In a world where diversity should be celebrated, discrimination and racism persist, casting long shadows over the lives of many.
Facing discrimination or racism can be a deeply personal and often isolating experience. It challenges one’s identity, self-worth, and sense of security.
This article helps to empower you, offering practical advice and strategies to cope with the immediate effects and take meaningful action against these societal blights.
Together, we can confront discrimination and racism, support one another, and work towards a future where such injustices are only relics of the past.
Let this be your starting point towards that change.
4 Ways to Handle Facing Discrimination or Racism
1. Recognize and Validate your Feelings
Facing discrimination or racism can trigger a range of emotions, such as anger, sadness, fear, shame, or guilt.
These emotions are natural and valid, and you have the right to feel them.
However, if they are not expressed or managed properly, they can affect your well-being and functioning.
Recognizing and validating your feelings and finding healthy ways to express and cope is important.
Here are some suggestions:
- Talk to someone you trust, such as a friend, family member, counsellor, or mentor.
They can listen to you, support you, and help you process your feelings. - Write down your feelings in a journal, a letter, or a poem.
Writing can help you clarify your thoughts, release your emotions, and reflect on your situation. - Engage in activities that make you happy, such as hobbies, sports, music, or art.
These activities can help you relax, distract, and recharge your energy and mood. - Practice mindfulness, meditation, or breathing exercises.
These techniques can help you calm your mind, reduce stress, and increase your awareness and acceptance of your feelings. - Seek professional help if your feelings are overwhelming, persistent, or interfering with your daily life.
You may be experiencing symptoms of anxiety, depression, or trauma, and you may benefit from counselling or therapy.
2. Seek Support and Solidarity
Facing discrimination or racism can make you feel isolated, powerless, or hopeless.
You may think you are alone or no one cares or understands.
However, this is not true. Many people can offer you support and solidarity and help you overcome the challenges and barriers you face.
It is important to seek support and solidarity from people who can provide emotional, practical, or legal assistance and affirm your identity and values.
Here are some suggestions:
● Reach out to your friends, family, or other trusted people.
They can listen to you, comfort you, and advise you.
They can also accompany, protect, or advocate for you when you face discrimination or racism.
● Join or create a support group, a network, or an organization that focuses on your specific issue or identity.
You can meet people who share similar experiences and struggles and who can offer you empathy, guidance, and resources.
You can also learn from their stories, strategies, and successes.
● Connect with a mentor, a role model, or a leader who inspires or represents you.
They can offer you encouragement, inspiration, and empowerment.
They can also help you develop your skills, confidence, and potential.
● Seek legal advice or representation from a lawyer, a human rights organization, or a government agency.
They can inform you about your rights and options and help you file a complaint, a lawsuit, or a claim against discrimination or racism.
They can also help you seek justice, compensation, or protection.
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3. Know your Rights and Options
One way to handle discrimination or racism is to know your rights and options.
You have the right to be treated with respect and dignity and enjoy equal opportunities and freedoms, regardless of race, ethnicity, or other characteristics.
Some laws and policies protect you from discrimination and racism at the national and international levels.
At the national level, Nigeria has ratified several international human rights treaties that prohibit discrimination and racism, such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD).
These treaties oblige the Nigerian government to respect, protect, and fulfil the human rights of all people without discrimination or racism.
However, the Nigerian legal system does not provide for a clear definition of racial discrimination, and the constitutional guarantees against discrimination do not extend to non-citizens.
Moreover, the Nigerian government has failed to implement ICERD into domestic law, which means that victims of racial discrimination cannot directly invoke the provisions of the convention.
Therefore, there is a need for more comprehensive and effective legislation and policies to combat discrimination and racism in Nigeria.
At the international level, you can also seek redress from the UN human rights mechanisms, such as the Human Rights Committee, the Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, and the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
These independent expert bodies monitor the state parties’ implementation of the human rights treaties.
You can submit a complaint or communication to these committees if you have exhausted all available domestic remedies and your case meets the admissibility criteria.
The committees can then examine your case and issue their views and recommendations to the state party concerned.
If you face discrimination or racism, you can take the following steps to report or challenge it:
● Document the incident
You can write down what happened, when, where, and how.
You can also collect evidence supporting your claims, such as photos, videos, audio recordings, or witnesses’ statements.
● Seek legal advice or representation
You can contact a lawyer, a human rights organization, or a government agency that can inform you about your rights and options and help you file a complaint, a lawsuit, or a claim against discrimination or racism.
