Kenyan and South Sudanese writer Sanna Arman isnt too pleased with what she calls the cosmetic revolution our societies have adopted in regards to social causes and racist incidences that affect our communities. In fact, from her view, she believes that many of us use social media as a cop out for doing the hard work that is needed to actually combat the ills Africans and Africans throughout the diaspora are dealing with. She writes: About two years ago, the demand for justice for Trayvon Martin (pictured), who was shot dead by a volunteer neighborhood watchman in his fathers gated community, was a trending topic on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and all other social networks, but eventually, the loud voices slowly lost confidence and crawled back to silent discontent. ... The past few weeks saw the world united under one cause, showing solidarity with the families of the 200-plus girls kidnapped in Nigeria by terrorist group Boko Haram and demanding that they be returned home. But eventually, the international protests on the streets reduced significantly in numbers, and most began showing solidarity with the families solely via social media, and soon the demand to find the girls was left to the families and human rights groups. Ultimately, she concludes: We will continue to be oblivious of the fact that in demanding justice for one without demanding a change to racial policies, will not stop racial profiling; that in demanding action to be taken against Donald Sterling without speaking of institutional racism, we will not silence the voices of other racists sitting on the boards of institutions; that in demanding that “our girls [be brought] back home” without demanding accountability for government failures, we will not secure a nation. Do you agree with Arman or do you think forcing the hand of change is much more complicated that what she suggests and much of the public is actually doing their best to be engaged in issues that affect them?
Posted on: Mon, 28 Jul 2014 16:02:44 +0000
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