In the face of racism and white hegemony, our most favoured metaphors can breed self-hatred amongst people of colour. It’s time to turn these metaphors on their head. Here are a few highlight post to set us on our way.
Darkness Goodness by Jacqueline Daley
It all began in darkness
In the beginning the earth was a formless void
Darkness covered the face of the deep
In darkness the Creator God dwell
Thick canopy darkness surrounded God well
Righteousness and justice the foundation for all to tell
Trayvon Martin and Bearing Witness to Injustice by Jessica Brown
I’ve been called a feminazi, an “oreo” (white on the inside; black on the outside), a bitch, a nigger bitch, a militant, a ho. I’ve been told that black is ugly, stupid, violent, evil, less-than.
I’ve been propositioned and grabbed and followed and harassed and humiliated by people who think they know me because of what they see, who feel entitled to an opinion of me, entitled to work out their own racial prejudices through me, entitled to touch me, to possess me, to dominate me.
Facing Down Racism by Brian Walsh
Some years ago I engaged in a radical act of NIMBYism. An act that I am proud of and would happily repeat.
A group of people had moved into our neighbourhood in the South Riverdale area of Toronto and a number of us didn’t want them in our community. We wanted to say in no uncertain terms that these people were not welcome. We told them to get out of town. We said that the likes of these people were not welcome in our backyard!