Tarang Chawla Instagram – F**K RACISM
The algorithm doesn’t like it when you talk about “controversial” topics, so here’s a picture of fashunz, instrad.
Cool, now that we’ve tricked it, let’s chat. Today is what we in Australia call Harmony Day. Except that’s not really what it is, is it?
Elsewhere, today is the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. In Australia, it was re-branded to Harmony Day by John Howard, but the origins of the day matter.
This day is held annually on March 21 because in 1960, police in Sharpeville, South Africa, shot and killed 250 Black people who were peacefully protesting against apartheid.
As the grandchild of refugees, I think of the stories of how on 13 April 1919, at Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar, a crowd had peacefully gathered in protest and were fired upon by the British Army. Over 1,000 people were killed. The bullet holes are still there in the brick walls.
Rabindranath Tagore, the first Asian Nobel Laureate, renounced his knighthood in response to the shootings. Meanwhile, the man responsible for killing innocent people initially received accolades for his acts instead of condemnation!
History is littered with such examples, across continents and generations but let’s not pretend that racism is somehow fixed because of promoting “harmony”.
Right now, children in Gaza are being killed at an alarming rate. Israeli hostages are being held and the humanitarian crisis is more heartbreaking and concerning with each passing moment.
In Australia, we live on land where sovereignty was never ceded. The doctrine of terra nullius was used to take land away from the original inhabitants. The descendants of those Aboriginal people continue to persevere and survive. Their very existence is a political act of resistance.
Let’s remember what today is really about. This is a day to recognise racial discrimination. Prejudice. Bigotry. And these have no place here or anywhere.
The way this day was changed isn’t about true harmony. Don’t let nice sentiments cloud reality. At its core, today is a day to acknowledge that racism is alive and well and that we all have a duty to end it. | Posted on 21/Mar/2024 12:38:48
