News — racism

Following global anti-racism protests sparked by the killing of George Floyd in the U.S., monuments connected to slavery and colonialism became the target of Black Lives Matter protesters across the world. In Iceland, which is not free of racism, thousands of people attended Black Lives Matter meetings organized by African Americans to show solidarity with the issue in the U.S. and explore matters of inequality in its own society. While countries joined calls to remove statues of colonial-era figures from public spaces, in Iceland, Independence Party deputy MP Vilhjálmur Bjarnason proposed that his country erected one — a statue that would celebrate the life and legacy of Hans Jonatan, believed to be the first Black man to settle in Iceland.

Before achieving celebrity status in Iceland, Hans Jonatan (he had no surname) was a slave in Denmark. He fought in a war, lost a famous case on slavery, and escaped by fleeing to Iceland. His story was largely forgotten until recently when a major genetic study identified some 780 living descendants of him.

Born into slavery in 1784 on the Caribbean island of St. Croix, then under Danish colonial rule, Hans Jonatan’s mother was Emilía Regína, an enslaved African woman on a sugar plantation owned by a Danish-German family named Schimmelman. Hans Jonatan’s father is believed to be of European heritage.

“[Hans] lived as a house slave somewhat protected from the rough field sites, the dissent and rebellions in the fields and somewhat exposed to the nice sides of aristocratic life,” Gísli Pálsson, a professor of anthropology at the University of Iceland, said in an interview in 2019.

At age seven, the Schimmelmans took Hans Jónatan to Denmark, where he lived in Copenhagen for about ten years. While there, he began reading and engaging with the growing discourse in Copenhagen about colonies and plantations and freedom and slavery, according to Pálsson, who wrote a biography about Hans Jónatan called The Man Who Stole Himself.

Pálsson said Hans Jonatan’s growing desire for freedom was one of the reasons he enlisted in the Danish navy in 1801. He probably thought that showing his allegiance to the Danes might make him free. But after surviving the war – one of the major battles in Denmark’s history – he came back still a slave. His superior officers, who admired his bravery, later advocated on his behalf to Denmark’s crown prince and de facto ruler, the future King Frederik VI. The crown prince wrote in a letter that Hans Jonatan “is considered free and enjoys rights.”

But the Schimmelmans argued that Hans Jonatan was their property and they could sell him back to St Croix. Hans Jonatan went to court to assert his freedom, in what would become a famous case at the time. Unfortunately, he was not able to produce the letter from Prince Frederik and in 1802, the court dismissed his claim. He was subsequently ordered to return to the Schimmelmanns, who were ready to sell him in St. Croix.

But Hans Jonatan fled, sailed to Iceland, and settled in the small village of Djupivogur. Around 1802 when he arrived in the remote Icelandic fishing village, locals warmly welcomed him. “He lands before racism arrives from Europe,” Pálsson said. “Before that, you had friction of course between people and groups, but not necessarily a hint at something in their genes, or the colour, or the character.”

Hans Jonatan lived in Djúpivogur, first as the store keep in the trading post, and then later as a peasant, according to one account. He married a local woman, had children, and lived as a free man until his death in 1827 after suffering a stroke.

It would take years before authorities in Denmark were able to find out where Hans Jonatan had escaped to. In the early 2000s when they found out, the descendants of Hans Jonathan in Iceland were also exploring their roots. Researchers who had the idea to re-create Hans Jonatan’s genome had started work during that period. At the end of the day, their study was able to reconstruct 38 percent of Hans’ maternal genome in absence of any physical remains. They traced it back to West Africa, and researchers now say that Hans Jonatan’s mother may have come from Benin, Nigeria or Cameroon.

What is worrying is the fact that Hans Jonatan is still considered property. Kirsten Pflomm, a fifth-generation descendant of Hans Jonatan, in 2018, petitioned then Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen to declare Hans Jonatan, posthumously, a free man. But the prime minister replied in a letter back to her that he “cannot reverse time or the verdict of the past, no matter how incomprehensible it may seem.”

