Thoughts on life in America after Ferguson: MLK Day

MLK Memorial, DC - November 2014

The conversation on race relations in America has been difficult for me to engage with over the past months following #Ferguson. I have felt and continue to feel compelled to join the struggle for improvement in our country, however, institutionalized racism and white privilege have created a barrier even in the way we, white people and people of color, can positively effect change (eg: link to 12 Ways to be a White Ally to Black People by Janee Woods). After a 3 month sabbatical at home, I feel more closely connected to this topic and would like to express some thoughts, albeit they are constantly changing as this wider conversation evolves. 

Since the death of Mike Brown and the following months of protest in #Ferguson and beyond, the United States has seen a re-emergence of conversations around issues of race, poverty, equality and justice. Subsequent cases of police brutality, including the death of Eric Garner, resulted in further demonstration such as the "No Justice, No Tree" protests outside of the Rockefeller lighting of the Christmas tree in New York city in December 2014. 

The impact of increased civic mobility following these events can be seen in the wider conversation taking place across the US and beyond via social media and other outlets, meetings among key stakeholders to propose and plan for change, and broader engagement throughout society. It will take time to see the long-term impacts of these efforts, however, it can already be noted that the hands up Twitter movement and other mobilization taking place across the country have been a great success in raising awareness around serious issues while including people who have often been marginalized into the struggle. 

In the Midterm Elections of November 2014 I worked as an election official in Annapolis, Maryland in a socially diverse electoral district. Anecdotally, a co-worker who as born and bred in a majority African American neighborhood in our district, made note that there were a lot of people missing from his own area who could have come out to vote. When I asked him why he didn't call them to come down, he said it wasn't his responsibility to tell people what to do. I understood his meaning and didn't press the question further. 

When the ballots were counted and Republican representatives won by overwhelming majorities, including in my own traditionally Democratic state of Maryland, people were not surprised. Some people, like myself, were saddened by what this change would mean in the face of the deepening schisms within the country, fighting polarised battles around sensitve topics such as immigration, health care and police reform. 

Immediately we turned our attentions to the low turn out at the polling stations across the country, including the two-thirds of African Americans who did not vote (link to Reflections on the 2014 Midterm Elections by Clarence B. Jones)

and the overwhelming abstention of youth voters, who in some states dropped by 20% from 2010 (link to CIRCLE article on Youth Turn-Out). This low turn-out following increased civic activity across the United States seems difficult to understand at first glance. Why wouldn't people vote if they wanted change? 

Just before leaving my hometown to return to Belfast, I went to see Selma, knowing it was a film made in tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., but very little about the premise. I came to find that although I've studied American History and taken courses exclusively dedicated to African American history, although I grew up in a border state with history of slavery and racial persecution, and although I engage actively and openly with conversations around race and equality, I do not, and possibly cannot understand the "terror of living in the south" as an African American during the times of MLK (link to Most of you have no idea what Martin Luther King actually did by Hamden Rice). 

When I left the film Selma I wondered why it didn't come out sooner, wishing it had been released before the elections to remind many of us in pursuit of change but who did not use our vote of the lives lost in the fight for voting privileges. I left the cinema feeling inspired by the faith and hope people maintained during such trying times, marching alongside MLK and one another and continuing to register to vote while knowing the persecution they could face. I also left feeling helpless after witnessing the suffering so many Americans, particularly Black Americans, have faced in this struggle and the continued challenges that institutionalized racism present in the everyday life of so many. 

Upon further reflection, I understand more clearly why so many people did not vote. There are more nuanced analyses of this issue available, but to me it seems clear. There is no hope that change will come once we vote. People do not feel inspired to work within a system that feels broken. A system that continues to function alongside blatant injustice. A system that is biased. To add insult to injury, instances of racial injustice are occurring alongside the second term of our first Black president, a constant and very real reminder that positive change is a slow and tiring process.

Living in Northern Ireland after the Troubles, a conflict which was also fueled by the Civil Rights movement, I am becoming more familiar with the struggles that took place here to overcome the destruction of hope resulting at the hands of injustice, inequality, institutionalized prejudice, police brutality and community aggression and the subsequent mistrust between the two. Polarized politics have brought government to a standstill, in some cases literally dissolving the institutions built to serve. 

