As a part of our efforts to help support the cause of the protesters in the US and across the world, Verge teamed up with The Influencers Diary to find out what discrimination means to some of the UK’s top influencers. Discrimination is a form of racism which is widely accepted as a part of our daily lives. The more we discuss discrimination, the closer we can get to global equality.
Discrimination is not acknowledging the difficultly for people of colour experience on a day-to-day basis, plus not using your own privilege to help make a positive change to create an equal society.
Firstly to me, “discrimination is an act where you treat another individual unfairly because of there race, gender identity” this is something black people face on a daily basis it is important to raise our voices and make it known that it is not acceptable. It is time we take a stand against the systemic racism we have in our societies. Dr Martin Luther King once said “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” so be it America UK or anywhere else in the world we must support each other and help any way we can. We can all help give awareness in different ways be it just talking to your neighbour or social media uplifting and educating one another on the race issues will make a big difference to our society.
Discrimination is the poison that stops people from viewing someone as a person and makes them expect a behaviour. If we could teach people to love and be more open-minded I think it would create more hope for everyone. I choose love.
As an immigrant woman of Russian and Iranian descent, I would say discrimination is being profiled by the police for being an immigrant and wrongly arrested, it’s being treated as trash when you try to find accommodation or apply for any financial product. It’s also being treated as less of a human.
Discrimination to me comes in many forms; where we are judged or treated differently for things sometimes totally out of our own control. Race, religion, gender, sexuality, disabilities, body type and so much more. Having to fight to show your worth to people who quite frankly don’t even deserve your time.
Discrimination to me is the suppression of personality and culture because of the fact you are different. Mental health in a way falls into that too, because, without empathy, people suppress their problems and issues, leading them to escalate. I am not only passionate for change but am obliged to push for it, because I have experienced these things first hand. I share my story and challenge people to challenge the status quo.
Discrimination to me is favouring or disfavoring people on irrelevant facts such as colour, religion, nationality, sex and the list goes on. This usually ends up in making unfair decisions treating one group of people different than others.
Discrimination is the systematic oppression and unjust treatment of minorities. It can be as quiet as it is loud, so we must constantly evaluate our biases and unlearn behaviour in our persons for the betterment of society.
What does discrimination mean to me? It means that you treat a person differently, you look at the person or object in a different way, judge and make unnecessary or hurtful comments towards that person or object. You can get discriminated against in many ways; age, sexuality, skin colour or if you are a man or a woman.
To me, discrimination is the backbone of racism. It’s judging the holistic person by the ideology, that you as an individual, created for the way certain people look. It’s a delusion, it’s psychotic, and it’s the seed planted to create racist actions amongst a society.
Discrimination means that we are letting evil win! It means that I am using the privilege that I have as a white woman for the wrong reasons. We need to stop discriminating against people of a different race, age or sex and stand as one human race. That is what we are! That is what we should all stand for!
Discrimination means to me that it is an unfair treatment if an employer may not take action against you because they are worried about how you will communicate. Deafness is an invisible disability which a lot of people often forgot about. It is who I am, I work extremely hard to show you what I can do. Breaking barriers every day and not allow any discrimination to get in my way.
Discrimination is hatred caused by ignorance and intolerance. It is the fear of the unfamiliar and conformity to the familiar. We need to push ourselves to venture beyond what is comfortable to break the cycle of indifference.
My children are Indian.. Jamaican.. Chinese English and I couldn’t be more proud of their mixed heritage. However discrimination means that that may have to lead a different life to one intended for them. It’s time for racial injustice to end. Our fathers and fathers fathers sacrificed so much for our freedoms there should be no room for racial injustice in our times.
As a British Asian girl with Indian heritage born here and growing up amongst mainly non Asians I’ve faced discrimination my whole life. People have judged me on the colour of my skin way before anything else. But it’s made me more grateful for my parents fight. They gave me such huge opportunities and paved the way for me to life the fullest life possible.
As a career I chose to break racial stereotypes and follow my dreams on commercial radio but faced racial prejudices throughout my career. The first British Asian to have a commercial radio that wasn’t on an Asian portal or side station of main station. This meant I had to fight to be recognised as BRITISH and not just seen as Asian. I’m still fighting that fight. I have dreams to present mainstream TV not just read the news but actually be hired for my opinions and talent as a proud woman who is as much British as I am Asian.
One day all I pray is that people will be seen for who they are inside and not what they appear to resemble or look like on the outside.
From my personal experiences, discrimination means entering into something and then finding out I have to work ten times harder than everybody else, to prove myself and talents worthy.
1. Discrimination to me is being villainized by people who don’t even know me based on something I have no control over.
2. Discrimination is working 10x as hard and still not being considered enough.
Discrimination is a toxin that causes people to be labelled or mistreated because of their race, religion, sexuality, disability or gender. Let’s work together to fight discrimination and promote love, acceptance and equality.
Discrimination to me means being treated differently because I possess certain characteristics. Examples of these are the colour of my skin and the texture of my hair.
Discrimination to me is being unrepresented, overlooked, unpaid and undervalued because I am a black woman with a disability. Especially, in the fashion and media industry.
Discrimination means to me not being understood or treated equally by others on the grounds of race, age, or sex.
Discrimination to me means doing the same job as your white counterpart but being paid considerably less. Or being used as the token black/muslim girl in a campaign ad in order to showcase ‘inclusivity’, however hiring little to no black staff in your organisation.
