Columnist clearly explains systemic racism
Dear Editor:
David Bond’s column about the oppression of non-white populations clarified for me what the term ‘systemic racism’ really means. (Oppression of non-whites in North America is real, June 23).
He clearly states that the oppression following the abolishment of slavery was deliberately followed by legislation that prevented people of colour from living in areas of white habitation and owning property, thereby ghettoizing and controlling a population through lack of access to the white standard of services, ie. medical care, education, housing and money services, and therefore making it extremely difficult to have an opportunity to better their living standard.
Bond doesn’t mention this, but we need to acknowledge that this ghettoization made it possible to stereotype Blacks and other minorities as lazy, mentally inferior, more prone to violence and criminal behavior and thereby setting up a justice system that fed money into the coffers of those who own the private penal system.
A lot of people (like myself) think the more liberal ideas of the current younger generation will fix the system by bringing justice to the policing system and create a more equitable and loving society.
But naming the inequality and acknowledging racist bias (a good start) is only targeting the symptom and not the disease itself.
The younger generation do have the power or numbers and use of technology to create a spotlight to influence public opinion, but the power of oppression still sits in the hands of the power elite, who have the control over legislation and change.
These young people are already saddled with student loans, housing debt and the unknown extent of the burden of the COVID-19 bill. This is probably why when some of the leaders of the Black Lives Matter movement were asked if they were hopeful that change would finally happen, most of them said no.
Bond said “addressing this inequity will not be the work of a year or even a decade.” Ghettos will continue to exist until transportation infrastructure to travel to parts of the city where good jobs exist is put in place and money flows into the ghetto to fix the basic lack of better education, medical services and provide clean non-toxic water and land.
We have to acknowledge our own blind eye in all of these cruel inequities to allow the power elite to take advantage of a disenfranchised population.
From my simplistic understanding of the disease of systemic racism, only the availability and movement of money from government and private sources will start to instil respect and dignity, the real measure of love into the areas of society that have been denied this right to life and equal opportunity.
That will take political will from our generation along with our children to start that ball rolling.
Patricia Kristie, Penticton