Latest news with #non-white
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Praise and dismay in South Africa over president's meeting with Trump
Many South Africans have praised their president, Cyril Ramaphosa, for staying calm when Donald Trump ambushed him in the Oval Office with a video purporting to back up his false claims of a 'genocide' against white Afrikaner farmers. Others asked why Ramaphosa, who brought ministers, golfers and a billionaire with him, chose to walk into what he knew was likely to be a trap. Before the televised encounter, US-South Africa relations were at a nadir. In February, Trump signed an executive order cutting aid to South Africa, accusing it of 'unjust racial discrimination' against Afrikaners, who ruled the country during the apartheid era which repressed the non-white majority. The order set up a programme to bring Afrikaners to the US as refugees, with the first group arriving earlier this month, while other refugees from war zones were blocked. 'There is criminality in our country,' Ramaphosa told Trump. 'People who do get killed, unfortunately through criminal activity, are not only white people. The majority of them are black people.' Trump responded: 'The farmers are not black.' Ramaphosa later returned to Trump's divisive claims, saying: 'These are concerns that we are willing to talk to you about.' The political journalist Pieter du Toit told Reuters: 'President Ramaphosa did well to maintain a calm demeanour and he did well to stick to the facts as close as possible.' Mpumelelo Mkhabela, a political analyst, wrote in a column for the local outlet News24: 'Ramaphosa played the role of a defender and never once launched a counter-attack that would have made the situation worse.' However, other South Africans thought their president was wrong to visit and that his trip had failed to achieve anything. 'I don't think it was the right call. I don't think we need to explain ourselves to the USA,' Sobelo Motha, a trade union member, told Reuters on the streets of Johannesburg. 'We know there's no white genocide. So for me, it was pointless exercise.' Some social media users found levity in the confrontation, noticing Ramaphosa grinning when Trump's video featured the far-left opposition politician Julius Malema singing the controversial anti-apartheid song Kill the Boer (Boer, meaning farmer in Afrikaans, also refers to Afrikaners). 'Cyril can't even contain his laughter … yhooooooo cupcake,' one user posted on X, using a popular teasing nickname for Ramaphosa that first spread in 2017 when it appeared in leaked emails from alleged mistresses of the then deputy president. (Ramaphosa admitted he had had an affair and suggested the emails had been doctored, but now responds to the nickname.) The White House video ended with an aerial shot of white crosses lining a rural road, which Trump said marked the burial sites of 'over 1,000 white farmers'. The crosses were erected as a temporary protest after the murder of a white couple, Glenn and Vida Rafferty, on their farm in 2020. 'It's not a burial site … it was a memorial,' Rob Hoatson, a neighbour of the Rafferty's and one of the protest organisers, told the BBC. Another image presented by Trump as evidence of a 'white genocide' was a still from a video taken in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). 'These are all white farmers that are being buried,' said Trump, as he brandished a printout with a picture of body bags being lifted into a grave. Reuters reported on Thursday that the image was a still from a 3 February report by the agency showing the aftermath of fighting between the DRC army and Rwanda-backed M23 rebels. In South Africa, almost 2,300 farmers, their families and workers have been killed since 1990, according to figures from the Transvaal Agricultural Union, a conservative mainly Afrikaner farmers group, cited by Agence France-Presse. Last year, South African police recorded more than 26,000 murders. Experts say the often-fatal armed robberies target people for their cash and valuables, not because of their race. South African officials were keen to spin the trip as having improved relations with the US. 'After his Oscar-winning Oval Office performance to his base, behind closed doors, Trump was a 'jovial and perfect host',' Redi Tlhabi reported for the Daily Maverick news site, citing two South African sources and one US site as saying there was 'no drama' once the cameras stopped rolling. Meanwhile, the presence of the golfers Ernie Els and Retief Goosen appeared to warm Trump to South Africa at times, with him referring to them as 'friends'. Many South Africans were less impressed by their presence. Some flagged that Els's 'two wrongs don't make a right' comment seemed to equate apartheid with the shortcomings of black-led democratic governments, while others raised eyebrows at him thanking the US for supporting the apartheid regime's war with Angola. Goosen spoke about his brothers' 'constant battle' to stop their farms from being taken over, although he added that his family had a 'great life' in South Africa. At a press conference after the Oval Office meeting, reporters asked why the golfers had attended and if they had been briefed beforehand. Ramaphosa said there had not been time to do so, adding: 'It is what it is … Those golfers are patriotic South Africans.' Johann Rupert, the white founder of the luxury goods group Richemont, which owns Cartier, was praised by many South Africans for pointing out during the trip that all races suffer from violent crime. However, the billionaire is a lightning rod for discontent about the country's searing inequality, with his inclusion in the delegation seen by some as a capitulation to the forces of both racism and capitalism. Malema, one of Rupert's fiercest critics, shared an X post that praised himself and attacked Rupert: 'Julius Malema must be protected, he always stands firm for black people and They are going to talk about him in the Oval office because he always stands firm against whiteness, challenging powerful people like Rupert who [have] captured the state.' It did not escape the notice of South Africans, who are finely attuned to racial dynamics, that while Trump interrupted Ramaphosa repeatedly, he barely spoke over Rupert or the white golfers.
