Lesego Rearabetswe LamolaThat is what most of us dream of.
Because of racism, blacks were separated from white and blacks were further segregated into cultural groups. Most of our grandparents lived in a world where whites were superior to blacks. Most made a living by working for whites. Even after 24 years of democracy we find that these inequalities still exist.
The private sector is still “white” dominated which means that most blacks still work for white people, this indicates that whites are still in control and are dictating the lives of black peoples by the amount of salaries they choose to pay.
Every day on social media and the road, we see young and old black graduates seeking employment. How sad is our education system that encourages us to be job seekers instead of entrepreneurs? The education system that allows us to be in the mercy of our “oppressors” who prioritize their fellow whites.
I would really love for racism to account for all the inequalities and oppression, but on its own it can’t. How does one begin to justify black on black oppression? One would think that because blacks know how it feels to be discriminated, that they would do a better job, well surprise surprise! It hurts much more instead.
I am very active when it comes to sports, so are most of my friends. I remember one day I accompanied one of my friends to trial for a spot in the rugby team for a federation I choose not mention. There was a mixture of black and white pupils. What I witnessed was really sad. The black pupils were only passing each other and the white pupils were also passing each other. I also noticed that it felt natural that they didn’t pass the ball to each other. I analysed as deep as concluding that racism has become so natural that we practice it unaware of ourselves. I’m really grateful to have been exposed to such things especially at a tender age of 17. On the development side of tennis, I have seen some of my peers play competitively. There is also a difference in how they play against fellow blacks and whites. When playing against blacks, the
game is interesting to watch and they show hunger of wanting to win the game. The difference when they are playing against white is very clear. They play because they have to play, there is no hunger to win because in the back of their minds, they believe whites are superior and tennis is typically classified as a white sport and they feel and show that they can’t beat them at their own game.
I become extremely happy when Serena Williams wins her matches. That is a big deal and a huge inspiration for all the black kids who have this misconception that whites are better. We all are
I believe sports is a universal language that we all understand. We may not all speak the same language or have the same skin color but, we all love and appreciate sports. I see sports as one of the ways that direct us to a racism free future. Racism is inequality and inequality is having beautiful sport facilities in the suburbs (white neighborhoods) and having recreational parks in townships. Whites utilize their sports facilities and enjoy sports while blacks drown their depression with substance abuse at these parks and just like that there goes the future of a young black leader. Davis Cup is always hosted at Centurion, Irene Country Club. Townships should have decent facilities as well, to host these great tournaments, this is for the black child that is exposed to social ills such drugs, crime, poverty and unemployed so that she/he can see that the world has more to offer.
A philosopher by the name of John Rawls came up with 2(3) principles. The second principle having two sub-principles. His principles are as follows:
Principle 1 – “Greatest equal liberty”. Which states that each person is to have an equal right to the most extensive basic liberty compatible with a similar liberty for others.
Principle 2 – “Equality of Fair Opportunity”. According to this principle, it means everyone despite of who they are, background and race should have the same equal opportunity.
Principle 3 – “The difference principle” this principle allows some degree of inequality, provided that the poor also benefit from this.
John Rawls known for his idea called “the veil of ignorance”. The idea states that: “we should not know anything about where we sit in society or our natural talents – the accidents of our births, family and genetic makeup. For example we should not know if whether we are black or white, Muslim or Christian. In summary, we should be ignorant of our births.
Racism is not entirely about black and white. As above stated, it’s about oppression, inequality, and a mental state that says you are beneath or above someone because of who we are. A future free of racism would constitute of John Rawls principles, where all our basic rights are taken into consideration and respected. Where our background or the colour of our skin does not predetermine our opportunities. A world where the oppressed and poor are taken into consideration and are capacitated into being self-sufficient. The “veil of ignorance” is of the utmost importance, if we were all ignorant of our social standing, the families we are born into, the colour of skin and etc. we would all treat each other equally. To add on this, we need an education system that encourages innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurship. This culture of dependency and being spoon fed is the reason why racism will always exist.
To conclude I would like to remind everyone of the poem called: “Da Same Da Same” by Sipho Sepamla which explores how, despite the different ethnicity and cultural background, all humans are essentially the same. Keeping in mind the bible verse from the book of Genesis chapter 1 verse 27 that says “we are all created in the image of God”. We all are beautiful before the eyes of the Lord. We all have the same colour of blood pumping through our veins. The Lord loves all of us alike and we should reciprocate the same love amongst ourselves here on earth.
References: Good News Bible https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Theory_Of_Justice
