Black, White and In Between

For Byron, experiencing oppression at a young age led to internalised oppression, self-negativity and obstacles in accepting his identity long into adulthood.

And so I began to carry myself in a way that was acceptable. I assimilated, not realising that i had started 35+ years of internalized oppression. I didn’t like myself and I couldn’t really pinpoint why... I felt something was wrong with me because of the colour of my skin and I was trying to overcome that... until I got on a more contemplative path, discovering who I was on the inside. I stopped oppressing myself in a system that was never gonna accept me for who I was.

Ingrid’s reaction to the treatment of a black friend as a child living in apartheid South Africa sparked a desire to bring about change in her country, for people of all color.

I took on this white shame, that I still carry. Am I African? And I’m very grateful that I went on to become conscious of the oppression that we were living under and tried to make a difference in the regime.

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Whilst it is so easy to feel hatred toward your oppressors, the greatest reward lies in the challenge of showing them love, kindness and empathy.

My mum used to tell me to always keep a photo of yourself as a kid with you, just to make you feel kinder to yourself when things get harder. So I started doing that with others. Trying to imagine people who oppressed me as little kids, who have absolutely no idea what all these things are... it made me feel very empathetic.