These similarities go to show that the impacts of oppression and injustice will linger long after physical violence is abated. In the words of MLK, "We must concentrate not merely on the negative expulsion of war but the positive affirmation of peace". This includes justice for all. 

Ultimately, we need hope for a better future and a trust in the political process that enforces democratic change. If people felt their representatives could hear and respond to their needs, they would vote. In the last few months, polarized politics, cases of questionable impunity and lack of empathy among us all have caused further deterioration to an already divided system. For the next 4 years, many states will have politicians who do not reflect the will of their constituents, because people have lost faith in the system. 

Continued dialogue and grassroots efforts working for justice and change will be the way forward in the coming years. We all have a role to play, regardless of our class, color or creed. By maintaining and broadening the heightened levels of participation that we've built upon in the past months, we can continue to find effective ways to speak, protest and work together. 

Nationalist Cows

Here in Northern Ireland, citizens are able to identify as British, Irish or both. It's nice to know this right extends also to the animals of Northern Ireland! Now, if only people could choose which beef they'd prefer to eat when visiting McDonald's, rather than it being mixed... #foodforthought

#TaxiTales

Taxi man tells me a wee tale of the time he drove a Roma family down to Newry; nice couple, few kids and the pram. Instead of the fare, he offered this gold ring as payment. "Greed got the better of me," the driver explained in his own defense. Turns out, wasn't worth the hundreds of quid he had thought. "He pulled the wool over my eyes"... 

Racism: The Perpetrator and Hater in us all

I was in a taxi on Friday morning with one of my regular drivers. I was delighted when I saw him because I was having a bad week and I always enjoy his banter. On the way down the road we passed a Romanian man selling magazines on the island and he shouted abuse as we drove by, saying he wished all the Romanian bastards and other immigrants would fuck off. He noticed the look on my face and said something along the lines of no offense, love. I pointed out that I too am an immigrant. But of course he doesn't mean immigrants like me. As he said himself, sure you work here and your partner's from here (what he also means is you're white and your native language is English...). I explained how most immigrants have no recourse to public funds and greatly contribute to Northern Ireland culturally and economically. I explained Northern Ireland is 99% white to which he said, where are they (white people) all? As there was a recent anti-Romanian attack in East Belfast, I expressed that no one should feel unsafe in their homes, regardless of the way people feel about them. To this he agreed wholeheartedly. At the end of the day he said we wouldn't fall out over our difference of opinions. Of course that was true as I genuinely like this man. Before I got out of the car he said softly, one of them called me white trash, do you know how horrible that is to hear?

I could hardly speak because I had too many things I wanted to say and no right to preach at this man. I wanted to say, 'maybe that man spoke to you with such anger because he was hurt by racist abuse against him and his family'. I wanted to say, 'if you know how horrible it feels to be abused in that way, why would you do that to another person'? I wanted to say something about our capacity for empathy in the face of shared experience. But what right do I have to say these things? 

This encounter reminded me that racism is not only hate - it is this entrenched system of imbalance that we all live in and ascribe to in some way. It's too easy, not to mention wrong, for me to point fingers at those who don't regularly engage with diversity, at those who comprise the so-called underclass, at my taxi driver who says something inappropriate. How dare I think he's more part of the problem than me. I have been privileged by my whiteness my whole life. How dare I think I know more because I'm from a country with more diversity than Northern Ireland. The United States is equally, if not more so, perverted by the all-encompassing machine of racism. How dare I think the dialogue around race relations is available to everyone, because it's not. It's by and large for those with access to a certain type of education.  

Yesterday I read a quote from the poetry-slam genius, Scott Woods, who beautifully articulated and educated with his definition of racism:

"The problem is that white people see racism as conscious hate, when racism is bigger than that. Racism is a complex system of social and political levers and pulleys set up generations ago to continue working on the behalf of whites at other people’s expense, whether whites know/like it or not. Racism is an insidious cultural disease. It is so insidious that it doesn’t care if you are a white person who likes black people; it’s still going to find a way to infect how you deal with people who don’t look like you. Yes, racism looks like hate, but hate is just one manifestation. Privilege is another. Access is another. Ignorance is another. Apathy is another. And so on. So while I agree with people who say no one is born racist, it remains a powerful system that we’re immediately born into. It’s like being born into air: you take it in as soon as you breathe. It’s not a cold that you can get over. There is no anti-racist certification class. It’s a set of socioeconomic traps and cultural values that are fired up every time we interact with the world. It is a thing you have to keep scooping out of the boat of your life to keep from drowning in it. I know it’s hard work, but it’s the price you pay for owning everything." 

