Slapped with Racism

I have been meaning to post about my recent trip to Zambia. There was one point during the trip that was a definite “crash” (as in the movie) moment. Our group was visiting a community center in a rural Zambian village. The Director of the center, whom I will refer to as “E” was known, even before we arrived, to have a questionable approach to development, both in terms of power and reflexivity, and in terms of race relations.

This was proven true one day when a group of witnessed pure racism. It was as if we were slapped across the face with it. A group of us were taking a tour with E, when a young (black) Zambian came up to simply ask her a question. She responded with a barrage of insults and put-downs (with the air of a purely colonialist mindset), clearly making him feel tremendously small and embarrassing him painfully in front of us, a group of visitors. E’s actions were both damaging and appalling. They made all of us uncomfortable and angry. Yet at the time….none of us acted. For me personally, I was so shocked by her actions that I shut down. I literally stood there, pretending and hoping and wishing that I could be anywhere but there, that I didn’t have to witness this poor young man’s fundamental human rights and right to dignity being taken away.

Yet…let us not be so quick to judge her; for we all harbor darkness and light. It is our very own societies that have manufactured this inequality, hatred, and distrust amongst various groups of people. This does not mean her behavior was right. There are fundamental human rights that no one has the right to infringe upon, and the young man’s right to lead a dignified and respectable life were, on that day, under attack. But before we judge E and make her out to be the devil, I think we need to disassemble ourselves, our own roles in society, and the societies within which we operate. We need to try to have compassion for her and for ourselves.

In my own village, I do not wish to rationalize anything, but I have come to what I feel is a deeper understanding of the race relations at play. I think certain groups are simply afraid of others, and that they mask that fear with hatred, belittlement of others, and sheer racism. Rather than take the risk that is always inherent in compassion and being open (but that thereby almost always unleashes a torrent of respect, understanding, of meeting the compassion and openness equally), people turn to distrust and animosity. I also believe that this will change – what other choice do we have than to believe that? As I write this, the Trayvon Martin case is at the forefront in the U.S. A grave case of social injustice, and a stunning example of just how far the U.S. has to come in terms of healing and race relations. It is true the world over: there are many oceans to swim through, many deserts to cross, before we find an equilibrium of healing, trust, and an ability to move forward in a just manner.