Denmark has however been taking steps recently to address its colonial past. In 2018, it unveiled its first statue of a powerful Black woman in its capital Copenhagen. The 23-foot statue of the Black slave rebellion leader, Mary Thomas, was created by Danish artist Jeannette Ehlers and Virgin Island native La Vaughn Belle. Mary Thomas, otherwise known as “Rebel Queen”, was a Caribbean woman who led a fierce 19th-century revolt against Danish colonial rule.

A statue to Hans Jonatan would not only be in recognition of his character, but would also honor his descendants and other enslaved people who fought for justice, said Pálsson. “He has a thousand descendants and their story is remarkable. Many of those in the second and third generation had to struggle with adversity. A monument would also honour these people and speak to the present moment that we are living in.”

Rapper and actor Romeo Miller recently opened up about a tense encounter with a Black police officer after he allegedly pulled him over at gunpoint while he was driving around the University of California, Los Angeles campus.

Speaking on FOX Soul’s The Mix, the 31-year-old said the officer moved to him with his gun drawn and went ahead to ask if the car he was driving was stolen. “UCLA, you better have that camera recording, because they don’t play no games. But the guy pulled me over at gunpoint, a Black cop, and was like, ‘Is this a stolen vehicle?’” he recollected. “I’m like, bro, relax. Just come check my registration and get my driving license.”

“Is this a stolen vehicle?” Miller repeated, playing the role of the officer. The Jumping the Broom actor, however, said the hostility ceased once the officer recognized him. “And then he saw it was me and was like, ‘Oh, Romeo Miller? Oh, you’re good. I thought you were just some random Black dude,’” he recalled.

Though Miller, who is the son of veteran rapper and business mogul Master P, fortunately walked away unharmed, he lamented on how things could have gone south had it been just another regular Black person. Miller used his younger brothers as an example, saying the police could be hostile to them because they’re less famous and their towering physiques could pass them off as intimidating and mature – though they aren’t.

“I don’t care, you don’t have to be ‘some random Black dude.’ My brothers ain’t famous. They’re bigger than me –– these guys are 6’4, 6’5. These guys are ‘intimidating Black men.’ I have little brothers that literally look like grown men,” he said. “What are they going to go through when they don’t realize ‘Oh I know you from TV? You’re not a threat, or this or that.’ It’s sad that we’re seen as threatening. I been through that situation too many times.”

Miller’s encounter with the armed officer comes on the back of a recent and similar incident involving Power star Michael Rainey Jr. In an Instagram post, the Black actor claimed he would have been shot by a police officer after he was pulled over during a routine traffic stop had he not instinctively started recording their encounter.

In the video, Rainey, who is popularly known for his role as Tariq in the popular television series, Power, is seen trying to produce his license after the officer makes a demand for it. The officer, who is leaning over from the driver’s window of Rainey’s vehicle, appears to have his right hand on his gun at a certain point. He, however, appears to cover it after he realizes he is being recorded. Rainey claimed the decision to film the incident may have saved him from being shot by the officer.

Offensive lineman Justin Herron, who just finished his rookie season with New England Patriots, is being hailed a hero after saving a 71-year-old retired schoolteacher from being sexually assaulted in a public park last Saturday.

Herron, 25, who is training for the offseason in Arizona, and Phoenix resident Murry Rogers, who was also at the park for his daughter’s 15th birthday party, heard screams from the victim and rushed to the scene of the assault.

“At that moment, I was in shock,” Herron said at a press conference Wednesday, according to reports. “I wish I could tell you what I was thinking, but I could just tell someone needed help. All I could do was rush myself over there to make sure I could help the victim and I could comfort her and be the best person I can be.”

The retired teacher was going for her daily walk in Kiwanis Park in Tempe when the assailant, identified as Kevin Caballero, 30, jumped her to the ground and attempted to take off her pants, per a police report.