This message forced me to re-examine my taxi conversation. 

The continued racist attacks in East Belfast, that seem to have be increasing in recent weeks, is a manifestation of this conscious hate Woods is speaking about. It's easy to scapegoat the perpetrators of hate crimes as the main source of the problem, but to do so would be to feed the system of injustice that impacts every element of all of our lives. There is not a small group of hateful, ignorant people who are responsible for racism, but rather it is all of us who do not continuously question what is and work towards what could be.

This small reflection will not enable me to radically shift the way I live, the way I vote, the way I think, or the way I feel as the asymmetric world system is far too powerful a force. However, we can remain vigilant and critical of this imbalance and scoop out the boat as Woods would say. We can discuss racism more deeply to fully understand what it is and spread that across our messages for change. We can be aware that we are all perpetrators of racism in one form or another, and we must all act out against it in all of its dimensions.

House for Sale in East Belfast!

Bony on the Move

On Sunday the 6th of July a group of young people were moving pallets down the Beersbridge Road. I was in a rental car at the time and was wondering why after 500 miles of flawless driving, I had to face the biggest road risk within a mile of home. Fortunately when the tottering stack of wood finally crashed, as we all suspected it would, it went forward landing on the road instead of backwards onto my car. In retrospect this is fairly lucky as I can only imagine how damage from Bony debris on the road factors into Insurance awards.

The following morning the remains of the Bony (tires, rubbish, furniture, ect...) were alight. Apparently there were concerns from the community that the bonfire had been built too near Elmgrove Primary School and so the bonfire was forced to be moved elsewhere. 

Although there was limited press regarding the concerns of this construction towards the end of June, there has not been mention of the subsequent mini-fire burning on the morning of Monday the 7th of July. It would seem that even if the bulk of the materials were moved prior to the 12th, a bonfire still took place on the site, exemplifying both the disregard and impunity at play here. 

Rally Against Racism

On one of the sunniest Saturday afternoons I can ever remember in Belfast, thousands gathered at the Belfast City Hall for a Rally Against Racism. This event followed the controversial comments of Northern Ireland's First Minister, Peter Robinson, whereby he patronizingly expressed having enough trust in Muslims to 'go to the shop' for him or provide him 'the right change' in a transaction. In an attempt to lend support to Pastor James McConnell's hateful demonizing of Islam, Robinson dug himself into a hole the size of his own ignorance. His flippant remarks and unapologetic condescension inspired the people of Belfast to take to the streets in a gathering for a better Belfast. This episode of anti-Islamic political discourse is occurring during a prolonged period of increased hate crimes across our city, whereby ethnic minorities are being attacked in the streets and put out of their homes. 

In times when our leadership (eg: religious leaders and politicians) should be defending basic human rights and promoting respect in our communities, it is an outrage that these very same people are propagating hate and mistrust.

In a heartfelt, tear filled interview; Alliance Representative Anna Lo called for a DUP apology in the wake of Robinson's ill-conceived actions. In her message she explained that the personal racist attacks against her have been enough to drive her away from Northern Ireland, a place she has loved and contributed to for much of her life. She spoke to the crowds chanting her name and holding "I stand with Anna" signs on Saturday saying, ''I came here for 6 months, that was in 1974. And I'm still here (crowds cheer) and I am not going to go away. I am not going away because of you." She continued to wow the crowds, myself included, as she described we were coming together in support of all ethnic minorities, citing opportunities like finalizing the Racial Equality Strategy, which has been under construction for nearly a decade. 