They can also help you seek justice, compensation, or protection.
● Report the incident to the relevant authorities.
You can report the incident to the police, the employer, the school, the service provider, or any other authority responsible for preventing or addressing discrimination or racism.
You can also report the incident to the National Human Rights Commission, which promotes and protects Nigeria’s human rights.
● Follow up on your case
You can monitor the progress and outcome of your case and demand accountability and transparency from the authorities.
You can also appeal or challenge the decision if you are unsatisfied with it.
4. Take Care of Yourself and Your Well-Being
Taking care of yourself and your well-being is essential for handling discrimination or racism.
When you face discrimination or racism, you may experience stress, anger, sadness, or fear.
These emotions can affect your physical and mental health and lower your quality of life.
Therefore, you must practice self-care, manage stress, and maintain a positive outlook.
Self-care is the act of taking care of your own needs and well-being.
It involves doing things that make you happy, healthy, and fulfilled.
Self-care can help you cope with stress, boost your mood, and enhance your resilience.
Some examples of self-care are:
- Eat nutritious food, drink enough water, and get enough sleep.
- Exercise regularly, stretch, and relax your muscles.
- Meditating, praying, or practising mindfulness.
- Reading, writing, or listening to music.
- Spending time with your loved ones, friends, or pets.
- Seeking professional help, such as counselling or therapy, if needed.
Stress management is the process of reducing or coping with stress.
Stress is the body’s response to a perceived threat or challenge.
Stress can negatively affect your health, such as raising your blood pressure, weakening your immune system, or causing headaches. Some examples of stress management are:
- Identify the sources and triggers of your stress and avoid or minimize them if possible.
- Breathing deeply, counting to ten, or taking a break when stressed.
- Expressing your feelings, thoughts, and concerns to someone you trust or writing them down in a journal.
- Using positive affirmations, such as “I am strong,” “I am worthy,” or “I can do this.”
- Practising gratitude, optimism, or humour.
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A positive outlook is seeing the bright side of things and expecting the best outcomes. A positive outlook can help you overcome challenges, cope with difficulties, and achieve your goals.
A positive outlook can also improve your health, happiness, and well-being. Some examples of positive outlook are:
- Focus on your strengths, achievements, and opportunities rather than your weaknesses, failures, and threats.
- Challenging your negative thoughts and replacing them with positive ones.
- Setting realistic and attainable goals and celebrating your progress and success.
- Learn from your mistakes, and see them as opportunities for growth and improvement.
- Surround yourself with positive people who support, encourage, and inspire you.
Conclusion
Facing discrimination or racism is a challenging experience that requires courage, resilience, and a strong sense of self-worth.
It’s crucial to remember that the problem lies not within you but within the prejudices of others.
By standing up for your rights, seeking support, and promoting awareness, you can contribute to a more inclusive and equitable society.
Remember, change begins with you, and every step taken against discrimination and racism is a stride towards a world where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is discrimination?
Discrimination is the unfair or prejudicial treatment of people and groups based on characteristics such as race, gender, age, or sexual orientation.
2. How does discrimination affect health?
Discrimination can lead to a cascade of stress-related emotional, physical, and behavioural changes.
It evokes negative emotional responses, such as distress, sadness, and anger, and can often lead to an increase in behaviours that harm health.
3. What are some everyday examples of discrimination?
Everyday discrimination can take the form of receiving poorer service at stores or restaurants, being treated with less courtesy and respect, or being treated as less intelligent or trustworthy.
4. How can I cope with discrimination?
Practice positive self-talk, avoid dwelling on negative experiences, and practice mindfulness and meditation.
5. What actions can I take against racism and discrimination?
You can listen and educate yourself, raise awareness, challenge everyday discrimination and racism, and report racist or discriminatory content online.
6. How can I support someone facing discrimination?
It can be helpful to ask friends and family how they handle such events.
Your support can also be helpful if they feel they’ve been the victim of discrimination.
7. What are my rights if I face discrimination?
Laws are in place to protect people from discrimination in housing and employment.
The Fair Housing Act and the Civil Rights Act are examples of such laws.
8. How can I report abuse or discrimination?
You can report racist or discriminatory content online.
If you face discrimination in areas such as housing, employment, or education, you can seek legal help.
9. What resources are available for dealing with racism?
There are many articles, books, documentaries, films, and podcasts on issues of racism, discrimination, and privilege.
10. How can I join a movement to create change?
You can join supportive groups and communities or movements that aim to fight racism and discrimination.