January 30, 2013 at 5:54 p.m.
A white Bermudian's perspective on race
I'd like to make it clear that although I am a member of CURB, I am not speaking on behalf of CURB this evening. My comments are exactly that - my own beliefs and opinions about where I, as a white Bermudian male, stand in regards to race relations and racism in this country and my hopes about how we, as white folks, can move forward.
I would like to think that most of you came here this evening because you realise there's a problem around the issue of race in our community. I'm sure that we don't all agree on exactly what that problem is and I'm quite certain that we won't all agree on who should be responsible for "fixing" the problem. Perhaps some of you want to know what you can do to help. And maybe some of you came out of sheer curiosity. Regardless of why you're here I can comfortably say that a good number of you will have major issues with what I'm going to speak about tonight. Some will take offence, some will feel they are being blamed for something, some will be angry. I know this because, when I was first confronted with the nature of racism in Bermuda and entered into these discussions, I was very angry, very defensive and pushed back hard. It has taken me literally years to get to where I am today. And I want to make it clear that I'm not an expert on anything I'm talking about tonight and certainly don't presume to tell anyone what to do.
I believe that, if you were to ask white Bermudians individually whether they were racist, most of them would say no. I think if you were to ask an outsider whether there was racism in Bermuda based on objective factors such as the disparity between whites and Blacks in employment, wages, housing and standard of living the answer would be a resounding yes. This leads us to a quandary - that racism exists in Bermuda but nobody is racist. I subscribe to the view that in Bermuda we are facing what is known as "colour-blind racism" or "racism without racists", what some might call a "kinder, gentler racism".
For all intents and purposes, many in Bermuda's white community view our Island as a level playing field where we are all treated equally. It's comforting to believe that the struggles and successes of the Civil Rights Movement both in Bermuda and around the world over the last 50 years have brought about change that allows us all equal opportunity to progress socially, economically, politically, spiritually. This concept of equality sits well with us as whites, with what we've been taught to value - that we can succeed as individuals and that, simply with hard work, within frameworks like "meritocracy" and capitalism we all now freely enjoy the right to self-determination. What we as whites often fail to realise is that we cannot overturn 350 years of internalised racial superiority with less than 50 years of legislation. Sparse legislation at that, begrudgingly granted in response to the concerted efforts of People of Colour on this island.
I can already see that bringing up this concept of white supremacy has raised some hackles in the audience. Perhaps you feel the heat rising in your blood, feel your face flushing with anger and the doors of your mind starting to close. I'm sure of that because I've been there myself. So I'm asking you to please bear with me here, to keep your hearts and minds open as I talk a little history. I know: you didn't come here for a history lesson, certainly not from some Joe Schmoe like me! But we can't truly focus on the problems of the present without looking through the lens of the past. So give me a few more minutes of your time - there will be plenty of time later for your voices to be heard.
The concept of race, indeed the concept of "whiteness" was created by whites. I believe that it was created by whites to allow them to live with themselves as they proceeded, beginning in the late 15th century, to colonise the world; to inflict genocide on indigenous peoples; and to perfect the practices of chattel slavery. People of Colour were literally seen as subhuman, which meant that we as whites could rationalise away the pain and suffering we were inflicting on what were viewed as "animals". Let me pause briefly here to assure you that I am not raising this history to make any of you feel guilty or to try to inject some sort of moral imperative into the conversation. But I do want to highlight that this history did happen and it provides context for what was to come later. We are not to blame for the actions of our ancestors, but nor are we absolved from the responsibility to deal with the consequences of those actions.
