– People got angry to see our children in bunad. It’s probably about tradition. Some believe that whites should be with those of the same skin color, says Dion LuckyIsaiah Hargrave. He is married to Ramona Hargrave. Together, they share an insight into everyday life with four children on Instagram. The racist comments rained in under the photo of the multicultural family wearing bunad. The mother of four was told that she should be ashamed and that she failed her own “race.” The special thing was that the incitement came over two months after the bunad picture was published, and continued for several days. The couple believe the photo may have been shared in a racist forum. Dion grew up in the southern states of the United States and is used to racism. According to him, racism is not as overt in Norway. – It is shocking. In Norway, racism often happens behind closed doors, but seeing it for real was special, he says. The couple posted a video in which they stood up against the harassment. The video has received over 80,000 views and massive support. The couple look through the horrifying comments that ticked in under their photos. It is especially painful when they deal with the children. Photo: Asbjørn Odd Berge / news Why am I not white like you mum? The parents have already talked to the children about racism. Especially with my eight-year-old son who has already felt it on his body. – He has been called dirty, brown cheese and that he looks like poo, says Ramona. At his school there are mostly white children. The son finds it difficult that so few look like him. One afternoon the son came home and said he wanted to be white like his mother. The parents find it sad that their son has such feelings. – We try to say that all colors are equally beautiful. We tell him that his skin color is a mixture of mum and dad and he should be proud of that, she says. Through this video, the family stands up against racism. Dion says they want to show that the harassment doesn’t affect them and that multicultural love is beautiful. The video was also shared by the Instagram profile @rasisme_i_norge. Netthets in social media – Social media is like a magnifying glass in society. It magnifies what is good, but especially what is bad, says Birgit Amalie Nilssen. She is head of dialogue and society at the Archive for Peace and Human Rights, where they work actively to prevent racism. She takes what the family has experienced very seriously. – Unfortunately, we see a lot of hatred, incitement and racism on social media. Here it is important that we all take joint responsibility and stand up for the fact that this is not okay. Nilssen encourages people to be active and report profiles and comments if you discover inciting behaviour. Nilsen says it is important that Ramona and the family talk about what they are experiencing. – Here it is important that we all get on the pitch and say that this is not how we want it to be in Norway. Photo: Asbjørn Odd Berge / news Racism among children – Many children experience that no one helps them when they experience racism in everyday life, says Nilssen. According to UNICEF, 37 percent of children and young people have experienced racism because of skin colour. Among them, 86 percent say that they do not get help when they experience it. – Unfortunately, it is much more common than we like to think. There is certainly racism in Norway and it is our joint responsibility to do something about it. At Arkivet they have a program called Dembra. It is a free scheme for schools where school staff, parents, pupils and the entire network can get the knowledge they need to be active anti-racists. She says it is essential how you talk about each other. – Being kept out or being constantly treated and referred to as different can have major consequences for mental health, she says. Report: What do children and young people think about racism? In the survey, Unicef Norway asked five questions about racism to children and young people. 1,815 children and young people between the ages of 13 and 19 have responded via Messenger in the digital participation platform U-Report. 37% answered that they have experienced racism because of appearance. Of those who answered that they had been exposed to racism, 57% answered that it happened at school 13% on the internet or social media 4% during a leisure activity 7% from friends/family 2% at work 17% elsewhere Source: Unicef U -report Hello! Thank you for reading this matter! Do you have a comment or tip on other issues we should look at? Feel free to send me an email!
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Experiencing racism in social media – news Sørlandet – Local news, TV and radio
