This is not the time for hypocritical silence
Dear Editor,
I’ve been thinking about something that needs to be talked about more. We saw at the unveiling of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) mural and during the protests over Henry’s boys, the inherent racism of predominantly brown people with unclean references such as “All Lives Matter” and “Indians experiencing racism as well”. Of course they do. This country has a deeply divided racial divide. Anti-Indian violence IS a thing. One must look at the Lusignan massacre, 2001 Post-election violence and the same beating and robbing of Indians following Henry’s killings. So where on Earth do these “brown lives advocates” call for justice? Cat got their tongue?
The so-called hypocrites trying to demonize BLM, where were and where are their voices as anti-Indian racism took place? Where were the peaceful protests over Haresh Singh by Indians so concerned about racism and violence considered? Your mouths blew away? As new leaders are being pursued in Henry’s case, there is none in Haresh’s case. So where are these “Indian activists” now? Aren’t you going to protest peacefully over your fallen son? Oh wait … I remember … you’re too busy trying to invalidate Anti-African racism.
When incidences of racism occur, whether Indian, whether African, we MUST speak up. We MUST do the work for healing and reconciliation if we even want to TRY and weaken the existing racial divide. Indians MUST raise a voice on Anti-Indian racism like how our African brothers have been. When acts of hatred are contemplated, we HAVE to demand justice. We MUST be a generation of change. This is NOT the time for hypocritical silence. We all, black or brown, must do the job of dismantling the ideologies baptized by the imperialist to prevent us from moving forward as a nation.
Truly,
Nikhil Sankar.