Straits Times
06-05-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
South Africa's DA party challenges new racial equity law in court
The Hillbrow Tower, an iconic tower used to identify the Johannesburg skyline, is seen as the sun rises, in Johannesburg, South Africa, June 20, 2019. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko/File Photo JOHANNESBURG - South Africa's Democratic Alliance party went to court on Tuesday to challenge new employment equity legislation which sets out numerical targets for the number of non-white people that companies should employ. The pro-business DA, the second-biggest party in government, says the new law violates anti-discrimination clauses in the constitution and gives the state too much regulatory power. Its larger coalition partner, the African National Congress, says the DA is trying to "preserve the apartheid-era economic status quo" and thwart its efforts to correct racial imbalances in the workplace that are apartheid's legacy. Statistics show that South Africa's companies are still dominated by white people at the top, with Black employees mainly occupying lower-level roles. Unemployment is much higher among Black citizens. Lawyers for the two sides made their opening arguments on Tuesday at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria. "This case is about flexibility," said DA lawyer Ismail Jamie in court, adding that it is fine to set aspirational targets but not ones "so rigid that they constitute a quota", which he claimed the new ones do. Race remains a highly charged topic in South Africa three decades after the end of white minority rule. The DA's national leader is white and the party has a reputation for defending the interests of the white minority, which it denies. The Employment Equity Amendment Act, which took effect this year, updates a 1998 act that required employers to set diversity targets and report on their progress in meeting them. It is separate from an existing Black economic empowerment law which many critics say hasn't worked. That policy also sets targets for the number of Black people at management level, but firms can avoid it by earning points in other categories such as ownership or skills development. There is no penalty for non-compliance. TARGETS Under the new law, companies with more than 50 employees must meet sectoral targets for the number of non-white people, women and disabled people in skilled and senior roles, or justify their failure to do so. Firms that do not comply could lose government contracts and be fined. "If we continue the way that we are, we're never going to see the transformation that is required because people... will never get to top management," said Muriel Mushariwa, a law lecturer at the University of the Witwatersrand and an employment equity consultant. She added, however, that it could be difficult for companies to comply with the new equity law and the Black empowerment programme, whose targets are broken down into different categories and not aligned. The DA says it supports redress but sees job creation as the primary solution. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
South Africa's DA party challenges new racial equity law in court
By Nellie Peyton and Siyanda Mthethwa JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) -South Africa's Democratic Alliance party went to court on Tuesday to challenge new employment equity legislation which sets out numerical targets for the number of non-white people that companies should employ. The pro-business DA, the second-biggest party in government, says the new law violates anti-discrimination clauses in the constitution and gives the state too much regulatory power. Its larger coalition partner, the African National Congress, says the DA is trying to "preserve the apartheid-era economic status quo" and thwart its efforts to correct racial imbalances in the workplace that are apartheid's legacy. Statistics show that South Africa's companies are still dominated by white people at the top, with Black employees mainly occupying lower-level roles. Unemployment is much higher among Black citizens. Lawyers for the two sides made their opening arguments on Tuesday at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria. "This case is about flexibility," said DA lawyer Ismail Jamie in court, adding that it is fine to set aspirational targets but not ones "so rigid that they constitute a quota", which he claimed the new ones do. Race remains a highly charged topic in South Africa three decades after the end of white minority rule. The DA's national leader is white and the party has a reputation for defending the interests of the white minority, which it denies. The Employment Equity Amendment Act, which took effect this year, updates a 1998 act that required employers to set diversity targets and report on their progress in meeting them. It is separate from an existing Black economic empowerment law which many critics say hasn't worked. That policy also sets targets for the number of Black people at management level, but firms can avoid it by earning points in other categories such as ownership or skills development. There is no penalty for non-compliance. TARGETS Under the new law, companies with more than 50 employees must meet sectoral targets for the number of non-white people, women and disabled people in skilled and senior roles, or justify their failure to do so. Firms that do not comply could lose government contracts and be fined. "If we continue the way that we are, we're never going to see the transformation that is required because people... will never get to top management," said Muriel Mushariwa, a law lecturer at the University of the Witwatersrand and an employment equity consultant. She added, however, that it could be difficult for companies to comply with the new equity law and the Black empowerment programme, whose targets are broken down into different categories and not aligned. The DA says it supports redress but sees job creation as the primary solution. (Additional reporting by Thando Hlophe; Reporting by Nellie Peyton and Siyanda Mthethwa; Editing by Tim Cocks and Gareth Jones)
