Like many others, I watched Quincy Gario on Pauw and Witteman via uitzending gemist with my toes curled. It took me quite some effort not to react to the disgusting remarks of the “Mayor wanna be” but in the end I kept quiet. The frizzy hair discussion already costs enough time and energy.
Like many others, I watched Quincy Gario on Pauw and Witteman via uitzending gemist with my toes curled. It took me quite some effort not to react to the disgusting remarks of the “Mayor wanna be” but in the end I kept quiet. The frizzy hair discussion already costs enough time and energy.
Fortunately, Quincy did not give up the fight and there were enough others who were quick to respond. Things got pretty heated, but since I live in America, nothing surprises me anymore. Reading the worst insults and even death threats from racists makes me used to it. To give you an idea; why else do you think then Senator Obama had bodyguards before he had really thrown himself into the fight for the presidency?
The insults like those directed at singer Anouk by cowardly people with a fake Facebook profile, I had even expected. Also the one who read Umberto Tam that every year a negro should be set on fire to commemorate pieterbaas, did not do much for me. I have nothing to do with racists. Without a KKK hat they dare not do anything and they are by definition too cowardly and too uneducated to express their crooked always violent vision, let alone to substantiate it.
What I was more curious about was the reaction of the Black people in the Netherlands. I was afraid that for the umpteenth time the whole discussion would fizzle out because sometimes it is just too tiring to try to explain racism to deaf ears. That reaction of Henk Westbroek spoke volumes. It is clear that some people just don't get it. Honestly, I probably would have given up. All the more respect I have for Quincy Gario who persevered, made it into the international press again and ultimately held up an ugly mirror to the Netherlands.
Anousha Nzume also deserves more than a big fat feather. The way she made it clear during P&W that political leadership was completely absent from the Sinterklaas/Pieterbaas discussion was legendary to me. It was wonderful to see how this beautiful woman passionately made it clear to the politicians she voted for what a vote is worth. Hopefully it is clear to the party leaders that Anousha's vote is representative of many non-native Dutch people. Politicians who can count a bit will be aware that a target group of over 20% can mean a win or a loss in any election campaign.
This Thanksgiving I therefore thank Quincy, Anousha, the drummers and protesters on the Dam and everyone, white and black, who made a positive contribution to the colored Pieten that I saw appear today. From personal experience I know that it has not been easy and we probably have a long way to go but in the words of Martin Luther King Jr. — 'The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.' Of course the words of Sam Cooke cannot be left out A change is gonna come.
Who are you thankful for this Thanksgiving or what and why?
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