Scríobhann Ólámidé Ojegbenro i nGaeilge mar gheall ar marú George Floyd and an ciníochas. Tá leagan Béarla le fáil thíos.

Ólámidé Ojegbenro writes in Irish about the killing of George Flyod and racism. English version below.

Bhí sé an-dian ar an bpobal dubh ar fud an domhain le cúpla seachtain anuas mar chonaiceamar sceimhle ciníoch – póilín le glúin go muineál George Floyd agus a aghaidh ag insint dúinn gur cuma leis faoi shaol an fhir seo. 

Tuigeann go leor Meiriceánaigh dhubha deacrachtaí Floyd mar tá an cineál sin iompair feicthe acu go mion minic. Las dúnmharú Floyd splanc i measc an phobail i ndiaidh na gcéadta bliain de chiníochas.

Rinneadh taifead ar nóiméid dheireanacha Floyd ag lámha ceathrar póilín le Stát Minneapolis. Bhí an físeán ar fud na meáin shóisialta timpeall na cruinne taobh istigh de chúpla uair an chloig i ndiaidh na heachtra.

Bhí sé rídheacair domsa, mar dhuine dubh, breathnú ar an bhfíseán sin. Bhí mé croíbhriste, na deora ag titim díom agus an t-olcas seo ag dul i bhfeidhm orm.

Siombail atá sa bhás seo, siombail den chiníochas sistéamach ina maireann daoine dubha i Meiriceá an t-am ar fad, ciníochas sistéamach atá le feiceáil go róshoiléir sa chóras dlí choiriúil.

Cuireann bás éagórach Floyd béim ar an ualach a bhaineann le bheith i do dhuine dubh i Meiriceá agus ar fud an domhain. Chruthaigh sé an spréach a bhfuil éirí amach ann le seachtainí beaga anuas.

Rinneadh agóidí i gcoinne marú foréigneach ar fud na cruinne le cúpla seachtain anuas do George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery agus daoine eile nach iad. Daoine dubha atá marbh anois de bharr dath a gcraiceann.

Tá na céadta míle daoine de gach cine agus gach aois tar éis a bheith ag máirseáil le comharthaí “Black Lives Matter” in os cionn 50 tír, Éireann san áireamh.   

Is fiú go mór aird  a thabhairt ar an méid atá le rá ag Inger E Burnett-Zeigler, síceolaí agus comh-ollamh sa Scoil Leighis Feinberg in Ollscoil Northwestern, Illinois

“Tá a lán daoine le dath tuirseach. Táimid tuirseach de dhaoine nach dtuigeann muid agus nach bhfeiceann muid”, arsa Inger.

“Sílim go bhfuil sé tábhachtach do gach duine, beag beann ar chine, fiafraí ‘cén ról atá agam sa chóras seo?’, a deir sí. “Fiafraigh díot féin ‘ar thóg mé seasamh neamhghníomhach go dtí seo agus conas is féidir liom sin a athrú?’”

Tá deis againn anois comhbhá a léiriú le daoine, go háirithe daoine dubha. Tá fearg ar go leor leor daoine anois i ndiaidh na himeachtaí tragóideacha a tharla le cúpla seachtain anuas, ach is deis é seo.

Deis dúinn ar fad a bheith níos tuisciní dá chéile.

Deir daoine áirithe nach bhfeiceann siad dath. Cé go ndeirtear seo le dea-thoil den chuid is mó, is bréag é, bréag chontúirteach. Aithníonn gach duine, fiú páistí, an difir idir cine amháin agus cine eile. Déanann an bhréag “nach bhfeiceann daoine dath” beag is fiú d’eispéireas daoine dubha.

Déantar neamhaird ar phíosa tábhachtach d’aitheantas duine muna dtugtar suntas dá dath. Tá daoine ag iarraidh go n-aithneofar iad mar dhaoine iomláine.

Is féidir le ciníochas a bheith chomh caolchúiseach sin sa chaoi is nach dtuigeann an t-íospartach ná an té atá ciníoch é go hiomlán. Ach is féidir leis na mion-ionsaithe seo, mar a ghlaoitear orthu, fíor-damáiste a dhéanamh freisin.

