One of the biggest misconceptions is that only Caucasian people are racist towards black people, and other people of colour avoid discriminating against black people. Unfortunately, that is far from the truth.
As a brown man of Indian descendant, I have experienced my share of racism. But nothing to the extremism of black people. Brown people often avoid being persecuted as we are perceived in a certain manner. Society often considers us as individuals in prominent positions such as doctors, engineers, and accountants, or gas station attendants, and call center workers. The non-threatening portrayal of brown people in the media as the “thank you, come again” folks, save us from many violent encounters.
Growing up in an Indian family, I have seen racism towards dark-skinned people, especially the African descendants. A myth in the culture that dark-skinned African descendants are violent, aggressive, and not educated. I have met individuals among family, extended family, and friends that have a negative attitude towards the black community. Here are some questions/statements I have encountered from South Asian folks in my life and during my travel in India:
1, “Are all black people murderers, rapists, thieves, and violent in nature?” A question by someone regarded as a highly educated individual in India.
2, “Since you are probably not going to marry within our culture, at least don’t marry a black person.” A remark made by extended family towards my sister and I, when discussing marriage.
3, “It’s probably a black person.” An automatic conclusion about a robbery that occurred at a family friend’s house in Canada. She did not see the thief.
4, “I don’t want my daughter to take up scholarship from the USA since there are many ‘negros’ there…” a statement from an aunty when her daughter received a sports scholarship in the US.
I can’t completely blame these folks, as they were raised in a hateful upbringing that blamed all negative incidents on black and dark-skinned people; they weren’t privileged like me. The privilege of growing up in a diverse country like Canada. The privilege of having met, interacted, and acquainted with people of different races and cultures. The privilege of having black friends, the best friends, and individuals considered to be family. This privilege allowed me to understand black people and their struggles. I can only sympathize with them as my lighter skin tone and Indian features protected me from some negative biases, stereotypes, and violent encounters.
Brown privilege is often unchecked. Not that we are safe from racism or racist attacks, but we avoid being brutalized by society on a daily basis. We often avoid being targeted and assaulted by police. We often avoid being spied on when we shop, walk, or do any chores. Mind you the keyword here is “often,” as I am comparing those discriminations to black people, and by no means am I trying to say there aren’t any racial tensions towards brown people.
Brown people are not the only race that is racist towards black people. Including black people, other people of colour such as Latinos and Asians discriminate against them. I have witnessed, and read articles about, cultural hatred towards the black community. The most recent examples consist of a Latino gang joining police in attacking peaceful black protesters, and the discrimination of black people in China during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The focus of this article is on the brown community as I am a product of this ethnicity and since birth, have witnessed negative sentiments towards the black community. From individual interactions to Indian media, the negative portrayal of dark-skinned Africans is common.
Other races, including white people, have experienced some kind of racism. However, the one group that suffers under all race are the black people. That is why it is important to understand the Black Lives Matter movement instead of suppressing it with “All Lives Matter” narrative. Until black lives get the humane treatment, respect, equality, and justice, we can never have “All Lives Matter” justification.
Please visit blacklivesmatter.com/ to learn more about the movement and see what you can do to support and help the black community.
***For the sake of this topic, I am referring to South Asian brown people, particularly Indians. The discrimination is strictly regarding race and not in any way referring to religious discrimination. This article also doesn’t take into account clothing and facial features that automatically discriminates various groups of individuals***
