A Journey of Dreams, Struggle, and Racial Equality

Let me tell you a story about Lysha, a woman from the Caribbean Island of St. Lucia, a place so beautiful, that it would take your breath away. The island is known for its majestic volcanic peaks, lush rainforests, and pristine beaches. Picture a quiet area in the north of the island, where fruit trees and vegetation thrive. Lysha lived there with her aunt, her aunt’s husband, and their two daughters, and together they grew their own food. They tended to legumes, yams, sweet potatoes, and even a unique root vegetable known as dasheen and many others.

Can you imagine the sight of cows, pigs, and chickens running around? They were not just pets, but rather a vital source of food for Lysha and her family.

Lysha's childhood was filled with adventure and excitement. She would spend her days exploring the nearby grasslands, climbing trees, and playing freely. Together with her cousins, they would go on little adventures into the woods, and walk up the creek to catch crayfish. Lysha cherished the freedom she had as a child, being able to pick fruits to eat or spend the day exploring.

As she grew older, Lysha left her idyllic life behind. She moved to the UK when she was 19 and now lives in the US with her husband and daughter. However, she often reminisces about her childhood, and how much she misses the simplicity and joy of living off the land.

STUDY & CAREER

When Lysha moved to the United Kingdom, her dream was always to become an architect however, due to financial restraints she was unable to attend architectural school but with the help of her cousin, she ended up in the world of Banking and Finance. It was not difficult for her to obtain a student visa for the UK as long as she could provide proof of financial capability to support her studies in this field which was less expensive.

After graduating high school, she got her first paying job as a front desk agent at a Marigot Bay Hotel, a boutique hotel known for its protagonist in the original Dr. Doolittles movie. She had to save a lot of money to finance the first year of her education and worked while studying to finance the remaining two years. She completed her studies in three years, which was a fast-track program compared to four years in the United States.

Those three years were most challenging, working two jobs and having classes 5 days a week. Lysha found this time very stressful, as she had to work very hard to finance her studies and living expenses. If given the opportunity to do it all over again, she would have tried to find a better balance between work and school.

Although she is not in her dream job as an architect today, Lysha has achieved success in the world of finance. And who knows? Maybe someday she'll pursue her passion for architecture and make her mark on the world in a whole new way.

STRUGGLE FOR RACIAL EQUALITY

Lysha eventually moved to the United States where she married her husband and started a new chapter in her life. The move from London to the US seemed pretty normal at first till she began to observe some differences and was shocked by the importance placed on race in American society.

It wasn't until the Black Lives Matter movement that Lysha started to understand the racism, colorism, and classism that existed. She came to realize that these have been present throughout her life, even when she lived in London but it was a lot more subtle, where she was rather oblivious to the discrimination that exists.

In St. Lucia colorism and classism also exist, light-skinned people are seen as more beautiful and favored for certain job opportunities than persons of darker skin tones. As a child, even Lysha's own family would comment on her dark skin questioning why she was much darker than her mom who is light-skinned which made her feel insecure. She explained that some St. Lucians think having “good hair” is people with looser textured hair.

Lysha has experienced discrimination in the workplace as well. When she interviewed at an accounting firm in St. Lucia, the partner at the firm told her that she could have the job if she changed her hair style which at the time was dreadlocks claiming the attire requirements was that of a more conservative look. Lysha felt stripped of her identity when she cut off her hair to comply with the firm's request as she was desperate for work.

She also shares her experiences of discrimination in London. As she mentioned racism in England is subtle, and they hide it behind politeness. She did not realize that it could be because of her race she wasn't getting any job offers after she interviewed for positions she was qualified for. Even though she had a degree in Banking Economics and Law, she was not considered for a bank teller job. Now she thinks racism is just as present in England as it is in America.

In addition to hiding it behind politeness, she also believes that the British people are hypocritical about their racism, unlike Americans who are more direct in their bigotry. She also notes that the British had a significant role in the transatlantic slave trade, bringing enslaved Africans to America as well as colonization, so they too are certainly not innocent.

Lysha thinks that people including herself are acknowledging and educating themselves more about racism now because it has become a focal point of discussion. She also finds racism a heavy topic and difficult to deal with.

She also talks about the problematic issue of categorizing race in the US country. She argues that the labels put on people, such as “Black or African American” or “Latino,” encourage discrimination and contribute to racism. She questions why people must identify themselves on applications by race and why these categories are on applications in the US, while they don’t need to be in England and Europe.

She also shares her disagreement with some who think black people bring racism upon themselves. She argues that poverty, lack of guidance (education), and role models are factors that need to be considered when judging one’s behavior. Stereotyping one's own race only contributes to the problem.

FINAL WORDS

Lysha's story sheds light on the racism that exists not only in the United States but also in other parts of the world. Her experience is a reminder that we still have a long way to go in terms of achieving true racial equality.

Despite the various hurdles she faces, Lysha fully comprehends the importance of adapting to her circumstances and providing unwavering support to her child. She emphasizes that external characteristics, such as skin or hair color, as well as hair type, bear no significance, as this world ultimately consists of individuals categorized as either good or bad. In the end, we all share equality as human beings.