Be informed:
Hearing Peace

5 questions for Nosipho R.

What is your name? Where do you live? What are you doing now? What’s on your mind at the moment?

My name is Nosipho, I live in the city centre of Hildesheim and I also go to school there – in grade 11 – and I’m currently heading for my A-levels. My main concern at the moment is homeschooling and how my grades are changing as a result.

How did you hear about the “Black Lives Matter” movement and what interests you about it and why?

I first heard about the movement, as many probably did, through the murder of George Floyd in May last year and then later learned a bit more about the history of the movement at school because we read the book “The Hate U Give” and there was something written about the movement in the appendix. What interests or impresses me most about this movement is that it has existed for so long and has developed over the years into such a large and widespread movement, which is also not like some other things sometimes “trendy” and then again not. Of course, the topic of racism is no longer as present in many people’s minds as it was in May/June last year, but if you have studied the topic a bit, you realise how much the movement is still around and has never completely disappeared from the scene. Also, I think this is the anti-racism movement that has found the most supporters who are white and who have a lot of privileged people interested and involved in it.

Do you have your own or mediated experiences with racism, if so, how have they shaped you and what do they mean for your everyday life?

Yes, I have had my own experiences with racism, these mainly relate to situations in which everyday racism was practised, often at school, not intended by the person teaching, but for the most part the mistake was not acknowledged and there was no reaction to racist remarks or actions that related to me as a person. These encounters with racism have mainly shaped me in the sense that I can now quickly see the situation and recognise what is happening, and can therefore better stand up for myself and react more consciously to racist statements or actions, not only towards myself but also towards others. After all, the situations made it clear to me that racism is also a very big thing in Germany and also in the “educated” circles, against which one often cannot do anything in our society, because the structures of this society are far too long-established.

Why do you think the movement is called “Black Lives Matter” and not “All Lives Matter”? Do you think that is right? Justify your position.

I think the name “Black Lives Matter” is exactly the right name for the movement, because this movement aims to draw attention to the social differences, grievances and privileges that exist between white and black people, the movement points out with its name that the lives of black people do not count as much as the lives of white people, because if all people, regardless of their skin colour, were treated equally and had the same rights and did not have to be afraid of being discriminated against and sometimes physically injured because of their skin colour, then there would be no need for such a movement and it would not have to be called “All Lives Matter” because all lives already count.

What should be done against racism? Do you get involved in racism yourself? In what form?

I am of the opinion that much more educational work needs to be done, especially with those who are not affected, about what privileges they unconsciously possess. And not only with children and young people, but also with adults and especially with those who work in professions where they have to deal with children and young people and are responsible for their education or care. I myself am not directly involved with any particular organisations or anything like that for racism or against it. However, after an incident in my school, I have been very involved in getting more education about racism done.

Do you agree that racism is a system that discriminates against people?

Absolutely. To discriminate against people is to exclude a minority, and that’s what happens in racist patterns. People are excluded from a society because of their origin or skin colour, just because they don’t seem to fit in stereotypically and that is clearly discriminatory to me.

5 questions for Johanna V.

 

What is your name? Where do you live? What are you doing right now? What is on your mind at the moment?

My name is Johanna, I am currently in the 11th grade and I live in Hermannsburg. Besides school, I like to do creative activities, but I also like to inform myself about different areas and important topics in society.

How did you hear about the “Black Lives Matter” movement? What interests you about this movement and why?

I heard about the “Black Lives Matter” movement through the news, but also mainly through social media. I find it impressive how big this movement has become and how internationally it has eventually operated. I find equally remarkable the great attention that the movement has had over a long period of time and that continues even now. I think that this is a big step in the right direction and that the “Black Lives Matter” movement is even now helping to point out the injustice of this world, which is absolutely important and correct.

Do you have your own or mediated experiences with racism? If so, how have these experiences shaped you and what do they mean for your everyday life?

I haven’t really had my own experiences with racism, but of course I hear about a lot of things through social media or in real life. Even though I think many people don’t want to admit it, racism is still a big part of society. There are always some people who put themselves above other people, just out of superficialities and an outdated view of the world. I know that I live a privileged life in a way and that this difference in perceiving and treating people makes no sense. That the thinking of people who don’t see this is quite sad after all.

Why do you think the movement is called “Black Lives Matter” and not “All Lives Matter”? Do you think this is right? Justify your position

For this question, I have a picture of two houses right in front of my eyes. One is on fire, the other is not. While obviously the house that is on fire has to be helped, the owner of the house that is not on fire is also complaining about the importance of his property. The main message of this depiction is that perhaps both houses are important, but that the importance of the burning house prevails at this moment. It is the same with “Black Lives Matter”. Of course, the life of each individual is important, but probably more attention should be paid to the group that is “on fire” at the moment.

Do you agree that racism is a system that discriminates against people?

I agree that racism is a system that discriminates against people because certain groups of the population are excluded or treated worse. The “reasons” given for this are completely irrational and ethically inappropriate. There is still a concrete separation drawn between oneself and all other people, no matter in which area of life, and here this even more clearly recognisable separation is based primarily in the unjust treatment and superficial devaluing of people.

Nosipho R. and Johanna V.