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
"Although The Insult Here Should Be Obvious, The Several Well-Intentioned People That Paid Me This 'Compliment' Seemed To Have No Idea": Black People Share Microaggressions They Deal With Constantly
Racism comes in many forms — and that includes the insidious microaggression. Columbia University professor Derald Wing Sue, who studies the psychology of racism and anti-racism, summed up racial microaggressions as the 'everyday insults, indignities and demeaning messages sent to people of color' by individuals who are often oblivious to the offensive nature of their words or actions. Microaggressions — a term first coined by Harvard psychiatrist Chester M. Pierce in the 1970s — can be directed at members of any marginalized group, including the LGBTQIA+ community, women and people with disabilities. Here, we'll focus on those geared toward the Black community. Microaggressions are broken down into three categories: microassaults, microinsults and microinvalidations. Microassaults are the more obvious and deliberate discriminatory behaviors, such a cashier purposely skipping over a Black customer in line, telling a racist joke or wearing a T-shirt with a Confederate flag on it. Microinsults and microinvalidations, on the other hand, tend to be unconscious, unintentional and less obvious. In fact, well-intentioned perpetrators of microinsults often believe they're being complimentary when they tell a Black colleague that they're 'so articulate.' An example of a microinvalidation is when a white person says they're 'colorblind' to racial differences (thus minimizing the struggles that non-white people have dealt with because of their skin color) or tries to claim that racism doesn't exist anymore. The cumulative effect of microaggressions over time can be harmful to people of color and other marginalized groups. 'It's a monumental task to get white people to realize that they are delivering microaggressions because it's scary to them,' Sue told the American Psychological Association. 'It assails their self-image of being good, moral, decent human beings to realize that maybe at an unconscious level they have biased thoughts, attitudes and feelings that harm people of color.' The perpetrator and even the recipient of the microaggression may try to brush off these comments as if they're no big deal, but the cumulative effect of these interactions can be damaging to Black, Indigenous and people of color's mental and physical health. The stress of being exposed to these incidents over time is linked to depression, psychological trauma, anxiety and high blood pressure, among other negative health outcomes. Below, Black people share the microaggressions they've personally had to deal with and why they're offensive: 1. When an airport gate agent questions why you're in line for business class. 'I travel a lot as a wedding photographer and because of my airline frequent flyer status, I'm upgraded most of the time and get to fly in business class. Ticketing and gate agents always ask me if I'm in the correct line. They want to make me aware that I'm in a line of privilege. I'm usually singled out and asked if I'm flying business. At first, I used to say yes, but I started noticing that I was the only one asked most times, especially if I was the only Black person in the business line. Now, I audibly question why they single me out.'— Joshua Dwain, wedding photographer 2. When someone tells you you're so pretty that they 'don't even think of you as Black.' 'Although the insult here should be obvious, the several well-intentioned people that paid me this 'compliment' seemed to have no idea how insulting and hurtful this is. The idea that one cannot be both Black and pretty runs deep in this country. While growing up, every single example of beauty in the media and in my beloved books were white girls or women. Black people, particularly with hair like mine, were often relegated to the role of the dowdy best friend — if they appeared in the show, film or book at all. Nothing I read or saw growing up told me that Black was pretty.'— Laura Cathcart Robbins, writer and host of 'The Only One In The Room' podcast 3. When people assume you got into a college because of an athletic scholarship. 'As an alumni of a private university, when someone asks if I played basketball in college, it implies that I was accepted on a sports-related scholarship instead of an academic basis. This is an assumption that all African Americans are athletic and mainly attend college through sports scholarships. I have never been a part of a sports team and I attended my university on a partial academic scholarship.'― C.D., nurse 4. When a retail employee follows you around the store because they assume you're going to shoplift. 'When I'm shopping in a store, like at the mall, and the store clerk follows me around the store constantly asking, 'Do you need help finding anything?' Asking once is fine, as I understand the need for good customer service. However, being constantly watched with the intent of criminality is another microaggression experienced by Black people. It assumes that we are stealing or don't have the money to buy the clothes in the store. Anytime I notice this behavior, I decide not to spend my money there. '― Erlanger Turner, psychology professor 5. Or when a retail worker immediately directs you to the sales rack. 