I write an article every week. But I skipped last Sunday. I had a draft ready, but never published it.

Minneapolis, where I have family and friends, was burning. People were marching in the streets all over the USA and the world to demand equality. Here in Switzerland too.

It would have been easy for me to change my Facebook image in solidarty with the Black Lives Matter movement and then go on to post one of my articles with a little life lesson out of my vanilla world and not think about it any further.

And this is a testament to my immense privilege.

It’s a privilege because people of color (and other discriminated groups) don’t have that choice. They have to face disadvantages and possible hostility every single day, with no break.

I want to become a better ally

I remember when a white friend of mine was randomly checked by the police in Zürich more than ten years ago. He had to show his ID and tell the cops what he was doing out at that time of night.

It wasn’t a bad experience – but it seemed so absurd and unusual that it became a funny anecdote.

Of course, in the context of our lives, it was unusual and absurd. I, and probably any of my other friends in that group, ever had an experience like this, neither before nor after that incident.

For many people, however, it could happen any time, any day, because of their skin color. I’ve heard that some Black people in Switzerland put on a suit if they’re in a hurry to make it less likely to be stopped by the police. And this is just one of many things.

This goes against my perception of what our society should be. I want a society where nobody faces obstacles because of their skin color, nationality, religion, sexuality, ability or gender.

I didn’t publish the article two weeks ago and I’m writing this instead. Usually I might have expressed solidarity and then moved on with my life, but I want to do things differently from now on. I want to become a better ally.

First step: self-education

The first step will be educating myself. I have several books that I will read to understand racism in our society better. Recommendations are always welcome.

This includes reading up on racism in Switzerland. It is a big problem here, but a lot of people don’t acknowledge it or they play it down. I also started following several activist groups on social media to see their perspective on things.

As time goes on I’ll hopefully be better equipped to be part of a movement to improve things. If you have ideas or resources (books, articles, people to follow), or if this article resonates with you in any way, please write. It’s always nice to have companionship when you take a journey.

The image and sign are by Catherine Keith.