Mar fhocal scoir, is é an chéad chéim chun deireadh a chur le ciníochas ná súile daoine a raibh dúnta a oscailt le go bhfeicfidh siad gach rud go soiléir.

Creidtear go minic gur ábhair ró-chonspóideach iad an cine agus an ciníochas. Ní bhíonn daoine ag iarraidh cur isteach ar dhaoine eile. Ach is ceist cearta daonna é faoin am seo agus caithfimid cur isteach ar dhaoine agus labhairt ar na hábhair atá ‘ró-chonspóideach’.

Níl an dara rogha againn anois ach an córas a athrú. Muna déanfaimid amhlaidh leanfaidh foréigean agus dúnmharú daoine dubha ar aghaidh. An rud is fearr le déanamh anois ná oideachas a chur ort féin.

Tá dualgas ar dhaoine geala foghlaim faoin gciníochas córasach, faoi conas mar ar éirigh le daoine dubha an lámh in uachtar a fháil go dtí seo, agus faoin streachailt a bhí ag daoine dubha go dtí seo.

Bí airdeallach ar na claontaí atá agat féin, éist le daoine dubha agus tabhair poiblíocht don mhéid atá le rá acu. Ní leor é gan a bheith ciníoch, is mithid anois bheith frith-chiníoch.

Caithfear seasamh suas i gcoinne an chiníochais gach lá, fiú nuair atá sé míchompordach duit, nuair nach bhfuil tú ag iarraidh, nuair a bheadh sé níos fusa duit fanacht i do thost.

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The past few weeks has been very tough for the black community all around the world as we saw a racial terror – a cop with a knee to George Floyd’s neck, a soulless look and a casual disregard for life.

Floyd’s struggle resonates with many black Americans and the timing of his killing created a spark that has lit an uprising over centuries of racism.

His final moments at the hands of four Minneapolis police officers was replayed on social media by a witness at the scene and a couple hours after it had gone viral. Watching that video as a black person was very heart-wrenching, upsetting, barbaric and distressing to the extent that I could not even stop the tears from dropping.

His death has come to symbolize the generations of systemic racism that black people are subjected to and the plight of black people navigating the criminal justice system.

Floyd’s unjust death highlights the burden of being black in America and all over the world.

Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators, including people of all colours and ages, marched and protested against the violent killing of not only George Floyd but of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and countless others.

They carried signs saying “Black lives matter” in around 50 countries, including here in Ireland.

The words of Inger E Burnett-Zeigler, associate professor in psychology at the Feinberg School of Medicine at North-Western University, Illinois, are worth heeding:

“A lot of people of colour are tired. We’re tired of being the unseen and misunderstood”, she says.

“I think it’s important for everyone, regardless of race, to ask ‘what is my role in this system?’’, says Burnett-Zeigler. “Ask yourself ‘have I been passive bystander, and how can I change that?’”

The tragic events of recent weeks have fired many people up. But they have also created an opportunity for us to show empathy towards others, especially people of colour.

Some people claim not to see colour. Although this may be well-intended, the idea that people are colour-blind is false. Everyone, even kids, can discern differences in races.

This colour-blindness also invalidates people of colour who may have “lived experience” that is not like their white counterparts. Moreover, people don’t want important parts of their identity to be erased. They want to be recognized and respected for the entirety of their person.

Some racism is so subtle that neither the victim nor perpetrator may entirely understand what is going on. This underlying racism is often especially toxic for people of colour, for example in the form of racial micro aggressions.

In conclusion, the first step in eliminating racism is to make the “invisible” visible. I realize how controversial topics of race and racism are and how many people believe it’s safer not to say anything and not ruffle any feathers.

However, this is a fundamental issue of human rights issue and not a mere issue of issue of opinion. Maintaining the status quo of a system that continues to marginalize and disproportionately murder people of colour is not simply an opinion or a topic for debate.

The best thing to do is to educate ourselves on systemic racism, the struggles, and barriers to success of people of colour, examine our personal biases, and listen to and amplify the voices of people colour. It is imperative to be more than “not racist’” but, instead, to be actively anti-racist and confront racial injustices daily – even when it’s uncomfortable.