The fight against racism in this country

I am a South African, brought in to this world in 1988. My heart and soul lies within this country where I have lived for so long with the innocence, of a child. Unaware of crime, rape and political issues, I was lucky, for if I knew then, what I know now, I would have leaked depression and sadness and see no purpose to this life.

I am ashamed to say I live in Cape Town, so called the heart of South Africa. In school I was taught about Distrix six and how the people lived until everything was taken away from them. During my studies in Cape Town I lived in Skyways, formally known as the Bloemhof flats, home to hundreds of colored people, till the day came when they were chased away by the white people.

So much hate in this country for what our fore fathers did and no matter how much we apologise we could never change the way things turned out to be, or can we? Yes. I am not innocent in the case of apartheid, even though my hands are clean, I was still razed, stood and lived by the perceptions of racism.

My best friends are all white, I chose them that way. Not because of the color of their skin but according to our backgrounds, our level of interests, intellect and status.

‘We are all the same’ is what we are told from a young age. But yet we are so far apart in everyway. We will always have different backgrounds, different religions and cultural upbringing. We are different people, not categorized by the colors of our skin but rather the things forming our personalities, behaviors and beliefs.

Today I will make an oath that I will never see myself higher then any other racial group. I am equal to each person formed by the hands of my God. Send to the world to live out a purpose and to die an angel for He is higher then all of us and for all the harm I or any of my fore fathers may have purposely caused to another race, I ask His forgiveness.     

I believe every South African from all races should have a public forgiveness day where they can swear this oath, to put the past behind them and do anything in their power to turn this current situation around. Where we can talk openly about the days of apartheid and forgive our fore fathers for each and every thing they have done. Not only the white people but black - and colored people as well.  Where we host events to celebrate the end of apartheid and become one big South African family.

I want the war to come to and end and I want us all to live in harmony together. What I have done to stop racism is small gestures but could make a big difference in someone’s life. I show respect to those who deserve it, let a colored person stand in front of me in a long queue at home affairs, give them a job and money when they are begging on the street, support them and try to make their lives easier. I embrace inter-racial marriages, child adoptions, residences, come what ever may, I will never judge you.

To be honest all comes down to me, treating other races fairly like I would treat someone from my own race. Not categorizing people by the color of their skin but rather according to there current situation, respectable manners, behavior, honesty, reliability, friendliness, level of intellect etc. for that is what makes a person unique and that is what I will love each and every person for.