We are One but we are Many – Race & Racism

Posted at February 12, 2009

People Series


Racism is real, nasty but quickly becoming old school. People are still being denied opportunities because of the colour of their skin. But we have come a long way. America now has a couple of black kids calling white house home. I am from Kenya and writing this from a great country called Australia, a country that only abolished the White Australia Policy in 1973. Welcome to my candid view of racism and success.

I have been very fortunate to not have experienced much racism in my life. I pay great tribute to the Australia government for its efforts in multiculturalism. But every now and again I meet the occasional person who reminds me that the battle for equality has not been won yet.

A couple of years ago, I was having a cold beer in Subiaco, Western Australia with a mate from Tanzania. A random dude came up to our table and started questioning me. The conversation went just like this:

Random Dude: G’day! Where are youse from?

Daniel Ngari: Kenya. You?

Random Dude: (In slurred speech) Australia mate!

Daniel Ngari: cool.

Random Dude: Do YOU experience racism?

Daniel Ngari: Yeah, sometimes I experience the urge to be racist but I fight that urge. Don’t suppose I made you feel uncomfortable just because YOU are white?

Random Dude: Nah Nah Nah, What I mean is umm umm , are people in Australia racist towards YOU?

Daniel Ngari: Nah Nah Nah. Why would THEY be? (hehe)

My friend, I just find it ill mannered to walk up to strangers and ask the kind of questions the random dude was asking me. But I was cool with him; we ended up having a beer together and learned a great deal about each other. I learned that he had intolerant views about people he considered different, not because he sought those views but because he grew up in an environment where he did not interact with people from other races.

Racism is the belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and those racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race. (Wikipedia). I chose to add this topic to the people series because I think it is an issue that affects the success of millions. I hope to inspire you to have a winning attitude in life and to defeat racism.

This blog is about inspiring you to be the best you can be. I will be tackling the full spectrum of issues that I feel determine or constrain the success of my readers. From time to time, I will be tackling issues that might make people uncomfortable. I apologize in advance for this blog post if it touches a raw nerve.

We are one People

Asia accounts for over 60% of the world population with almost 3800 million people. The People’s Republic of China and India alone comprise 20% and 17% respectively. Africa follows with 840 million people, 12% of the world’s population. Europe’s 710 million people make up 11% of the world’s population. North America is home to 514 million (8%), South America to 371 million (5.3%), and Australia to 21 million. (Wikipedia).

We all share a common planet and a lot of human traits. We are one but we are many. Unfortunately, people focus on the differences not our similarities.

This blog is about inspiring you to succeed. You may be an Australian, an Indonesian, German, South African or American. We all want to succeed. We all want good health; we all want our families to be safe. We all want love and affection, we all want food and shelter, we all want sex and entertainment … The priorities might differ but we are one people at the core.

If you had an accident and found yourself stranded on a country road, you would most likely not worry about the colour of the skin or country of origin of the man or woman who stops to help you and takes you to hospital. Why is it that in other times we focus on our differences?

Celebrating our Differences

I came to Australia in 1998 and found myself in a class with people from more than 16 different nationalities. I found it difficult at first to relate with people from other Nations as I had been brought up in Kenya without interacting with other races.

One thing that I found is that by learning about other people and taking a genuine interest in them and where they came from gave me remarkable insights on the full mosaic of the world population.

I learned to celebrate our differences by learning about others. I find it is a great way of bringing down barriers and shunning intolerance. Instead of looking down on others for being different, try and embrace it and immerse yourself in learning about a different culture or race.

Obama – The Dream Come True

The election of American president Barack Obama has given many people hope that one day soon, people will be judged by the content of their character instead of the colour of their skin.

When that day comes, people who have been hiding behind racial and tribal cocoons will not have anywhere to hide. I personally are greatly inspired by the election of Obama and every now and again I find myself vainly basking in the glory that his father came from Kenya, just like me ..

Racism and Success

As I said, I am lucky not to have experienced rampant racism in my life. I have never felt the full effect of racism and I hope I never do. There are people like Nelson Mandela who suffered in the hands of Apartheid. Inspite of all that he was willing to forgive and move forward. This made him a succesful and well respected statesman world over.