'A few years ago, I went to Macy's on 34th St. I walked into the Louis Vuitton section to find a gift for my mother. As soon as I walked in, the sales associate greeted me and, without any prompt, proceeded to direct me to the sales rack. I was dumbfounded. I didn't understand, only to realize I was the only Black customer who had walked into the store and the only one who wasn't dressed in designer brands. I left the store right then and there. I didn't even want to get a gift for my mother after that. I just looked around window shopping then eventually went home. I spoke to my husband and some friends about it but never truly addressed how it bothered me.'― Jan-Kristòf Louis-Mansano, school counselor 6. When people ask to touch your hair — or just do it without your permission. 'I was at a party where a white woman, who I had met several times before, asked if she could touch my hair (even though she had never asked before). Then, before I could respond, she had both hands on my Afro. It was done to draw attention to me and embarrass me. This woman grew up in the 70s and has probably seen more Afros than me, but she acted like Afros were a brand new concept. Secondly, she violated my personal space and touched me without my permission because she felt she had the right. That entitlement and violation is racism.'― Valencia Morton, blogger at Millionairess Mama 7. When they make you feel invisible. 'White people have the amazing ability to ignore what is different than their norm. My presence has been ignored in plenty of white spaces for no other reason than the color of my skin. In work settings, this is demoralizing and causes racial trauma.'— Renée Cherez, travel writer 8. When they say you have good hair because it's 'not nappy.' 'This statement implies that to have good hair is to have hair resembling Eurocentric features. 'Kinky' or 'nappy' hair isn't seen as beautiful in the eyes of society and wouldn't be referred to as 'good hair.''— C.D. 9. Or when they tell you your hair isn't 'professional.' 'Years ago, when I was working in a very corporate banking environment, I decided to chop off all my hair. I wanted to start over and embrace my natural texture instead of beating it into submission every month with relaxers. I remember when my supervisor caught wind of my plan to chop my hair off that weekend, she made a point to stop by my desk and lean in before saying, 'I know you want to be an individual and everyone loves your energy. But I don't think cutting off all your hair is going to fly here. It's not very professional.' She was telling me that showing up as my authentic self — and my most healthy self — would not be accepted and possibly not even tolerated. I chopped my hair off that weekend and quit a few months later.'— Ashley Simpo, writer and content strategist 10. When people marvel at how 'well-spoken' you are. 'This statement implies that it's shocking that a person of color is able to not only articulate their thoughts but hold an intellectual conversation. This is an assumption that people of color are less educated than their counterparts.'— C.D. 11. When a white person tells you they 'don't see color.' 'If you can look at me and not see color, then you are denying my racial experiences and my existence. As a Black woman, my race and my womanhood are interwoven. I am both at the same time, all the time. To be colorblind is to disregard my or any Black person's humanity.'— Cherez 12. When they expect you to be a spokesperson for your entire race. 'The Black Lives Matter movement was being discussed in a space of mostly white people and I was the only Black man. I was essentially tokenized by another member of the group, equating all of my personal experiences to those of all Black people. The crazy part is that I didn't even realize it until two other group members pointed it out post-meeting. This is a problem where we have become used to being 'the other' that we don't realize when we are being targeted anymore.'― Kellan Mansano, social worker 13. When they address your white partner instead of you. ''Let me show you around, sir.' I can't tell you how many times this statement was directed only to my white boyfriend while the two of us were house hunting a little over three years ago. Never mind that the down payment was coming from me — those realtors never failed to shake his hand first and look to him for answers during the showing. Even when he would say, 'Actually, you better talk to her about the length of escrow or inspections etc.,' they would still end up addressing him instead of me. Sure, there was definitely some sexism in play, but many of my white, straight couple-friend-homeowners were also shocked to hear how far it went. These realtors were clearly not ready for a Black female decision-maker.' ― Cathcart Robbins Should You Respond To A Microaggression? Experts say there are a few things to consider when determining if and how you should respond to a microaggression. If you're on the receiving end of a microaggression, the choice to respond to or ignore the offense is ultimately up to you. Educating a 'fragile' white person about the error of their ways requires a certain amount of emotional labor, which BIPOC simply may not have the energy for. To help you decide if you should bring it up or let it slide, consider the following factors from Kevin Nadal, a professor of psychology at John Jay College who developed a guide to responding to microaggressions: Will your physical safety be in jeopardy if you bring it up? Will the offender be defensive and/or will this lead to an argument? How will bringing it up affect your relationship with this person? If you ignore it, will you regret doing so? If you let them off the hook, does that convey that you're OK with what they did or said? There's no one 'right' way to respond. Some people might choose to make a joke or a sarcastic remark or gesture, such as roll their eyes, Nadal wrote. Some may share how the comment made them feel and explain to the perpetrator