Maria Arpa
This week
Ryanair, Racism, Response
Plus…
Maria’s Midweek Mindfulness
and
the Wednesday Whisper
Can you stand by and accept this?
By now, you will have read about the racist remark made on the Ryanair flight by an elderly white man to an elderly black woman which was filmed by another passenger. (If not, it’s easy to google it).
That the man said what he said is absolutely not OK but that Ryanair was more interested in getting the plane off the ground than addressing it is even worse. It is a real example of disregarding our humanity and shirking responsibility in favour of efficiency.
I heard this news on the very day I met with Dr Altheia Jones LeCointe, the civil rights activist. Over lunch we had a very authentic conversation about white privilege and racism. I left feeling that I had been blessed because I was treated with absolute compassion when asking questions that I felt stupid for asking.
So, in honour of my friend Altheia and every other person who has ever stood for equality, I ask you to take a few moments to consider what happened because I am sure that had a black man made abusive remarks to a white woman the plane would not have taken off.
Maria’s Midweek Mindfulness
This news has provoked me into wondering what a useful course of action would be. Stop using Ryanair? Tell them so publicly? Ask others to join me? Feel the pain and do nothing? Open up conversations about this? Wait for the shock to pass? I’m wondering.
The Wednesday Whisper
Have you ever witnessed racism or some other form of discrimination? How did it affect you? What did you do? What would you do if it happened now?
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