No Discrimination

tDid you know that March 21st is International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination? With that in mind, I would like to share this with you.

tA week before my eldest daughter started elementary school in 2002, I went to her school and talked to the Principal, Vice-Principal and all the teachers about the importance of teaching children to respect individuality and accept others who look different as equals, but they didn’t take me seriously. About two weeks after school started, she came back home from school very sad, telling us that one of her classmates told her to change her natural brown skin into “normal” hadairo (ochre) color. I called the teacher and the Principal right away to urge them to deal honestly and democratically with the matter, calling us for a face-to-face meeting with the child and her parents, but the Principal refused. The parents did not take the matter seriously either; when my wife talked to the child’s mother on the phone, she laughed about the matter as if it wasn’t a serious problem. Finally, I went to talk to the School Board officials to ask them to do something about the problem. Again, I was disappointed. They evidently don’t think racism is a serious problem in Japan and don’t want to act.

tMy children have darker skin than the other Japanese children, and many people openly make cruel and racist comments about them: “kitanai,” “makkuro,” “baikin,” “unchi,” “kimochiwarui,” “kurokoge,” etc. When I go out with them, many parents also point at us “gaijin.” Those people are wrong because my children are not foreigners in Japan; they are born here and are Japanese citizens just like the other Japanese children. And above all, they love Japan and the traditional Japanese culture.

tI think racism is a very serious disease that Japan needs to cure. Racial discrimination in society, in public and private institutions, in senior and junior high schools, in elementary schools, and even in kindergartens, is evidence that much needs to be done before Japan can experience multiethnic harmony. Education will certainly play an important role in curing the disease of racism. Racism here is based on the idea that the Japanese belong to a “unique ethnic group” that is totally different from all the other ethnic groups in the world. The education system must make a considerable effort to denounce this myth. To do this, schools must familiarize students with the reality of the “singleness of the human family,” and explain that all of the people in the world belong to the same human race. Because of the importance of the problem, this view should be introduced into the curriculum from kindergarten through to the 12th grade, and reflected in every course a child takes during the 12 years of schooling. This approach would help to prevent racism. Imagine all the students in Japan learning that Africans, Europeans, Americans, Asians and Australians – all races – are all related. They would be fortified against the poison of prejudice that they are exposed to in their homes and in society.

tWe must teach our children that all human beings come from the same ancestral stock. Every person on our planet belongs to the same species. This unity, however, does not mean uniformity, but implies a celebration of diversity, because once the reality of unity is understood, diversity becomes an asset rather than an obstacle. Imagine what life would be like if all the people in the world looked alike, thought, spoke, and felt the same way, if all flowers were the same color, if all foods tasted alike. Life would simply be monotonous. We should all understand that “variety is the spice of life” and cherish differences because they are extremely important.

tMulticulturalism and ethnic diversity have become important issues in many countries around the world in recent years, and the Japanese government too must consider them seriously and provide helpful programs for developing the skills citizens need if they are to contribute to, and survive in, an ever-changing and diverse society. Diversity will be utilized to reinforce Japan’s stature among the nations of the world. It will teach the Japanese to accept and respect diverse views, welcome debate, listen, discuss, negotiate and compromise for the common good of the world. We all know that recent advances in information technology have made international communications more important than ever. Japanese citizens who can speak many languages and understand many cultures will make it easier for Japan to participate globally in areas of education, trade and diplomacy.

tJapan must make it possible for women and men of the world’s many ethnic groups, religions and cultures to live together, to encourage different people to accept and respect one another, and work collaboratively to build an open, resilient, creative and thoughtful society. Dodesho? Please visit www.now.blog-city.com to share your thoughts, opinions and stories. Free copies of my book are being offered there, too.

by Joel Assogba
Canadian, Writer, Illustrator & Civil Activist

Illustrations by Shilrey Waisman

 

 

 

 