From at least 1833 Blacks outnumbered whites in this country, although close to 75% of them were slaves at the time. In 1834, the same year that slavery was abolished the voting qualification was raised from a property value of 40 to 100 pounds, and to run as a member of the House, from 200 to 400 pounds. The very act that purported to quote "confer on them all rights and privileges enjoyed by the other inhabitants of this colony" endquote, is already being whittled away by new discriminatory laws and practices aimed at privileging one group at the expense of another. As some Black folks began to work towards the higher bar required for the franchise, in 1842 An Act to "Encourage Emigrants coming to these Islands" from the United Kingdom is passed marking the first endeavour to increase the white population. Five years later the legislature votes 400 pounds to be paid as a bounty to the first vessel that brought in Portuguese settlers.
In 1887, Saltus Grammar School opens for the education of white boys, paving the way for generations of white male privilege. In 1920 over 100 acres is expropriated from Black Bermudians for the development of a resort playground targeted at rich white Americans. 10 years later a law is passed allowing hoteliers to turn away would be guests at their discretion. In 1961, 127 years after the abolition of slavery, universal (but not equal) suffrage is achieved. Landowners receive a plus vote - equal suffrage would not arrive until 1968. In 1965 government withdraws funding for Howard Academy, which was formed 20 years earlier for the education of Black children.
Do you see where this is going? At every turn the bar is raised for People of Colour in this island, in terms of rights to vote, access to education, inclusion in the economic order. Whites are brought in to do work that was previously done by Blacks during slavery and the result is that Blacks got pushed even farther down the economic line. Blacks are uprooted from their homes in Tucker's Town and it's highly questionable whether any were fairly compensated. Indeed, what would you consider fair compensation for your home and property if your family had lived there for generations and you didn't want to sell it?
I understand that these are all historical events, some of them very old, but we should try to recognise some the implications of this history. As People of Colour were not provided with equal access to education, housing and employment (not even with the basic right to vote!) they were not able to build and accrue capital that they could pass on to future generations. Because they were unable to accrue capital, they were unable to use this capital to better educate themselves, to invest in their communities, to access the all-white institutions where many inside deals were formulated. They were shut out of building authentic relationships and alliances with white folks.
And what has this history done for us as whites? It allowed us to enjoy better education, to set the legislative agenda, to build capital, to continually marginalise People of Colour by not selling property to them, by uprooting them from their land, and by forcing them into dense and overpopulated neighbourhoods. These actions ultimately allowed us to internalise our racial superiority over Blacks. How could this not happen? How could we as a group move ourselves forward freely in political, social and economic arenas at the explicit expense of Black folks and not develop and maintain a sense of superiority?
This is the devious nature of our condition - several generations ago the concerted efforts to continually privilege whites at the expense of Blacks were moved off the front burner of legislative agenda and onto the back burner of unconscious acceptance of a skewed reality. We began to fall back on the ideals of individualism, the idea that with universal suffrage and integrated schools in Bermuda and with Black political leaders (1971) we had somehow arrived in a place of equality for all. As some Black folks began to slowly inch their way into white circles, whites continued to segregate themselves socially. The myth evolved that, simply with hard work, anybody could get ahead in Bermuda.
I don't have time to get into deep discussions about colour-blind racism, but the crux is that we invented frameworks that allowed us to view ourselves as non-racist. By the time I was born, many of the overtly racist ideas were starting to be moved to the background, to the white unconscious. I wasn't sat down by my family and taught to be racist. Indeed my parents, my grandparents were not explicitly schooled in the system. We were all socialised one way or the other through family, education, mainstream media, through unconscious observation that this is just the way the world works. It's like the fish in water that doesn't know he's wet.
I'm already running over time here so I'm going to wrap up with some of my ideas of how we as whites can move forward. Unfortunately there are no quick fixes for resolving what has taken dozens of generations to put into place. But I ask you to try and find a place in your hearts and minds for 3 things - Honesty, Open-Mindedness and Willingness.
BE HONEST
Try to honestly examine what happens in your daily life - how often do you interact with persons from another race? How do these interactions differ from those interactions with white folks - are they as genuine, are the friendships as deep, do the conversations have as much substance? Do you talk about race with your Black friends and the impact it has on their lives? If not, ask yourself why, ask them why, start a discussion.