The straw that broke the camel's back and brought people to the streets was the anti-Islamic sentiments expressed, and subsequently defended, by the First Minister Peter Robinson. Since the blunder made on the 28th of May, the First Minister has apparently made a private apology to a small group from the Islamic Cultural Centre in Belfast. One man who was in that room spoke during the rally and explained the fear some members of his community feel in leaving their homes. His reply "Today I will say, my sisters go out. The people of Northern Ireland are with you. We are one of them and they are one of us." In his inspiring message he explained that although they accepted Robinson's apology, he sees now that if the comments were made in public, so should the apology be made in pubic. With this I agree wholeheartedly. 

Peter Robinson owes an apology, not only to a few Muslims, but to the entire Muslim community. He owes an apology, not only to the Muslim community but to ethnic minorities in Northern Ireland. He owes an apology, not only to ethnic minorities, but to all those he represents. He owes an apology to all of us living in Northern Ireland and dreaming and working for a better Belfast and a more understanding world. He owes us an apology for allowing hate and disrespect to colour the world's view of Northern Ireland, and for encouraging racism to breed in our wee country and beyond. 

Family passes the Flag Protest following the Rally Against Racism

The Northern Ireland I fell in love with all of those years ago, and which I now call home, is not a place of racism and fear mongering. It is a place where people are kind, welcoming and above all clever! Northern Ireland is a place where humour and wit seep into every conversation. It is a place where people make jokes with one another, but never at someone else's expense. The Rally Against Racism is a testament to the kind of place Northern Ireland can be. The rally was an emotive and powerful day for me as I was united with people, newcomers and home-grown alike, who believe in a world where people are connected, not because of where they were born and what community they belong to, but because of what they share. This Saturday I shared a great deal with the people with whom I stood side by side. I shared a powerful love and hope for Belfast, and the fervent belief that together, we can make change in Northern Ireland. 

Conflict: Pretty in Pink!

Today the tires of the Giro d'Italia are turning, as yet another international event has found value in Belfast as a world stage. Alongside this reminder that Northern Ireland is transforming, are the lingering legacies of the past. These photos make some attempt to portray this dichotomy, and of course capture a bit of our wee city. 

Watching the bike go by

East Belfast supports the Giro

"End British Rule" in Italian on
Black Mountain, West Belfast

Freshly painted, "Political Status Now" on the Giro route

Yardmen: Pretty in Pink! Newtownards Road

Memorial Garden dressed in Pink

Giro atheletes on the Newtownards Road

The bookkeepers support the Giro!

Orange is the new pink!

A Reflection from Terezín Concentration Camp

Terezin is a small garrison town about 30 minutes outside of Prague. Despite the impressive fortifications, underground passageways and moat - this location never came under siege and was therefore never utilised as intended. Instead, Terezin found its purpose around 150 years later, housing political prisoners during WWI and victims of the Holocaust shortly thereafter. The prison fortress was transitioned into a Nazi run work and transit concentration camp in the early 1940s. More than 150,000 Jews from the Czech Republic and its borderlands passed through its gates and suffered intolerable cruelty within. 

This was my first experience visiting a Concentration Camp. I had never heard of Terezin/Theresienstadt, perhaps because it wasn't a "death camp" in the way we understand it and therefore was never central to the history books. However, it was a place of torture, subjugation, and hatred where around 35,000 people lost their lives to disease, malnutrition and maltreatment and a further 90,000 passed through on the way to extermination at Auschwitz, Bergen Belsen, Dachau any many others. A place people went to suffer before they went to die. 

In 1944 Terezin was used to manipulate the world into believing that Concentration Camps were not the horrific prisons of torture and death that they are now known to be. The International Red Cross was invited into the camp to see the humanity of the space. Propaganda films were created to exemplify the fair and safe conditions, directed by Jewish artists who were used for their talents and discarded when the Nazis had stolen enough. What the inspectors didn't know when they gave it a stamp of approval is that just prior to their arrival, massive beautification projects and renovations took place to give an air of comfort and normality. The inmates were coordinated into sports teams and clubs. Artists show-cased their work in the forms of paintings, literature and poetry; strengthening the illusion even more. To avoid the overcrowding, which was of course a constant reality in Terezin, 17,000 of the old and sickly were transited across the region to death camps, giving a false sense of space. Lying to the world about the reality of Terezin seems to be one of the great injustices perpetuated by the Nazis, for it permitted people to continue turning a blind eye to what so many knew to be true. It was a truth no one wanted to contemplate, much less believe. 

