Garth Rattray

Sadly, racism is alive and well in the twenty-first century. Hate, intolerance and prejudice persist in many 'developed' countries. Nooses (the ultimate symbols of racism, cruelty and injustice) have been placed in several public locations throughout America by people intent on intimidation. Last year November, comedian and actor Michael Richards (of Seinfeld fame) became unglued when a group of African-Americans heckled him incessantly. He repeatedly referred to them as 'n--ers'.

African-american abused

Last April - without any provocation - Don Imus (host of MSNBC's Imus in the Morning, CBS's popular and high-earning show) described the (mostly African-American) Rutgers University female basketball team as, 'nappy-headed hos' (kinky-haired whores). And, a few weeks ago Duane "Dog" Chapman's son released a recording of a tirade in which his father strongly voiced disapproval of the relationship between him and his African-American girlfriend. In it, the 'Dog' (a famous bounty-hunter and 'star' of A&Es Dog the Bounty Hunter), repeatedly used the word 'n--ers'.

Racial bias was even evident in eminent Nobel laureate, 79-year-old geneticist Dr. James Watson. A few weeks ago he proffered that 'tests' suggest that Africans (Black people) are not as intelligent as their White counterparts. Dr. Watson's so-called 'tests' were obviously far too elementary. Intelligence tests cannot be generalised for all populations - results thus obtained will be flawed. Thanks to the vigilance of the media, the influence of African-American caucuses and well-thinking individuals worldwide, all offenders apologised profusely and were duly penalised for their woeful transgressions by way of lost earnings.

But racism exists right here in Jamaica - a predominantly Afro-Caribbean country. In the 1980s I booked a room in one of our well-known Ocho Rios hotels with indivi-dually owned apartments. In spite of the booking and confirmation, there was great difficulty finding a room with a functioning air-conditioning unit. I noticed that many apartments were vacant, so, I inquired of the receptionist why she didn't put me up in one of them. She whispered, 'The owners don't want any Black people in their apartments'.

Ugly stain from slavery

We have our own version of the 'N' word. It is used as a racial and/or cultural slur.

Undoubtedly, slavery has left an indelible and ugly stain on our psyche. Ingrained social biases, religious images, print and electronic media all help to portray the classic European features as one representing power, beauty, elegance and purity. African features are, too often, wrongly associated with unattractiveness, inferiority and backwardness.

Jamaicans curse each other about their 'blackness'. We readily fight and murder one another. Are these manifestations of self-hate (a form of racism)? Is this why both male and female youngsters exhibit more shame for the hue of their skin than they do for the dangerous practice of bleaching? Many aspire towards fairer-skinned mates as showpieces and as a means to 'lighten their coffee'.

We will never get the respect and equality that we (Afro-Caribbean people) deserve unless and until we begin respecting one another. Respect must begin with an end to tribalism and acrimony within poor communities. We must not allow our poor and desperate to be used by people with power. We must create developmental opportunities for our underprivileged. We must teach respect for our women and teach them to respect themselves. We must respect one another in our daily encounters on the roads, in our schools and in our places of work. We must look to our own well-trained people (from home and abroad) for expertise in solving some of our national problems. If we don't respect ourselves, no one else will.