why it's insulting. And others may need to release pent-up frustration by yelling. You're well within your right to feel agitated or hurt by a microaggression, just know that labeling the offender a racist is likely to trigger defensiveness and escalate the conversation into an argument, he added. For that reason, it may be helpful to focus on and call out the racist behavior instead of calling the perpetrator a racist. Others may choose to turn the microaggression back on the offender as a way to shine a light on the absurdity and rudeness of their comment. Implicit bias trainer and educator Denise Evans, a Black woman, told Yes! magazine writer Ruth Terry that when a white person tells her she's 'articulate,' she says, 'Thank you very much, so are you.' She then asks the person why they called her 'articulate' and suggests potential reasons, like if it's because she's a woman, she's Black, or she's a New Yorker. 'And I literally wait for [an] answer,' she told Yes! magazine. 'I give people their microaggression and their implicit biases back in a pretty box with a nice bow on it. I hand it to you, and I wait for you to open it and tell me what you see.' If you'd prefer to avoid confrontation, that's OK, too. 'If someone chooses not to address the perpetrator, talking to your support system can help you cope and process what happened,' Lois Kirk, a licensed professional counselor, said. As a white person or other non-Black ally, if you get called out for a microaggression, it's your duty to apologize, listen to the criticism and be open to learning. It doesn't matter if you meant well: Your intentions are irrelevant. And if you witness a microaggression occurring, you can step in to help lighten the burden placed on Black people. 'Our colleagues of color are constantly being taxed by microaggressions and the stress that goes with that,' Rev. Carolyn Helsel told CNN. 'So it's important that white people who are not operating under the same stressful conditions to be able to be bold and speak out, so that we can all be as productive and as fruitful in our work as we can be.' Responses were lightly edited for length and clarity. This post was previously published on HuffPost.
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
'Information is medicine:' On social media, misinformation and trust for Black health
Kayla Nixon was 24 when a white, male doctor dismissed her symptoms in a five-minute appointment. She would later be diagnosed with uterine cancer. "If not for my persistence...I may not be here today," she said on a panel at "State of Black Health: What Now," the second annual summit hosted by in collaboration with USA TODAY. She fought cancer alongside her mother, who ultimately died from the disease. "In her, I saw an advocate for herself and then I saw her build a community of people around her who could speak up to her in the moments when she was vulnerable." Nixon, who works in communications for the Society of Gynecologic Oncology and the Foundation for Women's Cancer, said the experience has shaped her work, while speaking on a panel titled "Information is Medicine: Connecting Black Women with Reliable Health Information." The panelists discussed the best strategies for reaching people with critical medical information amid a changing media and political landscape. More: HPV 'cures' are popping up online, but here's the truth about the STI and its vaccine Black women face higher rates of maternal mortality and cancer mortality than their non-white counterparts. Panel moderator Kianta Key with GCI Health cited research by the American Society of Clinical Oncology indicating that nearly half of Black women with metastatic breast cancer never received information about clinical trials. It was one of several examples that came up during the discussion that pointed to why information and education are an important part of the healthcare process. "Information is medicine because it is the beginning step to uplift our community," said Horace Clark, vice president and general manager at "Without having that information, that knowledge, we're not able to become the best advocates that we can for ourselves, our family and our community." The panelists shared various strategies for disseminating information to their communities. Bianca Mayes from Planned Parenthood said they had a program in which they equipped nail technicians and barbers with crucial health information to give their clients, for example. "I think black women are pretty educated. We are proactive. And I think when we're given the right information, we know what to do with it," Nixon said. As some public health data sources get removed amid new presidential administration changes, panelists talked about how organizations and people may need to step in to fill the gaps. Mayes said removing health information online could be dangerous and lead to later diagnoses, urging people in the room and health organizations to speak up about the changes online. Clark said social media can be a tool for communicating important health information, but it's about what is being shared. Nixon acknowledged that influencers can sometimes spread misinformation, but others said they can help bring credentialed doctors into the conversation. "Open the door," said Dr. Sharon Allison-Ottey on the panel, saying people with big following can help draw the audience, but then, "bring on someone credible. It's not them versus us. It is all us So you use whatever tool you have to get information to people that are at high risk or at moderate risk and need information." is a leader in Black health, connecting culturally relevant health and wellness information to empower consumers. USA TODAY is a sponsor of their second-annual summit. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'State of Black Health:' Panel on information for Black women