by Joel Assogba
Canadian, Writer, Illustrator & Civil Activist

いわゆるハーフと呼ばれる私の娘が小学校に入学することになった。小さい彼女が外見によって差別を受ける事を少なからず案じていた私。入学後間もなくして不安は的中。娘がクラスメイトから、茶色い肌の色を「はだいろ」に変えるように言われたというのだ。私ははすぐさま学校へ連絡を取ったが、学校も、娘をからかった生徒の両親も真剣に話を聞いてはくれなかった。それどころか、妻がクラスメイトの母親に電話をすると鼻で笑い飛ばすという始末。とうとう市の教育委員会にまで足を運んだが、そこでもやはりこのような「人種差別」を全く問題視していない委員会の態度にも落胆させられた。鼻息が荒いと感じるひともいるかもしれない、でもこれは事実なのだ。私の子供達は日本の子供に比べて肌の色が濃い。それでしばしば「汚い」「マックロ」「バイキン」などと酷い言葉をあびせられる事がある。私の娘は日本で生まれ、日本国籍を持つ日本人であり、そして日本文化を愛しているというのに！
日本の差別は他の人種を「異種」だと意識していることにつきるのではないか。大事なのは「人類は皆同じ」である事。日本の子供達が、世界中の人間はひとつの輪で繋がっていることを学べたらどんなにいいだろう。私達人間はみな同じ祖先から生まれた同じ人類であること、人種の多様性は障害になるべきではなく、人類の財産であるべきこと。道行く人々が、皆同じ容姿で全く同じ思考回路も持っていたり、道端に咲く花が同じ色や形であったら、僕達の人生はとても単調になってしまう。そう、多様性こそが社会、人生のスパイスなのだ。
多文化、多人種に関連する問題は、今や世界中で重要視されている話題だろう。日本政府もこの問題を真剣に捉え、理解ある国民を育てる為に子供達の教育を見直して欲しい。日本が世界のトップになる為には多人種性は不可欠だと思うのだ。異なる意見を尊重する事、受け入れたり、討論したりすることもあるだろう。インターネットの普及によってコミュニケーションは今まで以上に重要になってきた。2ヶ国語以上を話せたり、多文化に興味のある日本人は日本と世界の架け橋となってさらなる発展へと導くはずなんだ。
さまざまな人種、さまざまな宗教の、さまざまな文化の人間が共存できる国「日本」において、さまざまな人々がお互いを尊敬し合い、協力しあえる社会を作り上げることこそ、今の日本に必要なことであると思うのだが。みなさんドォデショ？コメントお待ちしています。www.now.blog-city.com

イラストレーション by シャーリー・ワイツマ

 

 

 

 

tDid you know that March 21st is International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination? With that in mind, I would like to share this with you.

tA week before my eldest daughter started elementary school in 2002, I went to her school and talked to the Principal, Vice-Principal and all the teachers about the importance of teaching children to respect individuality and accept others who look different as equals, but they didn’t take me seriously. About two weeks after school started, she came back home from school very sad, telling us that one of her classmates told her to change her natural brown skin into “normal” hadairo (ochre) color. I called the teacher and the Principal right away to urge them to deal honestly and democratically with the matter, calling us for a face-to-face meeting with the child and her parents, but the Principal refused. The parents did not take the matter seriously either; when my wife talked to the child’s mother on the phone, she laughed about the matter as if it wasn’t a serious problem. Finally, I went to talk to the School Board officials to ask them to do something about the problem. Again, I was disappointed. They evidently don’t think racism is a serious problem in Japan and don’t want to act.

tMy children have darker skin than the other Japanese children, and many people openly make cruel and racist comments about them: “kitanai,” “makkuro,” “baikin,” “unchi,” “kimochiwarui,” “kurokoge,” etc. When I go out with them, many parents also point at us “gaijin.” Those people are wrong because my children are not foreigners in Japan; they are born here and are Japanese citizens just like the other Japanese children. And above all, they love Japan and the traditional Japanese culture.

tI think racism is a very serious disease that Japan needs to cure. Racial discrimination in society, in public and private institutions, in senior and junior high schools, in elementary schools, and even in kindergartens, is evidence that much needs to be done before Japan can experience multiethnic harmony. Education will certainly play an important role in curing the disease of racism. Racism here is based on the idea that the Japanese belong to a “unique ethnic group” that is totally different from all the other ethnic groups in the world. The education system must make a considerable effort to denounce this myth. To do this, schools must familiarize students with the reality of the “singleness of the human family,” and explain that all of the people in the world belong to the same human race. Because of the importance of the problem, this view should be introduced into the curriculum from kindergarten through to the 12th grade, and reflected in every course a child takes during the 12 years of schooling. This approach would help to prevent racism. Imagine all the students in Japan learning that Africans, Europeans, Americans, Asians and Australians – all races – are all related. They would be fortified against the poison of prejudice that they are exposed to in their homes and in society.

tWe must teach our children that all human beings come from the same ancestral stock. Every person on our planet belongs to the same species. This unity, however, does not mean uniformity, but implies a celebration of diversity, because once the reality of unity is understood, diversity becomes an asset rather than an obstacle. Imagine what life would be like if all the people in the world looked alike, thought, spoke, and felt the same way, if all flowers were the same color, if all foods tasted alike. Life would simply be monotonous. We should all understand that “variety is the spice of life” and cherish differences because they are extremely important.

