Racism is like weeds choking a garden. Just as weeds prevent flowers from growing and thriving by taking away sunlight and nutrients, racism stifles folks’ potential by limiting their opportunities and creating an environment of inequality.
Everyone, particularly those who benefit from systemic racism, has a key role to play in ending it. But where to start? Understanding the nature of racism is a crucial first step. This article provides an overview of what racism means, how it manifests in the Netherlands and 3 steps anyone can take to prevent it.
What is racism?
Racism is the belief that one group is superior to others based on race, skin color and/or ethnicity, leading to unfair treatment, negative stereotyping and exclusion. Racism is a systemic form of discrimination in which certain groups are marginalised on social, economic, and political levels because of their race or ethnicity.
In the Netherlands, white folks play an important role in perpetuating racism (whether consciously or unintentionally). Why is this the case?
Over the past few hundred years, white folks have created systems where they have access to more power, advantage and control over things like laws, jobs, and money. Today, white folks still have and maintain power over these things, and experience advantages from these systems. In contrast, these same systems disempower and disadvantage Black folks and people of color in order for it to work as it still does today. Examples of systemic racism include having a harder time finding housing, jobs or experiencing more street harassment.
Did you know?
Racism is based on the idea that ‘race’ exists. ‘Race’ as we use it today was actually invented by white naturalists and philosophers in the 1700s to take and maintain power. You can read more about this in an upcoming blog!
What is the difference between racism and discrimination?
Racism is a type of discrimination, but discrimination can happen for many different reasons.
The terms racism and discrimination are often used interchangeably, but they do not mean the same thing. Discrimination is the unequal treatment of individuals based on identity aspects such as age, gender identity, skin color, or ability level. Discrimination is an umbrella term that includes various forms of unequal treatment, such as sexism, ableism, and racism.
Why reverse racism doesn’t exist
Marginalised ethnic or racial groups do not have the same systemic advantages as white people, and thus cannot exclude or limit white folks’ systemic access to opportunities.
This does not mean that as a white person one cannot feel racial prejudice. If a Black person says: “white people can’t dance,” this is an example racial prejudice – it may hurt feelings but does not threaten white folks’ access to power and human rights on a systemic level. On the other hand, if a white person says, “Black women are so loud,” this is an example of racism – with historical roots in slavery and contemporary links to the trope of the Angry Black Woman, both of which create real socio-economic barriers for Black folks. Racism is therefore more than prejudice – it is the result of both racial prejudice and systemic power.
If we define racism as such, reverse racism simply doesn’t exist.
Racism in the Netherlands
Racism can be directed at different groups and exists in multiple forms, including:
- Racism based on skin color: such as anti-Black racism. Unfortunately, as of 2021, no data had been collected in the Netherlands on anti-Black racism by national anti-discrimination or human rights agencies or law enforcement.
- Racism based on ethnicity: such as anti-Asian racism. Research shows that in the Netherlands, 36% of people with a (South)East Asian background experienced discrimination last year.
- Racism based on religion: for example, anti-Muslim racism. At least 42% of Dutch Muslims experience this.
In reality, the percentages mentioned above are likely much higher. As the lack of data on anti-Black racism shows, there is still a lot of work that needs to happen to even recognise this as a form of racism and discrimination in the Netherlands. Along with that, racist incidents also often go unreported for various reasons, such as folks not feeling safe to report or feeling that reporting won’t make a difference.
What can I do to fight racism?
Racism is a deeply rooted problem. To tackle it, here are 3 things everyone can do right away:
- Get informed: This blog provides some insight, but does not cover all the forms and contexts in which racism occurs. We recommend White Innocence by Gloria Wekker.
- Speak up: To fight racism, we must not only be ‘not racist’ but also actively call out racist behaviour in our surroundings. Want to know more about how anyone can be an active bystander when they witness instances of racism? Sign up for our Together against racism training.
- Support diversity: Encourage inclusion through small but mighty actions at work, at school and at home like buying from minority-owned businesses, hiring more diverse colleagues or reading/ watching books and shows by Black authors and writers.
The information in this blog is largely drawn from the Together against racism training, developed by Fairspace, led by Sharon Chigozie Ubani. In addition our thanks go to Michantely de Jong for her contributions to this blog.
About Sharon
Sharon has a passion for research, education and innovation and prefers to combine the three to help build a more just world. Sharon has a background in criminology and sustainable business administration, has lived abroad for approximately 2.5 years and focuses, among other things, on human-centered innovation, project management and providing training on social safety.
About Michantely
Michantely is passionate about anti-racism education, a commitment reflected in her work. She was active as a peer coach specialized in ethnic profiling for Amnesty International and as a candidate for the Dutch political party BIJ1. As a trainer for the Together against racism training, she takes a holistic approach in striving for a more inclusive society.
