Now I don’t want to Keep Quiet Anymore - Black Lives Matter

Before coming to Scotland, I did not know what discrimination and racial discrimination were.

Some events led me to associate discrimination with my status - I was then a person seeking asylum. I thought, I was treated differently because of my status. Then I got my leave to remain I still was treated differently I then started thinking of colour but I found it difficult to accept that I was treated unfairly because of my colour.  

To me there is no difference between white or black we are all from the human race, we are all human beings.

When I finally understood what racism is in terms of it being the fact of treating someone unfairly because of his/her colour I was in a denial. I was in a denial because it was hard to accept that racism exist.

When I finally accepted that racism existed I kept quiet when experiencing or witnessing it. I kept quiet because I was scared of not being listening to, not being believed and not being supported.

In housing for example, I experienced people being allocated difficult to live in houses because of their colour or because of them being poor.  I kept quiet because of fear and my heart was bleeding.

In term of employment, I have experienced not being properly trained and supported in my role and yet being told I am not making any progress.  And I kept quiet!

Now I don’t want to keep quiet anymore.

I believe that I can contribute to the flourishment of Scotland, but for that I need to be supported, I need to be treated fairly, I need people to work in team and in partnership with me.

I also believe that the racial discrimination that we are facing is due to ignorance. With education, with conversations about racism, people can be aware of their biases and prejudices and overcome them by doing the right thing.

I also believe on the other hand that some people are deeply racist. For this minority, we, as individuals, as a community, we need to break the silence and let them know that racial discrimination is not ok in the UK, is not ok in Scotland.

I am willing to join my voice with other people, to share my experience and also to listen to their experiences and together raise our voices to say: Racial discrimination, discrimination on the ground of people’s ‘characteristics’ is not ok.

Poverty Truth Community Member