Herron, who is 6-foot-5 and 305 pounds, intervened, not wanting to be “too aggressive” when he pulled the assailant from the victim.

“I’m a football player, I’m kind of big,” he said at the news conference. “I try not to be too aggressive with people knowing I could potentially hurt somebody. I do have a loud voice. I yelled, told him to get off of her, and then yanked him off and I told him to sit down, and I told him to wait until the cops come.”

Herron said he always thought these sorts of things happen in movies and he never expected to experience this. Both he and Rogers were presented with Outstanding Service Awards by the Tempe Police Department.

“If not for the swift actions of Mr. Justin Herron and Mr. Murry Rogers, this vicious attack could’ve been much worse,” Tempe Police Detective Natalie Barela said.

The two got the chance to meet up with the woman briefly before their press conference. She was grateful they came to her aid when she was most vulnerable. “She thanked us. She called us her angels,” said Rogers. “I’m a little bit of a crier, so it was very emotional.”

According to the police, the victim suffered “minor injuries” and was immediately treated by the crisis unit for any emotional trauma from the attack.

“My parents always talked to me about it, if there’s someone in need, make sure you can help them and be the best you can be,” Herron said. “I don’t want this to happen again, I don’t want to have to save someone else’s life again, but I’m glad I was able to save someone’s life on Saturday.”

Caballero has been taken into police custody and faces charges of attempted assault and kidnapping, according to the police.

Two armed White men who pulled up at the North Carolina home of an African-American mother and son while searching for a missing person are demanding an apology from the Black family for allegedly tarnishing their image after their actions were likened to mob violence.

According to CNN, the men, who were in the company of around 13 other White people at the time of the incident, claim what happened that night wasn’t racially motivated and they were simply trying to locate the whereabouts of a missing person. The demand from Jordan Kita and Austin Wood comes after they were acquitted in February for their involvement in the May 3 incident. Attorneys representing the two men say they want to have a sit-down with Monica Shepard and her son, Dameon, to thrash out the incident as they claim it was a misunderstanding.

Aside from that, they also want an apology from the Black family. Monica, however, told the news outlet she wants to have nothing to do with them and she isn’t concerned they were acquitted. Kita was charged with forcible trespass, breaking and entering and willful failure to discharge duties while Wood was charged with going armed to the terror of the public.

It is also likely the issue won’t be put to bed anytime soon as a civil lawsuit filed by the Shepards against the group that showed up at their home will still be pursued. The Shepards, who compared the group to Ku Klux Klan night riders, are seeking over $25,000 in damages, legal fees as well as “training concerning the history of racism and mob violence” for the White people who showed up at their residence, CNN reported.

The May 3 incident considerably drew the ire of the public who claimed it was racially motivated. Attorneys for the two White men, however, denied race played a factor despite acknowledging the dark history of mob lynching in North Carolina and how the incident similarly reeked of it. They also admitted Kita and Wood were armed. Nevertheless, they claimed they were desperately searching for the missing girl and accused the Shepards and their attorneys of lying about the incident being racially motivated.

Monica Shepard, however, told CNN she’s not interested in having any discussion whatsoever with them. “I’ve said this before: It’s about accountability,” she said. “You can’t just form a mob and go around being vigilante citizens. There’s laws against that. I’m not interested in sitting down. It’s all about accountability at the end of the day.”

What happened?

On the night of May 3, Kita, then a New Hanover County Sheriff’s deputy, joined Wood and 13 other White people to search for the former’s missing 15-year-old cousin. Following a tip-off about the missing girl possibly being with a young man at the Shepards’ address, the group moved to their home. Kita was in his uniform and was also out of his jurisdiction at the time.

The Shepards said though Dameon told them they had the wrong address and he wasn’t the person they were after, the group still refused to leave. The family also accused Kita of using his foot to block them from closing the door. He, however, denied that, CNN reported. During the encounter, Wood was also standing close by with a rifle.

