The Trinidad Presbyterian | September 2020 - Magazine - Page 1
EDITORIAL
RISING ABOVE RACISM
A
s unfortunate as it
is, racism and all its
synonyms, continue
to pop up from time
to time to strain the relationship
among citizens of cosmopolitan
Trinidad and Tobago. The latest
flare-up coming after the 2020
General Election betrays an
underlying vein of racism that
exposes itself during high
emotional events. There is no
place for racism here. Sadly,
it shames us who heed the
Psalmist injunction, “Behold
how good and pleasant it is for
brethren to dwell together in
unity”.
The late United States
freedom-fighter Martin Luther
King identified racism as one
of the three evils in the world.
The others being poverty and
war. If we take the time to
examine the effect of racism
and bigotry on people, we
will soon understand how
dangerous they can be for
humanity. It would be useful for
4
us to read of how racism affects
human beings in other parts of
the world to understand why we
must condemn it and stamp it
out completely.
The horror stories coming out
of the slave trade and human
trafficking, the holocaust and
the apartheid system in South
Africa should unite us against
acts of racial discrimination. It
was racial animosity that led to
the 1994 genocide in Rwanda
where 800,000 citizens were
massacred in 100 days of civil
terror. That was 26 years ago.
And the fight against racism
continues even today in the USA
– the bastion of democracy.
In the aftermath of these
tragic events the cry from right
thinking people around the
world was, “Never Again”. Yet
it happened again and again.
Where have we failed? Leaning
on the vision of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the late South African
anti-apartheid leader Nelson
Mandela offered this advice:
“No one is born hating another
person because of the colour of
his skin, or his background, or his
religion. People must have learnt
to hate, and if they can learn to
hate, they can be taught to love.
For love comes naturally from the
heart than its opposite.”
As a church involved in
education, we would have
the opportunity to make the
case for values education at
the proposed discussion on
curriculum transformation in
schools. We must embrace
this opportunity to lead the
change. If we are to have a safe,
equitable and creative space we
must develop a sense of right
and wrong that is trustworthy
and ethical. We do this within
a framework that is not cold,
lifeless nor legalistic, but with
inspiration, compassion and
understanding. It is up to all of
us.
THE TRINIDAD PRESBYTERIAN | SEPTEMBER 2020 | www.pctt.org.tt
