It is no exaggeration to say that racism is or has been, at one time or another, an issue for virtually every culture in the world. Of course, it is only in the past few hundred years that anyone would have thought to regard it as an “issue” or problem to be overcome. From time immemorial, it was more likely just a part of culture, this xenophobic tendency; to cling to those we perceive as like us and to distrust those who are not.
Why is it, then, that many of the most heinous historical instances of racism seem to have taken place in the past few centuries? One immediately thinks of the multiple abominations arising from colonialism and the Atlantic slave trade. Is it merely because these historical events are comparatively closer to us in time, arising from supposedly enlightened and educated cultures, that we feel them more keenly? Or did our tolerance for the other actually decrease rather than increase as humans began to travel across the globe and come in close contact with each other?
I suppose it is necessary to consider these past circumstances, because of the old adage that it is impossible to know where we are going until we have considered where we have been. But it is also important to recognize where we are right now, and all of the possibilities of the moment. Societal awareness of the moral problem of racism is higher than it’s ever been, with new laws being put in place to establish this as a punishable offense. I believe this has a place in bringing about change, when simple moral suasion fails, as it sometimes will. But more important is a change in consciousness and awareness. It may well be that xenophobia is an ingrained trait, but when we look back through history, there are many heartening instances of when it has in fact been overcome.
Humanity has practiced slavery in various forms since time immemorial. Arguably, there is no more egregious denial of our common humanity than the notion that one person can actually “own” and command another, and yet that is the conclusion that countless generations came to. The transatlantic slave trade of the colonial era was perhaps the largest scale practice of slavery, with millions being transported against their will in inhuman conditions and treated like chattel. And yet, through a slowly dawning awareness of our mutual humanity, abolition movements spread throughout the 18th and the 19th centuries. The slave trade and the practice of slavery were systematically dismantled by those very societies that economically thrived on it. To be clear: Nobody overpowered them and forced them to stop the practice. They did it on their own, from within, through a growing awareness that it was wrong, leading to changes in legislation.
The end of slavery did not mean the end of racism, of course. In the United States, in particular, racism became even more intense for a time and it took at least another 100 years after the Emancipation Proclamation to secure for African-Americans their civil rights. In human terms, that is a slow, painful period; in historical terms, a 100 years is quite short a period in which to bring about a profound change in thinking and practice. And now, a generation or so after the Civil Rights era in the US, there is an African-American president in the midst of his second term in the office.
Positive change never occurs quickly enough. But the point is, it does happen; it is our duty to nurture it along. We can do this by examining our own thinking and behavior and by supporting measures, which promote equality and positive social change.
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