A sad and disappointing affair

Jun 01, 2018 Letters

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Dear Editor,

I wish to preface my letter with the following quotes:
– “If tolerance, respect and equity permeate family life, they will translate into values that shape societies, nations and the world.” – Kofi Annan.
– “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.” – Article 1, Universal Declaration of Human rights.
If you embrace cultural diversity, you would have been, as I was, saddened, disappointed and infuriated by the reported humiliation of a very impressionable little boy by the very institution paid to educate him. I imagined his excitement about wearing his indigenous traditional dress to school on culture day and my heart broke when I imagined the moment his pride turned to shame – the moment he was told his attire was not appropriate. It is as bad as it sounds, but worse still, is the repugnant reaction of the perpetrators.
The forced, delayed response from the school’s administration was crude and insulting, and judging from their notice to parents leaked on social media, appeared to be equally disingenuous. The tone of the statement speaks volumes.
For starters, it failed to acknowledge that a student, their student, his family, and an entire ethnic group were offended. It failed to extend a hand towards a mutually amicable resolution. It hypocritically boasted of its “duty” to “look out for the best interest” of the children they “serve”.
More so, it cited the lack of clear policies governing the way children should dress, a blatant insult of our intelligence, or perhaps, a clear indication of their ignorance.
Academic literature on the negative effects of racial discrimination are abundant, but in this particular context, I wish to cite a study published in the Child Development journal by the Society for Research in Child Development, which found that awareness of racism affects how children perform socially and academically.
The Researchers from Rush University and Yale University found that once children become aware of biases and stereotypes about their race or ethnic group, it affects the way they react to everyday situations, including their interaction with others and academic performance. It was also found that children’s awareness of negative stereotypes leads to conformity in self-fulfilling prophecy.
I encourage the educational institution in question to educate its faculty, staff and students on cultural and racial tolerance, and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights on Indigenous Peoples would be a great place to start. If they review this document, hopefully they’ll realize that they were in breach of quite a few articles such as Article 7, “Indigenous peoples have a collective right to live…as a distinctive people…” or Article 8, “…the right not to be subjected to forced assimilation or destruction of their culture.”, or Article 11, “…the right to practice and revitalize their cultural traditions and customs.”, or Article 15 “…the right to dignity and diversity of their cultures, traditions, histories and aspirations which shall be appropriately reflected in education and public information.”, or Article 31, “…the right to maintain, control, protect and develop their cultural heritage…”
Moreover, Guyana is signatory to the Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The State therefore, has a responsibility to foster social cohesion and by extension a responsibility to investigate, enforce and where necessary, enact new policies to prevent discrimination and provide redress. To date, I look forward to seeing official statements from the Government and the United Nations that strongly condemn the action of this school.
Indigenous peoples have historically borne the brunt to discrimination and Guyana’s Amerindians are all too familiar. While we insist on a formal apology from Mae’s and their commitment to prevent such a recurrence, unfortunately, they are not the only culpable ones.
I urge you readers, to recall how many ‘buck’ (an absolutely derogatory name used to refer to Amerindians) jokes you’ve made! That many, huh? Now, consider how your comments may have affected others, especially if it was directed at a minor.
This issue resonates with me because I have personally felt the pain of bullying because of my Amerindian heritage. If I had a dollar for every time I was treated disparagingly, every time I wanted to crawl inside a shell because I was made to feel inferior, every time I felt like I did not belong.
Having listened to some of the protestors on the picket line, I realized that I was not the only one who was made to feel my place was in the “bush”.
We should never become desensitized to discrimination and injustice in any way, shape or form. Instead, we should seek to rewrite the narrative surrounding racial tolerance at every level of society and schools are ideally positioned, after the family of course, to facilitate this fundamental conversation. The media should not be a place where grievances go to die.
Rather, it should be the instrument that amplifies the cry for social justice; loud enough for politicians and policy makers to hear, and consistent enough for international human rights groups to recognize complacency where it exists and the power of their office to compel action.
Sincerely,
Vanessa Devonish

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