Kita was dismissed from the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office in the aftermath of the incident. The missing girl was found at a different location the next day.

A high school sports announcer and former youth pastor who was heard using a racial slur on girls of a basketball team for taking the knee during the national anthem has denied he’s racist, blaming his utterances on his diabetes.

According to CBS, the incident occurred during an Oklahoma 6A State basketball match between Norman High School and Midwest City on Thursday. In the recording, Matt Rowan is heard launching into a racist tirade when the girls of the Norman High School basketball team take the knee when the national anthem is being played. Rowan was unaware his mic was on.

“They’re kneeling? F**k**g ni**ers,” Rowan is heard saying. “I hope Norman gets their ass kicked. F**k them. I hope they lose. Come on Midwest City. They’re gonna kneel like that? Hell no.” Norman went ahead to win the game.

Rowan released a statement on Friday apologizing for his comments and blamed his meltdown on a spike in his blood sugar level.

“During the Norman High School girls basketball game against Midwest City, I made inappropriate and racist comments believing that the microphone was off; however, let me state immediately that is no excuse such comments should have been uttered,” he said.

“I will state that I suffer Type 1 Diabetes and during the game my sugar was spiking. While not excusing my remarks it is not unusual when my sugar spikes that I become disoriented and often say things that are not appropriate as well as hurtful. I do not believe that I would have made such horrible statements absent my sugar spiking.”

A parent of one of the girls on the Norman basketball team told KWTV the incident took a toll on his daughter and Rowan’s comments were a reflection of the abuse people of color have to endure.

“It’s just a sign of the times, it’s more of the abuse and things we have to deal with as people of color. Instead of looking at what the real issues are a lot of this negativity is just based off of hate,” he said. “She’s not taking it very well. Me and my wife just try to tell her keep her head up, just pray and try to concentrate.”

Following the incident, Norman Public Schools released a statement announcing they had severed ties with Rowan and his company.

“We fully support our students’ right to freedom of expression and our immediate focus is to support these girls and their coaches and families, particularly our Black students and coaching staff,” NPS Superintendent Dr. Nick Migliorino said.

“It is tragic that the hard work and skill of this team is being overshadowed by the vile, malignant words of these individuals. We will do everything in our power to support and uplift our team and everyone affected by this incident.”

The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) also released a statement condemning Rowan’s comments and announced they had “immediately cut ties with the third-party production crew that was involved.”

“The thoughts expressed in no way represent our network, and we are outraged that they found their way into the production,” the statement said.

“The NFHS Network firmly condemns racism, hate and discrimination. We also deeply apologize to the students, their families, and the entire community for having such ignorant and hurtful comments expressed during the broadcast.”

The statement added: “As an organization dedicated to empowering students and young people through high school sports and athletic programs and making their achievements accessible to all in their communities and beyond, this incident is a direct violation of our mission as a company.”

Rowan’s production company, OSPN Live, has since been removed from the network’s website, CBS reported. Another company that reportedly sponsored Rowan’s company also announced they had “officially severed ties” with him in a tweet on Friday.

A Chinese man who was studying chemistry at Pennsylvania’s Lehigh University on a student visa has pleaded guilty to attempted murder after poisoning his former Black roommate’s food and drinks with heavy metal in 2018.

According to WFMZ, the accused, Yukai Yang, entered the guilty plea – one count of attempted murder – on Monday in exchange for the Northampton County District Attorney’s Office to drop other charges in relation to two other cases after he is sentenced.

He was initially charged with attempted murder, reckless endangerment and assault. The 24-year-old faces 6 to 20 years in prison, and also faces deportation to his native China after serving his time as he’s a non-US citizen. His student visa has also been revoked.

Testifying before the court, First Assistant District Attorney Richard Pepper said Yang purchased the poisonous heavy metal, thallium, in March 2018, and then started lacing it in the food and drinks of his roommate, Juwan Royal. The two had reportedly been roommates for four years.

