately, all of this and more has contributed to an increase in racism.
Never too late to speak out against racism
Concentrated misinformation campaigns are deployed with the effort to divide. Many times, this division is fabricated on racial divisions. We saw how easily misinformation spread during the pandemic. We also saw how easily people brushed aside racism to support the so-called “Freedom Convoy”, despite ample evidence of hate symbols, harassment of BIPOC residents, and well-known racism of the organizers. The argument that only some of the protestors are racist is not acceptable. If you allow racists to stand with your movement, you uphold white supremacy.
Recent events have made it clearer than ever before; everyone must use their voice to speak against racism. White silence is violence. By not speaking out against racism, you are wordlessly supporting it. This story is not intended to guilt those who have previously not been actively anti-racist, but as a plea to get involved. It’s never too late to read works on anti-racism, to join anti-racism community groups, to donate to BIPOC led organizations or organizations combating racism, to contact your MP or MPP about racist policies and legislation, and to speak to your friends and family about these issues. This last point is becoming more important than ever as more people are sucked into far-right movements via social media.
Don’t shy away from difficult conversations
“Never assume that enough people are condemning racism,” said NUPGE President, Larry Brown. “Your voice will always be a welcome addition to the chorus.”
“Conversations with friends and family, both online and in real life, can be the hardest. But it’s these conversations that can be most effective,” said NUPGE Secretary-Treasurer, Bert Blundon. “When you see someone sharing racist misinformation online or tell a racist joke, explain to them what’s incorrect or inappropriate about it.”