03rd September 2012, St. John’s Antigua- Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer said racism remains alive today and the Caribbean must continue to fight the scourge in order to build a just and equitable society.
Spencer argued that “silent racism” continues to blight Caribbean society, pointing to “vile online commentators” as evidence.
“Some say that racism and discrimination are relics of the past. They claim that, because legal discrimination is a thing of the past, that somehow silent discrimination has also gone away. I do not share that conclusion,” said Spencer.
The Prime Minister was speaking at the Bermuda Industrial Union (BIU) Labour Day Banquet after reading “vile rhetoric” in comments on the Bernews website.
The following remark was singled out by Spencer. It read, “For those who blame white people for the situation they are in, don’t. You should blame your ancestors, they were offered a chance to go back to Liberia and they didn’t go.”
The anonymous comment continued, “Stop complaining because you are a thousand times better off than Africans and people from the Caribbean. There is nothing stopping you from receiving higher education, speaking proper English and getting a well paying job and being a pillar in the community, nothing.”
On an audio clip supplied to OBSERVER Media by the Bermuda Sun, Spencer said, “For me these are disgusting, vile and racist comments. This sort of stereotyping reminds me quite frankly of the bad old days. These comments are a clarion call to all people, black and white, who believe in justice and equality.”
He added, “We have overcome many great obstacles in the past but I wish to remind all of us that we still have much work to do.”
The Prime Minister was clear that he did not intend to bring up any old wounds and instead called for greater unity.
“Until we truly sort out racism those of us who are most victimised by it must stand strong together. There are those who seek to divide us and confuse us but we must not be divided,” said Spencer.
The comments on the Bermudan news site were made under a story on a workshop entitled, “What It Means to Be White,” hosted by the racial conciliation group CURB. CURB said their aim was to “build a socially just and equitable society in Bermuda by more fully understanding the social construct of race.”
Spencer also took a shot at an unnamed media entity in Antigua & Barbuda which he said allowed similar such contemptible remarks to be made.
“They have a similar (web) site in Antigua & Barbuda, a place where anonymous commentators can spew some of the most vile rhetoric under a cloak of anonymity that affords them the ability to say what they really think,” said Spencer.
I dont really see a problem with the “vile rhetoric” that spencer mentioned… The person is basically just saying that we should stop the “woe is me” attitude because there really is nothing stopping us from achieving success. We must realize that we sometimes perpetuate our own stereotypes by acting in a certain way that is seemingly expected of us.. such as our language and dress. The person is obviously saying that african americans are better off, due to the opportunities offered in the USA, and he is right. We must strive harder, being from the Caribbean, with a poorer economy. Th eperson said that there is nothing stopping us… What was so vile and racist about his remarks?? He is just fed up of people complaining and blaming white people about things that they, themselves, CAN change. We can continue to blame them but we CANNOT change the past, so what’s the point of all of it?
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Thank you for your comments the Hon. Mr. Spencer and Miss Smith of highlighting the discriminations that continue to plague and festers within the region. My opinion and I stand to be corrected is that it is one of the main reason why the integration process not as progressive even after independence from our colonial heritage are dated as long as 50 years for some islands. This is a problem that should have been dealt with during those years by the political Heads of CARICOM eons ago but they have failed us as leaders of our respected nations. When after all these years nationals of CARICOM are still illegally treated as hostages when they tried to exercise their given rights of freedom of movements or we referred to each other in discriminatory terms it is not only disheartening but a sad day for regionalism and the integration process. I have been blessed to have close interactions and friends with persons from most of the 15 countries that comprises CARICOM and what I have found is that though we have characteristics that reflects our diversity we have so much similarities as a people that surpasses our geographic positioning. So Mr. Hon. Spencer if you are serious about getting this scourge out of our societies and region I begged you to have this issue place on the agenda at the next CARICOM Heads of Government session. I think this should be the starting point of addressing this issue which I am positive if successful at this level will descend nationally.
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I am ever so proud that the Prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda has acknowledged that discrimination against other ethnicities is still prevelant today. More powers should be used to block anonyymous users from online sites which abuse it to vent out their cancerous hatred towards other human beings. I believe that such individuals should be identified and punished for their actions (We must remember that it took a belief which festered into a hate that resulted in thousands or millions of people being placed into gas chambers by Adolf Hitler). Furthermore, look at what is happening in Guyana a Caribbean Island where people do not refer to themselves simply as Guyanese(one people), but as “Afro or Indo Guyanese”, the same can be said in Caribbean Islands such as Trinidad and Tobago. For too long our society has been plagued with imbiciles who lack the basic requirements needed for common sense, that we are all human beings and that we should work together to build up the country that we so love. Unfortunately this will not be achieved until the countries rids themselves of people that are trying to destroy it and the very heart and soul of it’s people.
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