Royal, who testified in 2018, told the court about the “unfathomable pain” he felt and the string of medical conditions he suffered, including nausea, weight loss, headaches and heart palpitations, due to the thallium poisoning, WFMZ reported.

Royal said he initially started feeling a tingling sensation in his arms, hands, feet and legs. He said the tingling sensation aggravated into a “pain that I didn’t think was possible.”

“It was as if someone took a hundred tiny knives, set them on fire and was stabbing my feet,” he told the court.

Between March and May of that year, Royal testified he lost around 20 pounds and could hardly ingest any food, adding that the poisoning even made him afraid to eat. Royal also said the pain in his feet was so “excruciating” he could neither sleep nor climb the stairs and had to even wear a heart monitor for some time as a result of the palpitations.

“It felt as though my body was failing me,” he testified. He was reportedly diagnosed with heavy metal poisoning in April 2018. Though the pain in his feet eventually disappeared, Royal told the court he still feels numbness in his toes, and he is less energetic as compared to his condition prior to the poisoning, WFMZ reported.

Royal said he couldn’t identify what may have caused Yang to poison him. Though he admitted they weren’t the best of friends, he described their relationship as amicable and friendly. Prior to the attempted murder charges being filed against Yang, he was being investigated for ethnic intimation after he allegedly destroyed Royal’s television and also wrote racial slurs on his stuff.

Yang’s sentencing is scheduled for January 21, although subject to change.

Racial disparities within the healthcare system due to to the lingering effects of systemic racism prevent thousands of Black and Latinx patients from receiving the adequate service they deserve. One Black woman is seeking to change that by establishing a new tool to help marginalized groups connect with doctors from their communities.

Kimberly Wilson is the founder of HUED, an app created to help Black and Latinx patients connect with doctors of colors for healthcare services. Wilson created the company after her own health scare exposed her to the disparities many like her face.

“As a 30-something, I was traumatized by this experience, and in that, I realized my story is the same as countless others, though many are unequipped to be their own self-advocate,” said Wilson. “That was when I developed a solution for improving the patient care experience.”

Wilson says the COVID-19 pandemic has only given more exposure to the disparities Black and Latinx patients face when seeking healthcare services leading more consumers to the app. “Where investors and other stakeholders were uninterested and unbothered by the work that HUED was doing, even just a year ago,” she explains, “there’s been a spotlight on healthcare that is helping us to validate a problem that we’ve sought to address well before this moment in time.”

The health app recently partnered with Vaseline and award-winning actress Regina King to collaborate on a search tool to help people find dermatologists and other specialist doctors of color. “Through this partnership, we co-created a search tool with Vaseline specifically focused on helping people identify and connect with dermatologists of color and those experienced in treating skin of color,” said Wilson.

“The online platform will also offer educational resources that provide expert recommendations on how to treat and monitor skin at home, understanding when to seek a dermatologist for proper care, and how to best prepare for an appointment with the right questions and what to expect.”

Wilson went on to say that she hopes the services can help combat these disparities as a start to reform the system and help those within the community. “HUED’s solution not only reduces the economic toll of payers (resulting from racial disparities),” she says, “but also drastically improves health outcomes for people of color by allowing patients to search, review, and book culturally competent physicians that specifically understand their physical, mental, and cultural needs.”

The South African police have fired tear gas at opposition activists protesting against alleged racism at a Cape Town school after a so-called “whites-only” year-end dance party was organized off-site, reportedly by parents.

Anti-riot police on Friday fired tear gas and water cannon at nearly 2,000 members of the radical left Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party who gathered near the school.

“Police fired tears, stun grenade and used water cannon to prevent the protesters from approaching the school,” Al Jazeera’s Fahmida Miller reported from Cape Town.

Miller said the protesters were “quite peaceful” and have accused the police of being heavy-handed.

“They are also angry at the police and saying they won’t respond in the same manner against white protesters,” she said.

