My name is Tatjana, a 13-year-old budding journalist, and I would like to express my views on Black Lives Matter and why I believe my generation – no matter what race, religious beliefs or political views – has a responsibility towards this movement.
I am the Generation Z. My friends are the Generation Z. We are the agents of change, and it is our turn to fight for what is right.
2020… what a year! And we’re only in June! It is no doubt a year that history will not be able to ignore; too much has happened, or some might say, too little. We entered the year hearing rumours spark about a potential World War and then in January the bushfires threatened the entire south coast of Australia. Not long after that, the world has been consumed by the Coronavirus epidemic, causing many to lose loved ones. And more recently we were horrified to learn of the distressing news that an African American man named George Floyd had been unjustly killed by the Minneapolis police force.
So now is the time to question: will we allow Floyd’s death to be remembered as simply another tragic, inequitable death, or will we use this chance to make a stand and prevent anything this atrocious ever happening again?
Racism has always been a part of society. As ridiculous as it is to think that people are prejudiced against others for simply the colour of their skin, we can’t change that history. That is out of our hands. But what we can change is our future, and we can only do that by learning from the faults of our past and trying to amend them.
No justice will ever be enough to fix the many lives we have lost due to racism or the abhorrence of slavery. It horrifies me that it was once legal for slave traders to force people from their happy lives and transport them across oceans to work just to stay alive, but we can now look to right those wrongs.
Being racist is a problem. Modern society is afflicted by people having problems with alcohol, gambling and substance misuse. We have provided places such as rehabilitation centres to help people with these addictions.
But how can we help already racist people? Do we need to provide rehabs for racism as racism is so irrational and illogical?
People who grow up in prejudiced atmospheres ultimately grow up to be prejudiced. Caucasian children should not be raised into thinking that Black or Asian people are lesser types of people. They all have the word people at the end of each one. Colour of skin does not determine a person’s worth. We all breathe. We all bleed. We all feel. We all fall down.
I am lucky in that I have been brought up by open-minded and unprejudiced parents and that has broadened my world view. As a Caucasian young person, my dad was born and brought up in the Seychelles, Africa and the West Indies. He told me that he was NOT ‘colour blind’ and understood that he had white privileges even in those countries. He says that a lot of well-meaning white people talk about this idea of how they are ‘colour blind’, but as nice as this is meant to be, this is actually a sign of their privilege. BAME communities can’t be colour blind, because their colour marks them out for prejudice. BAME parents often have to warn their children that the colour of their skin will cause them to be treated differently, and teach them about racism from a young age so they know what to expect.
We all may be different, but we should all be treated the same. So a division between our species is absurd. Especially a division based on race. What makes a rainbow beautiful is the abundance of colours it has. The very fact that we are all different colours and shades is beautiful.
I’ve heard people talk about how social media is our advantage in this game for change. But I am tired of seeing people reposting the same messages and points that people have already made! It gets us nowhere! I have seen so many celebrities, social media influencers with millions of followers that look up to them, simply repost words that have ALREADY been used, ALREADY been spoken, ALREADY been heard. Instagram’s, ‘Black Out Tuesday’ was arguably a mark of respect. But posting a black square does not evoke change. Black Lives Matter is NOT a trend! #BLM is a movement and you are not moving for yourself if you are simply following everyone else. George Floyd’s death is a wake-up call for the world. I would love if everyone could educate themselves in this time of change so that we can learn and grow together.
As Nelson Mandela said: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
Act now, and hopefully in 100 years’ time, the only trace of racism left will be parents telling their children the scary story of prejudiced people.
So, my point is, if you feel you need to understand more before you act, please do so. Read reliable sources and then ask yourself, has this world been unfair to people of a BAME background over the past few centuries?
Then ask yourself, are we, as Gen Z, in a position to now make this new world more fair for EVERYONE?
If your answer is yes to both, let’s be the generation that changes everything for the BETTER.
So what can we do?
Whilst many of us are still too young to vote, there is a limit to what we can do. Most of the big decisions are still up to our elders.
The aim is to make young people aware and educated on the problems of racism. Then, when they become adults and parents, they will bring their children up in non-racist environments.
Racism is a huge, complicated issue. Change does not happen overnight. It may be hard, and difficult, especially given that racism is a subtle part of society, but for it to continue is just not good enough. With open mindsets and social media to promote our messages of togetherness we can be the generation that actually makes a difference.
Social media, used well, can quickly spread awareness and allows people to speak and have their voice heard. It can also be a great way to unite people all across the world in to one movement. Especially for Generation Z, who are the most active on social media at this time.
There are many ways to support BLM. People can promote messages, donate, and educate themselves. But what we really need to do is self-reflect. Have we ever been racist, maybe subconsciously? We have to be sensitive and caring towards all parts of society.
When we are all allowed back to school, I intend to try and persuade my own school that there should be an afterschool activity – something like ‘Let’s Talk About Race’ where we can discuss these matters with our peers.
It’s a start. I hope to see as many of you as possible joining me on the start line so we can win this race, together.
By Tatjana Mager-Burr