In spite of our superficial differences we are all the same and have the same feelings of joy and pain
TORONTO, CANADA: Being a person of colour, my Canadian passport doesn’t deter people from asking me to go back. My accent over the phone doesn’t help me to win arguments either or to captivate hearts and minds of many.
Even back home we lived as a minority and we were subjected to the same scrutiny and judgment.
I can never forget the day I had a confrontation with a frustrated passenger. “Can I speak to someone from this country?” she hastily replied.
President Trump isn’t helping in trying to bridge the gap between communities either but rather is making the lives of anyone who isn’t white more miserable.
I have a message for those who keep asking us to go back. We live in a global community where one thing affecting one community will have an impact on everyone — one way or another. The immigrants you can’t stand seeing could have been forced to flee as a direct consequence of your government meddling in the affairs of their countries. You could be the one to blame for having them come to your shores seeking a better life, a life that was snatched from them in their country.
We are all humans. We should cherish this and work together for the betterment of mankind. We should reject, condemn and abhor the feelings of superiority as we all belong to the same human race.
In spite of our superficial differences we are all the same and have the same feelings of joy and pain.
Abubakar N Kasim
Published in The Express Tribune, July 20th, 2019.
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