1619 the first ship with Black slaves arrived at the docks in Virginia. The origin of the ship was the west coast of Africa and the Kingdom of Ndongo (modern Angola). This was not the first time that people in the US were going to utilize slaves, but that is a completely different story.
The US is not the only country in the world that have enslaved Black people, even Sweden owned different colonies through time (five in total, and one of those in Africa, Cabo Corso (Ghana)). The slave handle in West Africa is directly linked to the iron ore industry in Bergslagen, Sweden, and Sweden even had a slave fort called Carolusborg (Cape Coast Castle) which contributed to the transatlantic slave trade. I guess you could say that every white (hu)man have roots in enslaving people in one way or another. This is the root of the problems we see in today’s society. Racism and suppression against Black people have continued through time, long after the official end of slavery here in the US (and elsewhere). About 250 years after that first ship docked in Virginia, the Emancipation Proclamation was issued by President Abraham Lincoln (January 1st 1863) in the US. It would be an additional 2.5 years before all slaves were completely free though, 19th of June 1865, Juneteenth. I had no idea about Juneteenth until these past weeks and all the BLM protest. More than 400 years after that first ship docked in Virginia we still see oppression of Black people here in the US, and other parts of the world of course. It is deeply rooted in society here in the US, but also in other countries. It is our turn to help put an end to it, once and for all. It has been shown time and time again that it is not over. Even though the Emancipation Proclamation was put into place in 1863 (or 1865) it still took an additional 100 years before Rosa Parks decided to not give her seat to a white man on the bus, and started the Civil Rights Movement.
I have a lot to learn when it comes to racism both in the US and in Sweden. It is very clear that our (my) world has been built up on false visions that somehow the whole world is white. This is why we need to admit to ourselves that we are all a part of the Racism, but we can also change this course. The other day I reflected on the fact that my Instagram feed is very very white, why? I love nature, mountains, hiking and there are a lot of Black voices out there that I had no idea about, Black voices that are doing all of these things I am interested in. How come I have never seen them before? (well, I can probably answer that question myself). This past week I decided to mute all stories from the white people I follow to give room to more Black voices, changing the algorithm of the Instagram feed. I hope that I in the future will see a more diverse spread on Instagram.
Changing my Instagram is not going to make any larger impact in the real world though, and we must instead actively engage ourselves in real things. We can start by educating ourselves, reading books, or listening to podcasts. We can start supporting Black businesses, donate money to Black organizations or the many Black voices that are educating all white people on their social media platform. If we are able to we can get out there and support Black voices in protests, there are many protests going on all across the world now. We can talk about racism with our fellow white friends and our families, point out racism when we see or hear it, especially in conversations with our friends and family. One important point though during all of this is that we (non-Black people) will never understand how it is to be a Black person in today’s society. We have some major homework to do, reading and educating ourselves about racism and white privilege, and learn how to change the way we see and understand things. We have to do better in the support of the BLM movement and realize that racism is very real, even in Sweden. All of this is going to take time, but it is important that we take this time, that we do not forget about all the issues we have read about these past weeks, that we continue to actively support Black voices. I am sure I will say or do something wrong during all of this, but that is such a small thing in the grand scheme of things.
Below are a couple of links that have helped me the past couple of days:
https://www.obama.org/anguish-and-action/
https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/
https://www.goodgoodgood.co/anti-racism-resources
Mireille Cassandra Harper: If You Want To Be Anti-Racist, This Non-Optical Allyship Guide Is Required Reading
Rachel Elizabeth Cargle: Why You Need To Stop Saying "All Lives Matter"
Victoria Alexander: Anti-Racist Resource Guide
Robin DiAngelo: Anti-Racist Checklist Guide
Elijah Anderson: “The White Space”
Conscious Kid conversation with Robin DiAngelo: White Fragility
Anthony James William: The Souls of White Folk
This list can continue forever and ever of course, and there are many other great sources out there.
Below are a couple of new (to me) Instagram accounts to follow if you like nature, hiking, mountains and adventures:
I also recommend you to think about how what your Instagram feed looks like. What passion do you have in life, and how many Black voices are you following within your passion?