Racism, especially institutional racism can have a devastating effect on people. The way you handle it will have a profound effect on you. If you focus on how racist other people are towards you, you will get more of that. If you focus on the good in people and seek to build bridges between people, you will be on your way to success and paving the way for others who will come after you.

When I finished my university course, I was applying for jobs and one of my friends from Kenya told me not to bother, that Australians won’t give me an office  job. I spent a couple of months looking for jobs in the IT sector and when I did not find one, my friend’s words started ringing true to my ears.

However I decided to get rid of that victim mentality and think about the situation from a different perspective. A lot of more experienced computer science graduates had been laid off in the year 2000 because of the Dot Com Crash. There were more people looking for jobs with better qualifications and experience than me. It was not an issue of race.

Infact, I dare say that it is racist to bring up the issue of race preemptively to deny yourself opportunities in life. The assumption that you will get a raw deal because of the color of your skin is as bad as getting that raw deal. I promised myself to never cry wolf in regards to racism. Maybe that is why I have not seen it much.

Anyway, I decided to change my approach and print out fliers and drop them off to companies in the city and the surrounding business districts. I printed over 500 fliers and walked around from shop to shop telling companies that I could design their websites, create databases or PowerPoint presentations. I did not have to knock too many doors before doors started opening for me. The people who were buying my services were the same Aussies that my friend  doubted could give me a fair go. I have been here long enough to understand that most businessmen and women in Australia do not care about your race; it is what you bring to the table. I suspect that is true in many parts of the world.

Sometimes that is all it might take for you to succeed. Instead of complaining that racism is preventing you from getting opportunities in life (and it may well be), focus on how you can position yourself differently to provide the most value to your customers or employer.

Success is all in the mind. If you want to succeed, focus on what you want and not the obstacles that may be on your way. Racism is one such obstacle. Even if a couple of people are racist, you could find someone who is not and have a win-win situation with that person.

However, in some cases race might make people be prejudiced against you. It may call on you to work harder or go an extra mile for your success. If it comes to that, do it with a cheerful heart and your day will come. Every dog has its day.

The best way to succeed in life, career or business is to believe in your self. Whether you are white, black, blue or green, you need to know that your strength lies not in your skin but in your mind. It is your mind that you need to control and enhance if you want to succeed in life regardless of what the world thinks.

I do not want to trivialize the issue of racism just because I have not personally encountered it. However, my position is that racism is just another obstacle that you might have to overcome to get to your goals. Like all obstacles, victory starts in the mind.

Make Love Not War

Bob Marley sang a song called WAR that went a little something like this:

“Until the philosophy which holds one race superior and another inferior is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned, everywhere is war and until there are no longer first-class and second-class citizens of any nation, until the colour of a man’s skin is of no more significance than the colour of his eyes. And until the basic human rights are equally guaranteed to all without regard to race, there is war. And until that day, the dream of lasting peace, world citizenship, rule of international morality, will remain but a fleeting illusion to be pursued, but never attained… now everywhere is war.”

It starts with individuals, it starts with you. To be able to fight racism and get to the dream of success, we should focus on loving one another and bring out the best in each other. Otherwise the world will always be at war with people weighed down by mediocrity.

Ask the Right Questions

The kind of questions you ask yourself about other people will determine how you feel about them. The kind of questions you ask other people will determine how they treat you. The kinds of questions you ask yourself determine your destiny. Ask the right questions and you will get the right answers.

Do Something Today

Ignorance is the cause of racism. Do something today to shun intolerance by learning something positive about people from a different race or part of the world or country. It is the small steps towards accepting diversity that will help us rise above mediocrity and usher in an era of social justice and success.

P.s – Please enjoy the video of the Australian Reconciliation Song “We are Australian” that inspired the title of this blog post. For the lyrics please visit http://www.lyricstime.com/the-seekers-i-m-australian-lyrics.html



Series Navigation«Succeed by Building Others UpHow to Bring Out the Best in People»

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