Racism and police brutality are not new issues, in fact, they have been prevalent in the United States for hundreds of years. Black, Indigenous and Latinx people have been brutalized, traumatized, thrown into poverty and forced to endure the prejudice of the system as well as those around them who claim to be allies. These issues are deeply rooted in society, government and every facet of our lives. From the Black Lives Matter movement to the protests in Hong Kong to SARS in Nigeria – the world seems to be riddled with violence and unrest. It’s unrealistic to expect instant change, but simple actions can ripple out to have a radical effect on the issues in society. We all have a front row seat to the erosion of our world and it’s time for us to step up, make a change, and Stop The Madness.

Ways We Can Fight Racism and Violence

• Check Your Privilege

One of the first steps to eliminating discrimination is understanding your privilege. Racial privilege is evident in social, political, economic, and cultural environments. Although you may not recognize the privilege you have, using it to dismantle systemic racism is just the beginning. Privilege doesn’t just stop at race, it applies for religion, gender, sexuality, ability-status, socio-economic status, language and citizenship status.

• Consider Your Biases

As children we are often fed the ideals of our parents, grandparents or teachers and this means we may have some ingrained biases that should be challenged. It can be difficult to confront yourself but analyzing your viewpoints and really understanding where they came from can help to free you from dangerous thoughts or ideas. Addressing biases can also include validating the experiences of people of color. Talking about these issues can be uncomfortable, but the only way forward is through. Watching documentaries such as the 13th or reading books such as Hidden Figures is a great way to learn about the Black experience.

• Challenge the “Colorblind” Ideology

In this “post-racial” society many people like to stand by the sentiment that they “do not see color”. Although the idea behind this may sound reasonable, it can actually be harmful to people of color as this becomes an excuse for people to ignore blatant racism. In order to work towards equity and equality, we must see color.

• Put Your Money Where Your Mouth is

If you are really an advocate or an ally to disenfranchised groups, then be sure to be intentional with the places you choose to spend your money. Supporting small, local businesses that give back to the community is a great way to support a number of causes.

• Be Intersectional

Fighting one form of oppression while ignoring others will only push the movement backwards. All forms of oppression are connected, so you cannot just pick and choose the causes that you deem most worthy – without justice for all, there is justice for none.

As a society, we need to be more compassionate and understanding when hearing out those who have been oppressed and negatively impacted by the political, economic and societal systems that have been designed to challenge people of color. We need to love harder and care deeper for our fellow humans and that means fighting the rampant injustices so present across the globe. I refuse to give up when it comes to dealing with these issues and neither should you… Let’s work together to end this senselessness, and Stop The Madness.

All the best,

Ejshani