tMulticulturalism and ethnic diversity have become important issues in many countries around the world in recent years, and the Japanese government too must consider them seriously and provide helpful programs for developing the skills citizens need if they are to contribute to, and survive in, an ever-changing and diverse society. Diversity will be utilized to reinforce Japan’s stature among the nations of the world. It will teach the Japanese to accept and respect diverse views, welcome debate, listen, discuss, negotiate and compromise for the common good of the world. We all know that recent advances in information technology have made international communications more important than ever. Japanese citizens who can speak many languages and understand many cultures will make it easier for Japan to participate globally in areas of education, trade and diplomacy.

tJapan must make it possible for women and men of the world’s many ethnic groups, religions and cultures to live together, to encourage different people to accept and respect one another, and work collaboratively to build an open, resilient, creative and thoughtful society. Dodesho? Please visit www.now.blog-city.com to share your thoughts, opinions and stories. Free copies of my book are being offered there, too.

by Joel Assogba
Canadian, Writer, Illustrator & Civil Activist

Illustrations by Shilrey Waisman

 

 

 

 

tDid you know that March 21st is International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination? With that in mind, I would like to share this with you.

tA week before my eldest daughter started elementary school in 2002, I went to her school and talked to the Principal, Vice-Principal and all the teachers about the importance of teaching children to respect individuality and accept others who look different as equals, but they didn’t take me seriously. About two weeks after school started, she came back home from school very sad, telling us that one of her classmates told her to change her natural brown skin into “normal” hadairo (ochre) color. I called the teacher and the Principal right away to urge them to deal honestly and democratically with the matter, calling us for a face-to-face meeting with the child and her parents, but the Principal refused. The parents did not take the matter seriously either; when my wife talked to the child’s mother on the phone, she laughed about the matter as if it wasn’t a serious problem. Finally, I went to talk to the School Board officials to ask them to do something about the problem. Again, I was disappointed. They evidently don’t think racism is a serious problem in Japan and don’t want to act.

tMy children have darker skin than the other Japanese children, and many people openly make cruel and racist comments about them: “kitanai,” “makkuro,” “baikin,” “unchi,” “kimochiwarui,” “kurokoge,” etc. When I go out with them, many parents also point at us “gaijin.” Those people are wrong because my children are not foreigners in Japan; they are born here and are Japanese citizens just like the other Japanese children. And above all, they love Japan and the traditional Japanese culture.

tI think racism is a very serious disease that Japan needs to cure. Racial discrimination in society, in public and private institutions, in senior and junior high schools, in elementary schools, and even in kindergartens, is evidence that much needs to be done before Japan can experience multiethnic harmony. Education will certainly play an important role in curing the disease of racism. Racism here is based on the idea that the Japanese belong to a “unique ethnic group” that is totally different from all the other ethnic groups in the world. The education system must make a considerable effort to denounce this myth. To do this, schools must familiarize students with the reality of the “singleness of the human family,” and explain that all of the people in the world belong to the same human race. Because of the importance of the problem, this view should be introduced into the curriculum from kindergarten through to the 12th grade, and reflected in every course a child takes during the 12 years of schooling. This approach would help to prevent racism. Imagine all the students in Japan learning that Africans, Europeans, Americans, Asians and Australians – all races – are all related. They would be fortified against the poison of prejudice that they are exposed to in their homes and in society.

tWe must teach our children that all human beings come from the same ancestral stock. Every person on our planet belongs to the same species. This unity, however, does not mean uniformity, but implies a celebration of diversity, because once the reality of unity is understood, diversity becomes an asset rather than an obstacle. Imagine what life would be like if all the people in the world looked alike, thought, spoke, and felt the same way, if all flowers were the same color, if all foods tasted alike. Life would simply be monotonous. We should all understand that “variety is the spice of life” and cherish differences because they are extremely important.

tMulticulturalism and ethnic diversity have become important issues in many countries around the world in recent years, and the Japanese government too must consider them seriously and provide helpful programs for developing the skills citizens need if they are to contribute to, and survive in, an ever-changing and diverse society. Diversity will be utilized to reinforce Japan’s stature among the nations of the world. It will teach the Japanese to accept and respect diverse views, welcome debate, listen, discuss, negotiate and compromise for the common good of the world. We all know that recent advances in information technology have made international communications more important than ever. Japanese citizens who can speak many languages and understand many cultures will make it easier for Japan to participate globally in areas of education, trade and diplomacy.

tJapan must make it possible for women and men of the world’s many ethnic groups, religions and cultures to live together, to encourage different people to accept and respect one another, and work collaboratively to build an open, resilient, creative and thoughtful society. Dodesho? Please visit www.now.blog-city.com to share your thoughts, opinions and stories. Free copies of my book are being offered there, too.

by Joel Assogba
Canadian, Writer, Illustrator & Civil Activist

Illustrations by Shilrey Waisman