What Color Are You? by Nuzhat Shahzadi

What color are you? It's a great question, right?

Humans have been "color coded" as Blacks, Browns, Whites . . . to depict their ethnicity, and to divide them, value or devalue them as persons. Desire to establish supremacy for political or personal gains of one race over the other has driven humans to insane brutality––discrimination is being used as a weapon to suppress and oppress.

During the British occupation of undivided India, Indians were subjected to cruelty, death, humiliated and made lesser. In their own country their access was restricted ––"no dogs and Indians allowed" signs were displayed in locations or buildings where the British didn't want Indian presence.

History of slavery in America is like the "dead-Albatross"––hard to forget segregation (Outlawed by the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Voting Rights Act of 1965) and Jim Crow laws. Discrimination against African Americans continues even today.
. . .

In 1997-1998, my best friend's daughter was learning about race in preschool . . . I have been her surrogate mom all along. One day she touched my arm and said:

"You and I are white . . ."

"Why do you think so?" I was surprised.

"White is beautiful. Black is bad." The toddler's world view was interesting. Most of her classmates were white.

"Musungus (Whites)" were/are favored against the brown-colored people in Kenya. There is a history behind it––the racial and economic tension between native-African Kenyans and Indian Kenyans. (One time a caucasian UN colleague exclaimed: "there are too many Blacks in Nairobi.") (!!!!)
. . .

In my childhood, I was in school in Lahore, Pakistan, a large number of kids had very low opinions of Bengalees/East Pakistanis. At the time Bangladesh was a province of Pakistan.

"East Pakistanis are short, dark . . ." I heard remarks. They must have learnt it from the adults. I had nice friends––I was good in studies and well accepted. My friends shielded me from mean girls.
. . .

In South Africa during the Apartheid, the Buntu Education system (Education Act of 1952) was a racist compartmentalization––ensured that Blacks receive an education that would stunt their intellectual growth. The outcomes of Bantu Education hampered South Africa's cultural, economic and scientific progress.

"The education materials portrayed us as ugly, lowly people," a national colleague from UNICEF Pretoria had told me. "It was humiliating, so demeaning."

This brings back the memory of the infamous policies to "Americanize" indigenous Native American children. Christian churches collaborated with the government to create hundreds of boarding schools for Native American children in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Children were snatched from their parents... . The conditions at these schools all over northern America, were BRUTAL.

. . .

Class or caste system is being effectively used to dehumanize humans.

During my "spitfire" activist days, I met with Kamala Bhashin- the "famous"-Indian women's rights activist.

"What're you doing about the protection of Dalit women" I asked her. She evaded answering. Dalits are the "untouchable" population. What a racist name for a segment of humans!

Nepal was a Hindu Kingdom––racial, religious (including the caste system) and economic tensions existed with non-Hindu population. Nepal wasn't as peaceful as projected to the outside world. The accumulated socio-economic grievances resulted in the Maoist insurgency that finally toppled the 240-year-old monarchy. Between 2006-2008, Nepal transitioned into a secular democracy.
. . .

Religion has also been and still is a major dissention-trigger.

Recent rioting in England is an attempt to intimidate migrants––non-whites and Muslims. Police stations have been burnt down; Mosques attacked.

In Afghanistan, Hazara Shi'ite minority are constantly killed by Taliban (Sunni Muslims, pro-Pashtun). Over 8000 Hazaras were massacred by Taliban in 1998 in Mazar-e-Sharif.

After I joined UNICEF-ROSA, Kathmandu, the Gujerat rioting happened (2002)––a heartbreaking, shameful tragedy . . .790 Muslims, 254 Hindus were reported killed, many were wounded in 3 days of violence.

And the Israel- Gaza situation??

The peace talk is happening as I write . . . over a thousand Israelis and foreign nationals were killed by Hamas, 241 Israelis and foreign Nationals taken hostage (some have been released, some still held, some died). In retaliation, Israel bombarded Gaza, killed over 40, 000 (mostly civilians––women, children)––blocking humanitarian aid. Both Jews and Palestinians share a common ancestry––their rivalry is based on religious and cultural grounds.
. . .

On a lighter note, below is the color personality chart (not proven fully credible medically or scientifically). "Your favorite color is said to define a part of who you are, offering an inside look into your own personality and behavioral traits."–– (courtesy Google).

According to the science of color psychology, colors can impact mood, influence feelings and behavior.

"Colors, like features, follow the changes of the emotions," Pablo Picasso had once remarked.

For me, I like the splash of many colors.

. . . a little bit of red in my life

a little bit of blue on my side

a little bit of indigo's all I need

a little bit of orange's what I see

a little bit of yellow in the sun

a little bit of violet all night long

a little bit of green, here I am . . .

(Parody––Mambo number 5)

I have the rainbow-colors as my personality-traits, I guess.