Together We Stand

Home, and the only one we have so cherish it, nourish it.

I believe someone needs to address the issue of race, in that there is one race and it is Human, and the word 'ethnic' in that the dictionary term means 'people of non Christian or Jewish faith' and them being heathens, or people with common features from a common homeland.  If this is the case then we are all from the same home, Earth, and have common features such as eyes, nose, mouth ears etc.

Too many times in the past I have sat and listened to, not just the BBC, but all media outlets categorise people in to groups by race or colour.  The crowning of Lewis Hamilton as the first 'black' formula one world champion for example, is one in a long line of media reports that serves to irritate me and others I know from so called 'black and ethnic minority' backgrounds.

As a human with a white mother and black father I find it shocking in the 21st century that someone successful from from a similar background gets referred to as being the first black formula one world champion, completely ignoring the fact half his family is in fact white.  This goes back to the old 'one drop rule' from America many years ago whereby if you have any African heritage make up then you are grouped as such.  Another example of this is of President Obama who was America's first black president but in fact he has white family too.  He famously quoted in 2006 that he had "family that looked like Bernie Mac and family that looked like Margaret Thatcher" yet the news outlets still to this day refer to him as the first black President.  I realise not everyone may understand my personal distaste for this, and neither did my own family once upon a time but I put it to them like this.  As a previous budding rugby player seeking a career  I wondered how they would have felt if I had made it and been given the honour of captaining England, only to be referred to as the first black England Rugby captain.  It was at this moment the point was understood.

The continued term of the word racism and the grouping of successful people into certain 'ethnic' groups gives a sense of specific belonging to people which is wrong.  At a recent Black and Ethnic Minority Members meeting within the FBU, I argued the point that a good role model to children should and could be anyone that demonstrated good morals or values and that this is not explicitly limited to colour.

Why can't a white male be a good role model to a black child? Or vice-versa?

In summary I believe that someone needs to take a leading role in changing this deep seated indoctrination that has gone on for too many years.  People claim to be looking for a socially accepting diverse culture, but this will not happen so long as we all keep empowering terms such as 'racism'.  The sooner mankind comes to realise we are one species, the sooner peace will come, and by media outlets moving to reinforce this message of togetherness by addressing the ways in which they talk about people in the news, the sooner it will happen and I for one would be happy to follow.