“Thank God leh, no racism in Singapore”
While we’re on the topic of race and racist acts, we must take this time to reflect on racism in our own society, in our own country. This is not another shoddy attempt to sideline the movement happening across the United States. This is us building solidarity, standing alongside marginalised communities. This is us realising that racism is happening all around, every day, in every society. This is us learning and re-learning that racism stems from an ideology, from histories that have been erased, from histories that have to be rediscovered.
This is us realising that there is no neutrality when it comes to injustice. If you choose to be silent in the face of injustice, you are consciously making a decision to do so. It may be due to rational reasons — even rational fears — but you chose to stay silent. And that is you taking a side.
In building solidarity, it starts with a willingness, of course. It starts with “self-work”, surely. But it cannot stop there. It cannot lead to a deafening silence. When we really start to look, there is literature everywhere. There are voices everywhere, especially now. Some are screaming, others are shouting. A few are crying. So no, this is not the time to gaslight the minorities who are speaking up and pleading for allyship. This is not the moment for you to use your privileges “to be cool”. This is definitely not the time for you to stay silent.
For starters, there are many resources out there to start your own learning of anti-racist work.
Having majority privilege is real, and if you do recognise it, you must talk to each other about race too. Don’t speak to the minorities about your journey to allyship. We appreciate it, just know that. Talk to others who have the same majority privileges. Do the work together and use your voices together to speak alongside minority voices.
So what now? You want to be an ally? Let us see it on your posts, on your IG stories. Let us hear you speak about appropriation, about brownface, about microaggressions — not a “but but, I talk to my friends about it.” Don’t slide into DMs and ask for my opinions or whatever, ask questions on YOUR wall/igstory. Ask these burning questions publicly to your friends, to your families. Be public about your opinion — with kindness and compassion underlying everything you say or do.
