As a young Kurdish-American living in the United States, I am witnessing – and participating in – protests across the USA in support of the African-American community’s fight against racism, systematic oppression, and police brutality.
Following the murder of George Floyd, these protests have brought attention to the deaths of many other African-Americans from racially motivated causes. In the middle of a global virus pandemic, COVID-19 is not the only virus that America’s citizens are fighting — the battle against racism has plagued this nation since its birth.
As I stood at the first protest I attended, an individual was playing the names of all the fallen victims for the protesters to hear. The names’ began with the most recent murders due to racial injustice, “George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery…”. I waited for this list to return to the beginning, however it seemed never-ending. I felt angry and confused. Every single one of these names had a story, a family that loved them; however, their life was taken from them simply because they were Black. Although the injustices against our two communities face may differ, I understood the feeling of grief, the feeling of injustice. The feeling that your character may not be judged based on your merit; rather, by the way you look. As I stood there protesting, the names kept ringing in the back of my head. I began to realize, as another minority, one whose own people have suffered countless injustices, I felt empowered to stand in solidarity with the African-American community.
So what can us Kurds do to stand in solidarity with the African-American community?
Kurds have protested against racism and injustice for many years and should feel an innate drive to play a part in protesting injustice in the diaspora as well. By understanding the parallels between the struggles of Kurds and African-Americans, the Kurdish people can assist through self-education, activism, and the supporting of each other's communities.
Pertaining to self-education, we must acquire knowledge not only on the contemporary events in the United States today, but also the historical struggles of African-Americans. The history and culture of the Kurdish people has been poorly represented throughout the Middle Eastern region, directly causing prejudice and racism towards Kurds. In comparison, the United States teaches about its own history with minimum context on the oppression of the African-American people. This prevents Americans from realizing the grievances of the past and the crimes committed against Black Americans that have created fertile ground for prejudice.
We can no longer allow misinformation drive our ideologies: we must educate ourselves. In respect to the African-American community, we must get comfortable being uncomfortable, if it means learning about the horrific crimes committed during the hundreds of years of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, and the systematic oppression and racism that they face in almost every facet of their lives.
We must also learn about the rich history of our African-American friends, and all of their successes and wonderful contributions to society that may have been silenced. Through self-education, we begin to eliminate prejudice and false narratives that have been created through misconstrued information, making education a powerful tool in the fight against racism.
The Kurdish people have never shied away from political activism. Many Kurdish successes in the Middle Eastern region can be attributed directly to protesting injustice and demanding the right to autonomy. This can be related to the African-American community’s long history of the fight towards equality, most prominently, during the Civil Rights era. I call on my fellow Kurds to stand with the African-American community through political activism. Many organizations that support the African-American community are accepting donations, and if you are able to donate, I strongly encourage it; however, money is not required to enact change. By signing petitions, contacting legislators, and creating enlightening conversations on the issue of racism, you are helping combat racism for free.
Just as Kurds in the diaspora have made an effort to support fellow Kurdish-owned businesses, Black-owned businesses have also initiated their own calls for support. With the same passion to support our fellow Kurds, we should support the African-American community. For Kurds in the diaspora, research local businesses that are Black-owned. For Kurds located in the Middle East, begin listening to, and watching, Black-owned music, film-productions, literature, and other outlets, as that can directly support the African-American community.
Silence is violence. The same way that the world remained silent as Kurds were being buried alive by Saddam Hussein. The same way that the world remained silent as the Kurds were being gassed by Saddam Hussein. The same way that the world remained silent for decades before declaring that Saddam Hussein’s Anfal campaign against the Kurds was a genocide. The same way that the world remains silent as states in the Middle East continue to deprive Kurds of their most basic human rights. That is why WE, the Kurdish community, will not remain silent during these trying times for our African-American friends. The empowerment I felt at my first protest is ingrained through the suffering of my own people.
The great American civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. said: “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” The voice of minorities put together is greater than any single voice. It is obvious that parallels exist in the struggles of Kurds and the African-African community. We, the Kurdish community, have an obligation, as a group that has gone through years of oppression, to recognize that no matter where in the world we are located, we cannot remain quiet. The African-American community is another minority group, like ourselves, that faces racism and injustices every day. We must unite with the African-American community during these difficult times and do everything in our power to ensure that racism is defeated.
Hezha Faris Barzani is a student of international relations at Virginia Commonwealth University and currently interning at the Kurdistan Regional Government Representation in the United States.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rudaw.