Police later told the protest organizers only 100 people were allowed to march to the school.

The protests were the latest in a string of demonstrations against alleged racism at Brackenfell High School following the party, which was held at a winery farm in Stellenbosch, east of Cape Town, on October 17.

Prior to the event, a flyer was shared on a dedicated WhatsApp group that included several teachers, Black students from the school told local news website IOL. The flyer was not shared via regular class WhatsApp groups, one student told IOL, saying it was clear Black students were meant to be excluded.

The school denies the event was an official function and maintains it was privately organised by parents.

“The masked ball, referred to as a matric farewell, was a private party organised by the parents of matriculants, and did not fall under the control of the school at all,” the school’s governing body wrote in a letter to parents, according to IOL.

“The function was held on a private venue and not at the school, as certain allegations claim. The governing body and staff of Brackenfell High School therefore distance themselves from any allegations that Brackenfell High School will condone or accommodate any events that are exclusively reserved for certain groups, and especially racial groups.”

A few days after the party, EFF members tried to march to the school but were blocked by some of the students’ parents resulting in fistfights.

Widely shared video footage showed dramatic scenes of angry white parents punching the EFF’s Black protesters on the streets on November 9.

The confrontation disturbed President Cyril Ramaphosa who called for an investigation, describing the clashes as “deeply regrettable”.

“The spectacle of parents and protesters coming to blows at the school gate is deeply unfortunate,” said Ramaphosa, adding the development brought “back hurtful memories of a past we should never seek to return to”.

The clashes occurred a few weeks after similarly racially-charged protests in the central farming town of Senekal over the brutal murder of a white farm manager by suspected Black assailants.

Despite the end of apartheid a generation ago, racial tensions in South Africa often remain high.

In a move to leave its colonial past behind, the Barbados government is now all set to remove the statue of Vice Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson from the National Heroes Square in the heart of the capital, Bridgetown.

The statue, which has stood in the city for over 200 years, will be removed on November 16, 2020, on International Day of Tolerance, a year before dropping Queen Elizabeth II as Head of State. 

Announcing the decision which he described as “a step towards the healing of the Nation”, John King, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office with responsibility for Culture, said, “This is indeed an ultimate statement of confidence in who we are as a people and what we are capable of achieving.”

“As we amend the Constitution to have a Barbadian Head of State, and as a symbol of the maturity of our democracy, it is imperative that we reexamine notable elements of our colonial past. Cabinet’s decision to remove the statue is part of this process as we seek to promote national identity as part of a modern Barbados.”

The recent wave of black consciousness that swept over the western world attracted calls for lingering symbols of slavery and colonialism to be removed across the world. An online petition calling for the removal of the statue led by former journalist Alex Downes garnered thousands of signatures in Barbados.

“In a country where approx. 95 percent of the population is also black, why do we continue to proudly force ourselves to relive the traumas our people have faced by having this statue stand in Heroes Square?” Downes questioned.

The 30-year old Barbadian further called on the Government of Barbados to replace the statue with a symbol of unity which acknowledges the true work of the country’s heroes.

The statue of Nelson – a British Navy officer — was erected over two centuries ago in honor of his victory against French forces in the Valley of Trafalgar. However, Nelson’s staunch support for the Transatlantic Slave Trade has attracted tremendous criticism in recent times.

According to a letter penned by Nelson to his friend, Simon Taylor — a British plantation owner  in Jamaica — in regard to slavery, he remarked: “I have ever been and shall die a firm friend to our present colonial system…neither in the field or in the Senate shall their interest be infringed whilst I have an arm to fight in their defense, or a tongue to launch my voice against the damnable and cursed doctrine of Wilberforce and his hypocritical allies.”

Apart from Barbados, many people across the globe support the symbolic act of reclaiming dignity and exposing long-celebrated racists. Bahamas and Trinidad and Tobago have strongly called for the removal of statues of Christopher Columbus.