The last few days I have been really shocked by everything that has happened in the United States, and that is that while the world is facing the worst health crisis in recent decades, many other pandemics have been revealed such as domestic violence, poverty, inequality and in this case in particular: racism.
That racism that caused many people protest and demand better living conditions in order to stop racism in the United States. However, I think it is important to emphasize that this is not unique to this country, but it is systematized and naturalized in Mexico and Latin America.
In this sense, although races are a social construction, the feeling of superiority and power places certain people with particular characteristics in a network of privileges for the simple fact of being part of them, forgetting the richness of our differences and the impossibility of choosing where we come from, our skin color, family among other human inheritances.The problem is that this practice is so standardized, that as citizens we consider natural a lot of comments and racist practices and phrases that perpetuates discrimination and racism in our country without us realizing it.
So, yes, it is necessary to raise our voices in the social networks, to speak out against these types of acts, but we also have to take action in this regard. Nowadays it is not enough not to be racist but we have to be anti-racist and in this way inform ourselves, read about these issues, investigate what type of practices keep us in these conditions, it is important to be aware of our own privilege and understand that on many occasions our reality does not multiply in our country.
What has happened in the last few days is an open window for us, so we can create spaces of active listening where we can understand the feelings of people who are in this type of inequality, it is reading to know and understand, it is being active every day not only when it is trending and not only through social networks, it is knowing that these actions submerge our society.
Remembering that "if nothing changes and you change, everything does" and by this let's be consistent in our saying and acting in all spheres, and in any trench. We must deconstruct ourselves, and realize that if we are not part of the solution, we are part of the problem, and that in this "new way of living" that the COVID-19 brought to us, we must seek a more inclusive society where no one is left behind, regardless of skin color, social stratum, socioeconomic status, sex, sexual preference, place of birth, community and many other aspects.
Understanding that: I am, because we are and in this sense we must seek to erase barriers so that this "new way of living" not only includes social distancing, but new ways of life, where today we talk about inclusion so that tomorrow it will only be COEXISTENCE.
