My favorite team Philadelphia Eagle’s Quarterback Carson Wentz said “institutional racism in this country breaks my heart and needs to stop. Can’t even fathom what the black community has to endure on a daily basis.” At the same time, Golden State Warrior’s Coach Steve Kerr said, “We have to decide, as white people, that enough is enough,” It makes a more difference when everyone joins movement for Civil Rights and in this context, Black Life Matters!!!
Today the entire world is in awe with the nationwide protest that sustained for the past 7 nights after the killing of George Floyd. My Inboxes, WhatsApp, DMs and Viber are full of screen shots of local newspapers, video clipping and comments as shared by my friends and relatives from abroad. I cannot separate myself from this news and honestly, how could I? If today you read any newspaper, listen to any radio station, watch any TV channel, click on any news websites, you will see stories on the following:
1. riots
2. protests
3. irresponsive statements made by the President
4. looting
5. tear gas and more killings.
There are very selective debates on an uprising against white supremacy sweeping America: Perhaps George Floyd was wrong, and he could have spent few years in the prison if the situation was handled differently. However, tragically, his life was taken. This tragedy was recorded live by a brave 17-year-old so that the entire world has been able to see a video clip. I ask myself now, what do people think of the USA? Are we falling back to pre-civil right movement era?
I have been in this country for a long time. I have witnessed several Presidents from both parties. Almost every year, African Americans are killed on street violence as well as in the hand of police brutality. I have witnessed many protests, but I have never seen anything like what we are watching right now.
In the past, typically, the American President made a public presence, showed compassion and empathy and used words carefully to heal the community and not hurt. But I never heard a President in modern democracy calling out protestors as THUGS and say something like “……when the looting starts the shooting starts”. Perhaps it is those types of words that inspire people to fight racism and to work with Black Lives Matter movement.
n the recent incident of George Floyd, a black man was killed by unnecessary force by a white cop. But these protests are not being carried out by just black or whites, they are being carried out by a real America. I talked to number of my friends and even to my son about separating looting with peaceful protest. I have never read or heard a rule of protest. I have heard of marching orders. Protest is just opposite of marching order.
Protest is always about good vs evil. This protest is about rights; it is about human rights; it is about civil rights. Purpose of protestor is to get attention. There is a deep meaning of “enough is enough”. There is no free ride. No one gives any one deserving right. It is always demanded, and it is always fought for. In the Hindu epic Mahabharata, we have read story of Pandava vs Kaurava. Pandava had to fight to get their piece of land and earn respect and title back. That’s how almost every history is written. Civil right movement is no different. There are sacrifices in these protests. Civil rights are basic human rights. No one should be dying on the street as George Floyd did.
Currently people are distracted constantly by arsons and looting. Hope it doesn’t take focus away from real issue. In many years, we are seeing real America, brown, white, black, yellow, in the demonstration. We are witnessing cops kneeling outside Trump Hotel. That is true America.
Now I would like to talk about participation of my own community. I identify as Nepali ethnicity, South Asian and Asian. I have seen poor participation by this community in ongoing civil right movements. One of the accused police office in George Floyd case is Asian and news have started reporting some complex Asian American and Black relations. They are perhaps driven by ignorance, fear of rejection by white, getting too close to black etc. Many Asian immigrants have not even fully accepted America as their home and still dream of going back to their country of origin or are confused. They have not yet fully accepted next generation as fully American. Many of us are happy to learn when our kid wears ethnic cloths, eats ethnic food, speaks our language, perform rituals etc. Yes, they are important for identity, but we need to remember that our kids are first and second generation American.
Our first- and second-generation kids experience rooted racism each day of their life. They start verbalizing it as they grow older. My wife was born and brought up in the USA and was frequently asked which Indian tribe did she belong to. Of course, she didn’t have an answer and perhaps when she was young, she believed that she belonged to a tribe. I remember my 3 year-old daughter asking us why she didn’t have a blonde hair. I am sure many parents have faced these tough questions and often we have no answers to it. I cannot even imagine the conversation that perhaps takes place in African American families when their kids leave home to hang out with friends. I am sure many of them look at watch and phone in fear until their teenagers return home. It bothers me at times. Whenever I went to Nepal or India, few of my friends asked me if I was gone home. Many times, I have said yes but now I tell them this is my home.
It was less than 10 years ago when Darshan Rauniyar became first person of Nepali origin to announce candidacy in WA State followed by Amrita Regmi in GA and last year H.B. Bandari won the election in the state of MD becoming 1st elected person of Nepali origin in the USA State House. I believe Roger Adhikari was the first candidate to file candidacy in the city of Tracey in CA and now we have three elected Nepali officials including Kiran Sitoula, Dy. Mayor of Indian Head, MD; Pradeep Dhakal, Herndon Township, VA and Madhu Panthi, Hay Market, VA. Sanjita Pradhan was appointeds by President Obama as a Member of the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders followed by Dr. Shyam Karki in similar position in MD, Prabha Deuja in Fairfax, Jeewan Tiwari in VA and many more. Few Nepalis have made a big jump. However, we still lack participation in mainstream America. We are beneficiary of Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, DV VISA and many more privileges that are outcome of Civil Rights Movement fought by African Americans. However, we lack acknowledging our support and often and do not hesitate to point out flaws in the African American community.
In 2016, Presidential election ran on the platform of racism and hatred. Our Presidents’ narratives about its citizens are totally non-democratic. Listening to his statement of activating military to suppress protests and urging governors to arrest them and put them in jail for 10 years to teach a “lesson” is no different than we watching fascist rulers in developing countries suppressing movements. Historically the US always stood up with those protestors around the world for their civil rights and this time it is failing its own citizens.
Lack of participation in civil right movement and standing up to raise voices in the country we call home has historically caused Nepalis to be thrown out of Bhutan and part of India. It is time to learn lesson from the history. It is time to stand on Good side. It has nothing to do with how many white or nonwhite friends we have. It has to do with how many times we swallow humiliation. No one need to swallow humiliation. It is time to stand for Civil Rights and stand up for minority rights. We do not want another George Floyd and we do not want another George Floyd from any community.
Source : medium.com
This article was first published in medium.com
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