Blog written by Khansa Ashraf, Youth Community Animator – TERT, BCS.
Oftentimes, people pride themselves on “not seeing colour”. However, I do see colour, and I always have.
In fact, I always will. The importance of recognizing the effects that colour has on a person’s privilege is not something that should be ignored.
Discriminatory, colourist comments have been considered a norm within many cultures, and have been particularly severe within South Asian culture for far too long. #TogetherEndRacismNow advocates for all forms of discrimination, such as colourism to be eradicated through education and resilience.
South Asian families urging darker skinned children to stay out of the sun is layered and is not a small or harmless comment, rather it is a microaggression and a form of colourism. South Asian brides being pressured into wearing lighter shades of makeup is a form of colourism that cannot be ignored for any longer as well.
In recent years, people have begun to speak out against colourist comments that for many individuals, were previously considered normal.
Regardless of whether you’ve suffered from colourist comments, #TogetherEndRacismNow urges all people to speak out against discrimination. Through education the South Asian community can bond closer together to create spaces that advocate for inclusivity and recognize the beauty that is the diversity within South Asia.
Bring awareness to issues that you’ve faced with colourism, by tagging #TogetherEndRacismCOLOURISM and we can amplify the voices of marginalised community members. Together, we can aim to have over 100 posts with the hashtag by the end of this month!
#Colourism #Racism #Resilience.
If you have any feedback about this blog or would like to contact the TERT campaign, please email us at YouthResilient@bangladeshi.ca. Thank you!
Together End Racism in Toronto 