Be honest with yourself about your interactions with others. Listen actively to the discussions that take place in all-white spaces. This is a tough one because certain things are not said explicitly in polite conversation. If you're in a room of white Bermudians and are hearing comments about what is wrong with Bermudians, ask yourself what is really being spoken about. We often use code words to talk about these issues as it protects us from confronting the nature of what we are really talking about. Force yourself to be aware of racist or other oppressive humour that can spill out in all-white conversations. When challenged on these jokes many white folks will fall back on the "I'm only joking" excuse, but remember that when you remove the humour from racist humour it's still racist.
If you can find the courage (and this is hard), speak out! Ask your friends and family to be explicit about what they are talking about. If you truly want to begin making a difference make it clear that certain conversations are not "OK with you".
BE OPEN-MINDED
Be open minded enough to realise that the daily experience of white folks in Bermuda is not the same as that of Black folks. Try to recognise that when a person of colour is speaking about racism that they are not simply "playing the race card". I have personally sat in a room while a Black man has spoken of his experience and a white person in the room essentially said "No, that doesn't happen". As white folks we must accept that we do not know the Black experience and should not deny Black folks their reality. Be open-minded enough to extend the benefit of the doubt that is so often extended to us as whites.
BE WILLING
Be willing to have these difficult conversations. One of the overriding myths about the Big Conversation is that, as one of its clandestine mandates, whites must be made to feel uncomfortable. Let's get real about this - these conversations are difficult. We are talking about a system that was put in place by whites across the centuries and is so ingrained as to have literally become our reality. Threats to any person's worldview are certainly not comfortable thoughts. We fight against those threats, we put up walls, we retreat to our safe spaces, we disengage. Because if we faced those threats and came to see the reality of a system that is not equal for all and from which we benefit, what does it say about us as people? I'll tell you what it says. It says that we have been shrouded in a veil not of our own making, that we have been sold a bill of goods by past generations. It doesn't make us bad people - the existence of this system is not our fault. What would make us bad people, and should rightfully bring shame upon us, would be acknowledging that a system of inequality exists, that it over-privileges us and then choosing to do nothing about it. As Dante wrote: "The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in times of great moral crisis, maintain their neutrality."
You may be surprised to find that there are black allies in this struggle that will embrace you if you honestly and openly engage. You should also not be surprised that there will be anger and bitterness towards us. Indeed I have met black folks that don't now and may never trust me as a white person. Although some may see this as extreme, it is one of the natural reactions to a system that over-privileges one group at the expense of another. But I'll tell you, it never ceases to amaze me that there are still so many black folks coming to the table with a willingness to help me and other whites learn to understand, identify and dismantle racism. But be prepared. As there will be black allies who are patient with us, there will also be black folks that may not buy what we are saying, and may take out their anger with the system on us. There will be white folks, friends, family and work colleagues, that will reject our views and may even see us as "race traitors". So yes, these conversations may make us feel uncomfortable at times. To truly engage with others on an honest and open level and to open ourselves to self scrutiny is challenging, we can only do it in small doses and it can at times be almost impossibly painful to do so in public.
I believe that the survival and prosperity of our community depends on these discussions, so I urge you to keep with it. If you can't bring yourself to talk at these meetings, please at least keep coming - your very presence provides a path whereby the message can filter through the veil. Speak with loved ones, with friends and family, in a safe environment. Much of my personal growth in this area has come from the luxury of being able to discuss these issues in the comfort and safety of my own home with my wife who has been involved in this work for many years. Read a book, read many books - there are literally hundreds of resources out there. Come to a CURB meeting; keep coming to the BRRI meetings. Don't allow yourself to be imprisoned by guilt and inaction - ultimately it is we who created this system who must work together and with People of Colour to bring an end to this system. Only then can we ALL truly be free.
Thank you very much.
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