The month of February has been designated as black history month in North America to honour the triumphs and struggles of black people throughout history, but it is never too early to talk about black history. As the year just began, it has given us an excellent opportunity to correct our words and actions towards black people. Most of the time, the things we say may not seem wrong or racist at the moment, or we might have failed to educate ourselves on specific topics because we think we simply aren't racist and “don't see colour,” but the only key to overcoming blind racism is beginning to have awkward conversations and share uncomfortable truths. 

 

Racism doesn't just show up in its most extreme form. Just because you haven't yelled the N-slur at a black person or never owned a slave doesn't automatically give you a “not racist certificate.” One of the reasons non-black people are always so quick to say, “I'm not racist!” when they are called out on damaging and hurtful behaviour is simply because the word “racism” has been so cast down and diminished in our society that we ignore the little things and only acknowledge it in its uttermost form.

 

If you feel offended by a particular comment made towards you, you are seen as a so-called “snowflake,” a term used to make people feel as though they are overreacting when they have certain feelings about a situation. To illustrate, touching a black person’s hair randomly or making remarks like “why do you have fake hair” or “is your hair real” is indeed a racist remark. Aside from the sanitary concerns that come with people touching your hair (especially during a pandemic),  touching a black classmate's hair is highly inappropriate.

 

Even asking, “can I touch your hair is improper and should be out of bounds. You might be thinking, “what's so wrong with it? I thought her hair looked different, and I just wanted to know what an afro felt like; why is that such a bad thing.” It is an invasive and micro-aggressive behaviour to ask a classmate if you can touch their hair. And it is even more offensive to assume they would simply be okay with it and proceeding to touch it without getting permission first. Asking to touch a black person’s hair when you do not and have not ever asked to touch a white person's hair further illustrates the prejudiced unethical treatment and makes the presumption that black hair is an abnormality.

 

When you ask to touch a black person’s hair, you feed into the narrative that white hair is the norm and anything outside of it abnormal. Then, when you assume that white hair is the default, you are furthering the isolation black classmates may feel and creating a hostile school environment for them. If you are interested in learning more about a classmate's or friend's hair, simply ask them if they could tell you about their hairstyle because you are intrigued and want to learn more about it. However, do not be annoyed if they say no and remember that no black person is under an obligation to educate you on their hair, the significance of a particular hairstyle or why they decide to wear their hair in a particular way; you can simply do research to educate yourself on the topic.

 

Having black friends doesn't mean you accordingly cannot be racist; This is commonly known as the “Some of my best friends are black” defence. When a non-black person does or says something inappropriate or racist, people are so quick to ignore it when the so-called person spends time with a certain group of black people. To illustrate, Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s attorney, once tweeted, “Just because I support Donald Trump doesn’t make me a racist.” It was accompanied by a collage of photos of Mr. Cohen with black people. The subtext was clear: Some of my best friends are black. This way of reasoning originates from a reluctance to have blunt conversations about race to a failure to acknowledge racial differences altogether.

 

That’s why, after a white person’s declaration that they have black friends often follow an insistence that they don't see colour. Saying I can’t be racist denies the larger social context in which we all live. It’s not about your individual intentions; it’s about collective work, So even if you might have the best of intentions, as long as you are supporting racist policies and ideas that undergird those policies, you indeed can be racist.

 

When you say racist and inappropriate jokes, you might think everyone is laughing and finds it funny, but here is a black woman who does not listen to racist jokes. she does not laugh at jokes about black people being lazy, ugly, and unintelligent. Refusing to educate yourself makes you part of the problem; whether within student groups or in our day-to-day interactions, let us all learn to be a little more careful and compassionate about the things we say while interacting with each other.

​

The purpose of this article is not to cancel anyone. It is important for people to be able to learn from their mistakes without being defined by them. However, it is also important that we, as Immaculata students and staff, become aware of certain parts of school culture that can be very harmful.  Your comments aren't humorful; they are racist.