When I asked our guide what the local populations thought, he admitted that people knew what was happening. The train lines would stop in the town and Jews were forced to walk several kilometres to reach their new prison-homes. He explained that people did not want to believe something so horrendous could be true. I have contemplated many arguments which would use ideas of justice and morality to pass judgement on this claim. To me, it makes sense that people could refuse to believe the grim, dark, ugly things that were right in front of them, for to believe them would be to accept them in our world. We want to live in a world where the Holocaust could not happen. Sadly, we do not live in that world that so many of us try desperately to imagine. 

We live in a world where we must strive to understand hatred and indifference so that we may endeavor towards healing. To disbelieve does not change what really is. 

The town of Terezin has not has the transformation that other cities of conflict have had, perhaps because the pain was too great and the loss too deep for such a small and isolated place. What it is though, is a symbol of what we as humans are capable of. It is a reminder of what can happen when we perceive others to be unworthy of our respect. 

"Oftentimes have I heard you speak of one who commits a wrong as though he were not one of you, but a stranger unto you and an intruder upon your world. But I say that even as the holy and the righteous cannot rise beyond the highest which is in each one of you, So the wicked and the weak cannot fall lower than the lowest which is in you also." Kahlil Gibran in The Prophet

Coursera - The Conditions for War and Peace

Early this year I competed a free online course with Coursera, which offered free lectures from the University of Tokyo and open discussions with lifelong learners from every corner of the world. One of the assignments asked us to think about the greatest peacekeeping measure, suggesting military power, democracy and free market as potential tools for peace. These short thoughts were then peer reviewed and open to discussion. The entire process was very rewarding in terms of keeping me connected to a field of study that inspires me and others who feel motivated to consider similar pursuits. The following ideas were my initial thoughts from this process. 

Conditions for War and Peace: Final Essay

It is the combination of many factors, such as military power, democracy and free market, that contribute to peacekeeping efforts. 

Realists would argue that military prowess acts as a deterrent against potential attacks, following the adage that defense is the best offense. The argument of Huntington, that military professionalism can limit war, is very compelling in that often the 'experts of war' will only take calculated risks to avoid loss and damages wherever possible. Also, it should be highlighted that it is usually the case that those who have experienced war are the greatest advocates for peace. Military power has great potential for limiting war although it does not promote peace - as peace in its truest sense is not only the absence of force, but it is the presence of hope.

Arguments for Economic Liberalism carry potentials as they explain complex power dynamics and allow for the protection of self-interest. Dr Fujiwara explained clearly that the United States and China may not have a hegemonic war in the traditional sense because free market and interrelated economies means that one cannot be destroyed without destroying the other. In this sense, the United States and China are economically interrelated. This argument has merit but it will not be strong enough to stop China from invading the United States should the benefit at some point outweigh the cost. Without an ethical basis of mutual respect and/or a value for human life, the arguments of Free Market Theory are not strong enough to lead to the elimination of war.

I agree with Dr Fujiwara that democracy will have a role in building global peace in the long term, however, democracy alone will not end wars. The example of the United States, a rich, powerful and stable democracy, engaging in warfare is proof alone that civic institutions and the majority of people themselves can support violence and war - and therefore democracy does not equate to peace. Where the people and their institutions do not equally value the lives of others living outside of their political boundaries, democracy will never eliminate war.

Finally, it will be a universal commitment to valuing human life that will be the greatest potential for peace, alongside the appropriate conditions of democracy, free market and possibly military power. It will be through developing empathy within individuals, communities, nations and international institutions that true and lasting peace will be supported. This has links to Liberal Institutionalism, Pacifism, Humanism and other theories but in its core it is the ability for people to value the greatest potentials for peace locally, regionally and internationally that will ultimately be the greatest deterrent against war. This of course has yet to be proven on a large scale but can be seen clearly in grassroots peacebuilding efforts around the world, where emotional inter-personal connections can reduce the incidence of violence and promote a warm and lasting peace.