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Life Through My Eyes-Gibril Saine Writes From The UK
I borrowed this title from one of the great poems written by my favorite artist,rapper and poet,the late Tupac shakur.The title appeals so dearly to my heart more so the fact that it exemplifies the struggles and the many obstacles faced by a young black youth as we battle through life to adulthood.It's of regret to point out that in Britain and the western world for that matter,though success stories are noted,the vast bulk of these youth perish on our merciless streets in one way or another if not due to drugs and imprisonment,fall a victim to gangland war fare.In London for instance,hardly a week [some will argue a day] goes by without a black man being stabbed or shot dead.In the slumps of the french capital Paris,populated by blacks and other immigrant minorities,[where the footballer thiery Henry hails from] unemployment is so high thus the crime rate far exceeds the national average. The same can be said of Amsterdam,Stockholm,Sydney,and all major European city suburbs with huge black populations.It is a worry for the authorities but as usual with the national governments and at European level,the issue is twisted and politicized blaming poverty unemployment blablabla and for all this it's young black men filling our prisons and mental institutions.
In the united states however,the trend is changing where more and more black students are encouraged to pursue university degrees.
After the case of Rosa parks in Montgomery county,Alabama and the ensuing efforts and campaign of the civil rights movement in the 60s and 70s,the then united states administration recognized change was inevitable and what followed was history.
laws were passed which guaranteed and safeguard the equal treatment of all u.s citizens for the first time regardless of race or colour.The government of the time also adopted such policies where black students and children of other minorities were given incentives and scholarships to pursue free university education.The policy works and does bear fruit indeed still growing as testament to the emergence of the black middle class across the united states.Barack obama the democratic presidential hopeful and countless other high ranking police officers,legislators,civil servants,mayors etc etc of black origin is registered right across the board.
However,the same cannot be said of the united kingdom,infact contrary.Black men has set foot in England first before the united states was even discovered by the great explorer Christopher Columbus.but yet we are still suppressed from all directions.
few months back,i tuned into the BBC parliament channel as it was the anniversary of the bicentenary year of the abolition of the slave trade 1807 - 2007.Yes it was exactly 200 years since that very parliament enacted a bill to abolish slave trade.Within it's confinement there was only one black man,Lord Morris who gave an emotional speech.So in 200 years the upper house of the the British parliament only managed to produce a mere Lord ! !
In fact Bill [lord] Morris only managed to command a lord status after great public service.
He was a trade union leader who campaigned for greater recognition and wage increased of the vast bulk of the nations then poorly paid work force.which eventually resulted in the minimum wage introduced by the parliament.
Yes there's another black woman in that chamber [baroness Scotland] of not much significance.
Now in the legislative chamber [house of commons].there's hardly a black face to be seen as i can only think of one in a parliament totaling 650 MPs.Now unless someone tell me otherwise i'm accusing the British government of institutional racism.In case you Wonder why, well since black slaves started arriving in Britain in the 13th century up till date,it;s almost 700years and Britain cannot produce more than a few black MPs let alone a serious black politician,Neither did it produce a black mayor or a diplomat [just one in south africa,Boateng].
Thia's a joke and the whole system needs revamping.Yes some might argue that it's up to blacks themselves to stand up and be counted in this land of opportunity.To a degree,yes i agree but not wholeheartedly,reason being unfavorable policies adopted by previous consecutive administrations failing to find and address deep rooted and social problems faced by these black and other ethnic minorities.children
The clandestine and lukewarm approach to diversity and social reforms won't solve a thing.There needs to be a proper debate and fresh thinking about race if Britain seriously wants to bring about tolerance,opportunity for all and racial harmony.
Up until recently the universities of Cambridge and oxford only produce few black graduates annually,They have been pushed increased their annual admittance percentage of other ethnic minorities which goes without saying is long overdue.However as encouraging this might be,there's still a long way to go before Britain reach levels to that of the united states.
Everyday if a black teenager hasn't entered prison or a victim to police brutality,he's stabbed or shot dead and yet hardly an eyebrow's raised from the corridors of power.The media will report it as yet another black on black crime and the pages are rolled over because tomorrow,there will be another incident to report,only that this time the victims are getting even younger.
Gibril Saine U.K |
Posted on Saturday, June 07, 2008 (Archive on Monday, June 30, 2008)
Posted by PNMBAI Contributed by PNMBAI
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