Exempt from the forces of socialisation in Belgium
Between 2017 and 2019 at the European Council, Quakers Headquarters, I met Daria Nashat (Women in Politics) at the reading group Waking Up White. Yes that references Debby Irving’s book. It was an eye-opening and profound experience for me. In Brussels, the heart of Europe, I found myself in the intimate surreal setting of white American, French, British and German men and women, together waking up from whiteness. Uncanny. Soothing. Healing.
At the point I joined the group, it was drawing to a close. Shortly after the last meeting Covid hit and George Floyd was filmed being murdered by a 44-year old police officer in Minneapolis, USA. The police officer was a European descendant. Protests erupted all over the world. Belgium was no exception. There was deep unrest and resentment in the air in all directions. Reports surfaced of local police brutality in Belgium, which has previously gone by unspoken.
© Hans Lucas via afp
Daria and I felt called to bring people together internationally, to share our journey and offer a Safe Space to be seen and heard particularly for those experiencing gaslighting. We have people attending from all over the world and the circle expands and shrinks organically.
“This virtual circle is free of charge and lasts approximately 90 minutes via Zoom. Everyone is welcome, though we are expected to actively listen and compassionately contribute.
The objective is to offer a safe space for meaningful conversations and storytelling around race, privilege and active citizenship. The atmosphere will be peaceful and informal and guided by principles of kindness, courage, inspiration and mutual-learning.”
Over the last years I’ve been involved with a project which is unravelling racism in Belgium. It’s based in Flanders, so that’s our starting point. Unfortunately this is quite an unexplored subject in Belgium at least by Flemish and Walonian people that is. We are at the stage of getting the report translated into English and French. It is the first research of its kind. It gives insight into how people with African roots in Belgium feel differently treated or excluded.
“International institutions, such as the United Nations (UN), have also expressed growing concern about this issue. The recent UN report2 by the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent concluded that racial discrimination is an endemic problem in Belgian institutions. The working group was particularly concerned about the lack of recognition of the magnitude of the problem. This results in a mostly unconscious and unintentional yet systematic exclusion from education, employment, suitable housing, access to health care... Credible efforts to counter racism require that these obstacles are first overcome.”
John Biewen brings up a few very interesting points that appear to be in deliberation here in my circle of Belgian friends. Many of them convinced that people from Africa have black skin and Belgians white is a perspective hard to shift from when it’s all seen as fact. I’ve gone beyond the initial frustration and am patiently celebrating new strands of awareness as it dawns on us.
Children of the Colony 6 episode series on Flemish TV channel Canvas