LAST week I took part in an anti-racism campaign through the Heal Guyana Civil Society. It was only when I got there and listened to the speeches that I thought about how much racism can affect mental health.

Despite the fact that racism is one of our oldest and most serious concerns, the study of racial trauma in the field of psychology is fairly new.

However, we do know that exposure to racism affects our entire well-being and may cause issues ranging from low self-esteem to mental illnesses such as depression or anxiety to even suicidal thoughts and behaviours. I have so many clients who have also turned to aggression, violence, isolation and substance abuse due to racism.

Sharon Lalljee- Richard, the Founder and Director of Heal Guyana made a speech on the importance of education on racism; that maybe not many have a good understanding of what racism is as well as how deep it goes.

Below is her speech at the anti-racism campaign. It gave me a lot to think about and I think it will benefit you all just the same.

“When we think of racism in Guyana, we tend to see it through a narrow lens:
“Prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race.” This view is not at all incorrect but is somewhat incomplete.

You see, in order for any of us to positively effect change when it comes to racism, we must challenge ourselves to understand the issue at a deeper level. By realising the foundation through which racism was born, we can challenge this foundation at its core, viewing the world and ourselves, beyond the shadows of its imposed limitations. By remaining cognisant of the various manifestations of racism, we will be able to sensibly intervene when we see it playing out in the lives of others, as well as our own.

By acknowledging the forces that perpetuate race-hate and deciding not to subscribe to them, we will invariably free our hearts and minds from the emotional cycles that imprison us, keeping racism alive in our society.

We cannot beat such a complex challenge unless we fully understand how to outmatch it, strategically. And to do so will call for lots of patience, tons of determination, endless dedication and the courage to look at every naysayer in the eye and answer, “the right thing is worth fighting for and I will not stop until this generation and the next inherits a race-free Guyana because of what I stood for!”

Think of history, culture and identity as the lens, through which, we perceive everything. History shaped the course of our past which has led us here. We see each other as indigenous or descendants of Africa, India, Europe and Asia etc. which seems innocent enough but right away – that begins to quietly compromise the neutrality of our perspectives regarding how we see each other. Culture – and the preservation of it- is wonderful but only when we embrace all cultures. What tends to happen at an individual level is that we embrace only one culture and we compare that one against others; then we begin to judge. Identity! In most cases, we identify as one race. Then we set out ‘other-ing’ ever other race besides our own. The mixed-race people are often the only ones who are left confused at this point.

History, culture and identity, as you can see, are the foundations of our racial challenges. They are inescapable unless we begin to see each other beyond the confines of our differences toward our similarities. What are the common things that make us, Guyanese?
Now, let’s talk about the manifestations of racism in the broadest sense for a minute. It is really important that we understand that racism plays out both internally and externally. In other words, we probably shouldn’t be policing others and their racist bad-behaviour, without equally checking ourselves and holding our inner-most thoughts to a higher standard, every day. From within, racism manifests itself in the forms of bias, privilege and submission to the oppression created by a racist environment or culture.

RACIAL BIAS is most noticeable when we ‘suffer’ because others treat us or a particular racial group, differently, from how they would treat other races. Do we quietly sabotage persons of a certain hair texture and complexion so that they never succeed? Do we hold silent beliefs that chastise one race while celebrating another? These are examples of racial bias and as individuals, we must fight against the tendency to buy into these patterns.

Most of us are often very discreet about expressing these sentiments because we know it may not be viewed with tolerance by others. But as soon as we are in a space we consider private or where we are among like-minded people, our racial biases begin to flourish; permeating the clean air with prejudice, hate and misguided stereotypes about others.
Quiet submission to racist oppression is a more complex manifestation of internal racism. We never realise it because we have become so intrinsically programmed by our environment. But when we adopt a self-defeating outlook that takes on the form of ‘a limited sense of self’ which undermines ourselves or a group, in favour of another racial group we perceive to be superior to ours; this robs us of our humanity and disrupts our balance with respect to self-worth and justice. What about external manifestations? How can we detect these within our midst? We are all familiar with interpersonal racism as we read the callus and cowardly statements coming from online trolls and others who may, from time to time, be outwardly abusive or condescending toward those of a particular ethnic group. Institutional racism is the policies and practices within and across institutions that, intentionally or not, produce outcomes that chronically favour one racial group over another. There are many instances of this quietly happening (for years) within our ministries, employment sectors and schools. Structural racism is in its infancy in Guyana but I have seen indications of it making its way into the mainstream with certain groups making declarations which will create a system of public policies, institutional practices and cultural representations that work in various ways to reinforce racial inequality. If allowed to take root, our social, economic and political systems will be further condemned to the influence of privilege, inequality and our racial divide shall deepen.

As a strong civil society organisation determined to make an impact, we must be prepared to intercept at all of these levels if we are to be effective. In fact, all citizens must be prepared to intercept if we are to succeed for Guyana. I know it could appear overwhelming but we must garner enthusiasm from each other and from deep within ourselves to move forward with confidence! We must pray! When our energies are running low, let us call on God and each other for strength. When nothing seems promising, we will take a short break and awake the next day — with renewed passion and stride to press on even harder. I know we can do this! Never lose the belief that fairness can triumph over injustice. Unity will win against hate because of ordinary citizens like you and me.

The objectives of this Heal Guyana Anti-racism Project are simple. We want to significantly reduce and eventually eradicate all manifestations of racism and ethnic tensions in Guyana. We want to deepen public understanding of the various forms of discrimination and give them peaceful, actionable ways of combatting these scenarios. We want to cultivate a greater sense of tolerance and respect for diversity among all Guyanese, across all socio-economic lines.”

Sharon Lalljee -Richard
For those of you who do not know, Heal Guyana is a platform for ‘free thinkers’ to educate our society in a wide variety of areas. Their mission is to “empower Guyanese and Influence positive change” and objective “to listen and network with others who are similarly inclined towards patriotism and peace, in the effort to unite all Guyanese and bring prosperity to the country we love.”

I am also a new member of Heal Guyana and it has been such a pleasure working with them. Sharon, thank you for shedding some light.

Check them out at https://www.healguyana.org/
Thanking you for reading. Please keep sending any topics you’d like to talk about to caitlinvieira@gmail.com

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