Everyone was unsure whether Vladimir Putin was going to invade Ukraine or not. However, the unexpected outcomes were reported across the media when he did. Still, one thing that caught the eyes of the international community was the racial discrimination experienced by blacks and Asian students fleeing the conflict.
Was it a surprise for the black refugees who reached the border and were separated from the white refugees trying to cross to Poland for safety? Is segregation a sign that racism is deep-rooted in Eastern Europe as it is in the United States? In understanding why Black refugees were racially segregated in the ongoing Ukraine crisis, it is best to understand the history of blacks in Ukraine before the conflict.
Most of us saw across different social media platforms viral videos of Black and Asian students crying about the different and degrading treatment they were receiving as they tried to seek refuge in Poland. However, based on the experiences of Blacks in Ukraine even before the invasion by Russia, racism was still evident even for African Ukrainians women.
Speaking at the Kenna Institute event on 2 May 2011, Terrel Starr, “…who is of African-American descent—explained that he was stopped by Ukrainian police 29 times during his stay in Kyiv” (Wilson Center). Therefore, the recent racial discrimination and segregation of Blacks in Ukraine are not surprising for people like African Ukrainians because they know and have experienced the deep-seated racism in their country.
The Ukraine crisis has revealed that even amid a humanitarian crisis, the deep-seated racism should not be referenced as “alleged racism” but should be accepted as the reality and condemned using the strongest terms possible.
Work Cited
Wilson Center. “Life As a Black Ukrainian: How Some Natives Are Treated Like Foreigners.” Wilson Center, 2011, http://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/life-black-ukrainian-how-some-natives-are-treated-foreigners.
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I hadn’t heard about racism along the Ukraine/Polish border. That was new to me. Also, you cite as reference to this story an article on Judge Jackson’s nomination to the Supreme Court and Republicans’ opposition.