RACISM: VOICE OF AN INDIAN WOMAN

There must be merely any human being who hasn’t faced this virulent racism. Racism is a poison to society, it has done a hazard to many children, spoilt the dreams of many youths. Claire McCarthy, MD, Senior Faculty Editor, Harvard Health Publishing said in his article, “Racism and its consequences can lead to chronic anxiety for children. And chronic anxiety leads to actual modifications in hormones that cause plague in the body, a marker of chronic disease”. The European Youth Forum’s report on racism stated that “Common episodes of racism, discrimination, and intolerance harshly limit the fundamental rights and freedoms of young people in society, including their freedom of expression, their freedom of association, their freedom of thought, religion and belief, their right to education, their right to attain the highest standard of physical and mental health, their right to decent employment, their right to social protection and their autonomy.” From these reports, we can guess that a particular stereotype or a sort of belief vastly hurt a cheerful Childhood and destroy the vitality of enthusiastic youth.

What is racism ?

Racism is the credence that groups of human possess different demeanour traits based on their outer physical appearances. In simple words, racism is a word used to discriminate against people based on their physical appearances and stereotyping the race of superiority of one over the other. It prejudices against other people because they are of another ethnicity. Racism guides aggressive behaviour against a person of another race based on certain beliefs.

My experience of racism

My name is Raima Shome, I am an Indian woman born with a darker skin tone. You can call me someone with a deep medium skin tone. Now being a 23 years old lady I love my appearance, my skin tone. But it’s all about now, the scenario was a little bit different when I was a teenager.

Let me start my journey from hating myself to absolutely being confident about how I look.

I am from a family where I am extremely pampered and naturally as they loved me so much, everyone was highly bothered about my skin tone. They were previously so much worried if I grow up with this darker skin tone who is going to marry me. Funny isn’t it! When I was in pre-school, a little girl! I used to hear everyone asking my mother . “oh, you and your husband, everyone in your family are having such great skin tones, oh god, why is she one with the darker skin tone”. My mother couldn’t reply to any of these questions.

Then in late 2010, in secondary school, the period of dreams and different feelings, when I was a teenager. It is the most fascinating duration of a lifetime.

I had, many friends, guys and girls.

I used to see them ranking beautiful girls in the class and I was never one of the beautiful ones. I used to get compliments as such, “Raima got a decent face, but she has a dark skin tone”, “if Raima had a fairer skin tone, she would look pretty”, “looks doesn’t matter, Raima is a good girl” the last compliment is better then the other two, but still, the feeling of not being beautifully used to sadden me. So certainly I started thinking I am not beautiful, my friends are! The inner inferiority complex used to murder my confidence. I used to feel ugly, I used to feel nasty, about my skin tone, I started to underrate myself. The more people complimented me in such ways, the more I felt apprehensive. When I used to walk with my friends, I felt like looking unattractive and lack all the confidence that I actually should have. Then time passed being underconfident. I started to use many fairness products. The more I used those, the more I started to degrade myself, and ended up being more darker, than what I was, got pimples and many more skin problems. The session of underestimating myself continued till my late 20’s. Consequently, I did not have the existence which I deserved.

My overcome journey.

Certainly when I grew up got access to the internet over my phone that helped me change myself. To be very honest internet played a very vital role in my life. The self-help videos over the internet supported me to help myself. I started ignoring all comments I got and manipulated those comments inside me, and accepted those, just the way I wanted to. Indeed studies play a very important role in people’s lives, the more I became educated the more I started gaining confidence.

Today I feel shameful for disgracing my beauty, I feel shameful for not respecting myself based on all those stereotypes. Today I respect myself , I love myself, and I feel beautiful.

My views against racism.

History says the civil rights movement was a struggle for social righteousness that took place mainly during the 1950s and 1960s for Black Americans to achieve equal liberties under the law in the United States. The Civil War had officially revoked slavery, but it didn’t terminate discrimination against Black people, they continued to withstand the devastating consequences of racism.

By the mid-20th century, Black Americans had had a surplus intolerance and violence against them. Till now we can hear much news as such related to this racial discrimination. This discrimination not only in America is a continuous practice all over the world. People are killed, murdered based on this nuisance.

The motion of #blacklivesmatter occurred in 2013, started again after seven years recently in 2020. Revolts flared up again after the killing of George Floyd, who died in May 2020 after a police officer knelt on his neck during his arrest in Minneapolis. “Black Lives Matter, after seven years, is now certainly in the DNA and the muscle remembrance of this country,” said Garza. The everyday local news makes us aware of these incidences now and then.

Have we stopped even after all this news? No, we haven’t! There is racism prevailing everywhere, in pre-schools, secondary schools, college campuses, university premises. It’s high time now people must thrust their voice against this reluctant practice. This venom is spoiling many lives, demolishing many smiles. Affecting the well-being of a small child and assassinating the youth. This should start from our very own residence, our own friend’s group, our school, college.

Every life matters. Stereotyping and distressing lives can not be the condition of this incredible world. This disease of racism should STOP.