Learning From Historical Tragedies

-
We live in a world of intolerance and discrimination of various forms. On March 20, 1960 under the apartheid regime of the South African government sixty nine (69) black demonstrators in the town of Sharpeville were shot and killed in cold blood as they demonstrated against the unfair and discriminatory policies of the white government.   This massacre outraged the international community and became known as the Sharpeville massacre.
This horrendous and inhumane event resulted in the United Nations (UN) setting aside March 21 as the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.  Each year since 1966 the world pauses on March 21 to commemorate the events of 1960 as well as to remind people of the negative consequences of racism.
The theme for the 2015 International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is “learning from historical tragedies to combat racial discrimination Today”. As a people if we don’t know learn from the atrocities of our past history we are likely to repeat those same ills.   The United Nations plays a pivotal role in organizing events to commemorate the significance of the important day to world history. This day is set aside to explore the root causes of racism and racial discrimination, as well as, to stress the essential need to learn the lessons history has provided in order to combat racism and racial discrimination today. Despite the efforts of the United Nations much more needs to be done to end all forms of prejudice and intolerance. Jamaica joins with the international community in solidarity in recognizing the importance of this day as we work together to stamp out all forms of racial discrimination.
In the words of Marcus Garvey “A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots. The time has come for us to recommit ourselves especially on this the forty ninth (49th) anniversary of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination to eradicate all forms of bigotry and build a global community where justice and equality becomes the hallmark of our civilization.

Wayne Campbell
waykam@yahoo.com
Twitter: @WayneCamo

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Insecticides, Air Travel And Safety

-
Image
We are not insects, we are human beings. To travel by air is a privilege. Air travel is a costly adventure as well.   Those of us who have been fortunate to travel oftentimes experience some amount of excitement leading up to that moment. This heightened sense of emotion happens to almost all of us irrespective of whether we are a frequent flyer or a first timer. This buzz never goes away regardless of whether you travel economy or first class. However, for some folks there is a sense of nervousness during travel. There are numerous lessons we can learn whenever we travel. For example, our outlook on life is often altered due to the interaction with other peoples and cultures. Once the airplane takes off and you begin to ascend into the clouds, sometimes of altitude unbelievable to those without this experience, one can feel like someone who is imprisoned until your flight lands and you disembark. It is usually at those altitudes that the airline crew informs you that they are goin...
Read more

Vessels of Honour: Celestial Treasures

-
Image
“Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”- Psalm 51:10. Many of us have a skewed understanding of God our creator. In many instances we believe or are led to believe that in order to be used by God we must be pure and sinless. This tainted view undoubtedly also impacts our relationships we have with God. Having such a distorted view of God and what God demands from us oftentimes lead us into disobedience. The same is true concerning the weight of condemnation. It is for this reason why it is critical for us to spend time in the Word of God which is the Bible. We all need to know God for ourselves. We often make excuses to study the Bible, yet, we will spend hours on social media or hours gossiping people’s business. Nowhere is gossiping more pronounced than in the church. The church as we know it is not a place of honesty. Why do I say this? Oftentimes we turn to the church in our moments of weakness and vulnerability yet, the solace and compassion that ...
Read more

Interrogating Black Fatherhood

-
Image
“What I've realized is that life doesn't count for much unless you're willing to do your small part to leave our children all of our children a better world. Any fool can have a child. That doesn't make you a father. It's the courage to raise a child that makes you a father.”- Barack Obama. Fatherhood, especially black fatherhood oftentimes is not as celebrated as it should. As a result we continue to hear of the arguments surrounding my mother who fathered me. There are specific roles concerning the sexes and frankly speaking mothers cannot father children, likewise fathers cannot mother children. Indeed as a society we need to move the discussion away from these examples of oxymoron. This flawed premise has been around so long and unfortunately has become normalized in many societies. However, the time has come for us to have a serious and honest discussion as this argument must be interrogated and replaced with a sense of responsibility. In fact, there is one m...
Read more