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Let’s Stop Calling Each Other ‘Black’ and ‘White'
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Problem #1: Labelling people ‘Black’ or ‘White’ is an active exercise in Separation
I watched a documentary called ‘The secret life of 5 year olds’. The presenter was talking with two 5 year-old girls, one of African descent and one of European descent, both born in the UK. Or to label them, one was ‘black’, one was ‘white’.
‘You two are the best of friends, aren’t you?’
‘Yes, she’s my bestest friend’ they say to each other, smiling warmly & innocently as only children can.
‘Is there anything which makes you two different from one another?’
The two girls turned to each other again, this time looks of confusion abounding their faces. ‘Ummmmm’ they said in unison, racking their brains to find a single difference.
One of them suddenly perked up in a light-bulb moment and said ‘Yes, I like lemonade, and she doesn’t like lemonade’. Her best friend smiled and said ‘Yeah, I don’t like lemonade’.
