Personal Stories

Silence is a Privilege

And I am breaking my silence

In the past week, scenes of unrest have flooded my social media feeds following the death of George Floyd. Not wanting to offend anyone, I generally refrain from commenting on the domestic issues of other countries. However, I am now aware that my silence on such salient matters is a privilege. The hard truth is that racism is a universal problem. Even though my country, Singapore, prides itself on multi-ethnicity, undercurrents of racism still exist here.

Labeling #BlackLivesMatter as a bandwagon trivializes the nature of the movement. Although George Floyd was American, #BlackLivesMatter has spread beyond American shores with protests occurring in London and Berlin over the weekend. Protesters are making a political statement and expressing their disdain towards racism. On the other hand, keeping silent is also a political statement. My silence reeked of ignorance at the racial injustice that is occurring in America and that likely exists in societies around the world including mine. Sometimes, it is easy to forget that racism can also exist in subtler ways.

When I was sixteen, I began my first part-time job at a bakery. I distinctly recall an Indian man entering and stating his intentions for a job. To my surprise, the Chinese store manager promptly replied that the shop was not hiring even though I knew that was not the case. When the Indian man left, I turned and questioned the store manager on why he lied about the hiring situation. He replied, “because he is Indian.”

In my country, the constitution explicitly states that citizens will not be discriminated based on their race, religion, or place of birth. In other words, what the store manager did was an infringement of labor laws. And how did I respond? I maintained my silence and I spoke nothing of it ever again.

This memory remains etched into my memory even six years later because I am ashamed of my inaction in the face of a straightforward case of racism. My actions enabled and even condoned an act of racism that denied a man a job that he could have desperately needed. How many other individuals of racial minorities have similarly been denied opportunities because of their race?

Just because racism exists in subtle ways in other societies does not make racism any less of a problem. Yes, George Floyd was American and his death reflects a jarring problem with America’s law enforcement and justice system. However, Floyd’s unfortunate death also reflects the racism that exists in every society, not just America. As a bystander to racism, maintaining your silence is a privilege and I understand that now. Six years ago, my silence made me complicit to racism.

Six years later, it’s 2020 and I will no longer remain silent. It is time to face racism head-on and to bring justice and equality to all the George Floyds of the world. Indeed, all lives should matter regardless of race, language, or religion.