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Commentary: The Diversity Pioneers
by Meetu Khosla
It’s Black history month. Memories flood back to a time when I was a child growing up in East Africa. A time when servants were Black - a time that still exists. Agnes was my servant, a mother of two. She traveled two hours every morning, arriving punctually to wash last night’s dinner dishes. Before leaving for school, I would tease her like I would my own mother. I grew up with her, she was family! But from as far back as memory serves, they were still considered a different race, almost a different species. My question every morning was why couldn’t she sit and have breakfast with us on the table.
I grew up! Now, I live in the West. I celebrate Black history month with pride. Is it because I grew up in Africa or is it the achievements of the Black community here in the West? I believe it’s both.
It was at an early age that I realized the physical differences that exist between us. It was at an even earlier age that I realized that racism exists between us. I learnt about history that inflicted cruelty upon those darker in color. I read about freedom fighters and studied with African children from families that are of the same calibre as mine. I read about people like Martin Luther King who had a dream that came true for an entire race. I learnt to appreciate from a very young age that you cannot judge someone by the colour of their skin or the social status they hold in society.
This concoction of emotions is common among many of us because of such experiences and teachings. So when Black history month rolls around every year, non-Blacks like me celebrate the success of a community that has made me realize and appreciate differences that will always exist. And it is these differences that make us an interesting world, allowing us to learn from each other. There are many races that have fought for equality and independence in this world. But I believe that the Black community is perhaps the crux of the meaning of the word diversity. Perhaps my view is somewhat naïve, but I have come to realize that diversity could have existed from a long time ago.
Now, I live in one of the world’s most diverse cities. And it’s still a common reaction – one sees a Black man on the street dressed in Sean John or Fubu gear, with big diamond studs in his ears. The thug look – reflex is to hold on tighter to your purse. But instead flows out the sexiest French accent simply asking for directions to the nearest gas station. That is a walking package of diversity, an African – dressed in Western attire, speaking a European language!
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