President Obama Makes Historic Visit to Russia, A Place Where Blacks, Other People of Color Live in Fear

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President Barack Obama has landed in Russia and will hold talks at the Kremlin, which is a historical feat, but there is another facet that has not been explored in great detail -- the anti-immigrant sentiment that runs deep. I must admit that Russia doesn't actually pop in my mind as a place to visit, much less emigrate to, but I was saddened to learn that many Russians are still not tolerant of ethnic diversity. Blacks and other minorities in Russia have to lead low-profile lives to avoid danger. It is a bittersweet moment to see the world's most powerful leader, a black man, being treated with such pomp and circumstance in a place that has been so cold and unkind to people of color.

According to Reuters, the advice to new African students, who opt to get an education in Moscow because it's cheaper than at a Western European university, is simple -- "don't travel on the metro at night, avoid all travel on the metro during football matches and only go to nightclubs in groups." As you would expect, "the streets of Moscow are filled with white, ethnic Russian faces, with a few darker skinned people from the ex-Soviet states in Central Asia and the Caucasus, who mainly cook, clean and work on building sites." A black face is a rarity and stands out like a sore thumb. A walking target, if you will.

Alexander Verkhovsky from the SOVA Center, a non-government organization that measures racist attacks in Russia, said the country had a serious problem."There is a higher level of racist violence here than in other parts of Europe," he said.

"The risk of arrest is much lower."Preliminary data from the SOVA Center showed 102 people died in racist attacks in Russia last year and 441 people were injured. Out of that figure, two blacks died and 22 were injured. Most of the attacks are aimed at the thousands of people from Central Asia and the Caucasus working in Russia because they are far more numerous.

"But black people are a very high-risk group and they usually avoid using the metro," Verkhovsky said. Source: Reuters

In May 2006, Amnesty International reported that racist killings in Russia were "out of control" and at least 28 people were murdered in 2005. In 2006, AI registered 252 victims of racist crimes, of which 21 died. In February 2007, then-President Vladimir Putin asked the Federal Security Service to fight against racism, unfortunately, it was reported that hate crimes still increased. Amnesty International criticize Russian police for not doing enough to combat racist crimes, and for often ignoring reports from civilians about threats and crimes.

Sadly, though it seems that things are getting better and attitudes are softening, most Africans head for home once they have completed their education. It is very difficult for them to get jobs there. So, though we have some isolated problems with racism in the United States, I have to aver that the United States of America is one of the best places to live and work.

More Articles on Russia from Hinterland Gazette
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More articles on racism in Russia
Living with race hate in Russia
March against hatred: Racism in Russia

Jim Quinn Says Islam is a "Neanderthal Religion" that "Enslave[s] Black People"

Jim Quinn of "The War Room with Quinn and Rose" insulted millions of law abiding Muslims across this country by saying that Islam is a "Neanderthal religion that enslaves black people." Crazy.

Is Rupert Murdoch's New York Post Calling President Obama a Monkey in its Latest Editorial Cartoon?

So, after Rev. Al Sharpton made some off-the-cuff comments about Gen. Colin Powell at a recent speech at Middlebury College, he has rightly criticized the New York Post. He is demanding that the newspaper, which has come under fire in the past for racially-tinged cartoons, explain what it meant in its latest controversial offering. The cartoon suggests that the stimulus bill was so bad, monkeys may as well have written it. The incorporation of violence and, on a sinister level, race into politics is bound to be controversial. Rightly so.

Displayed prominently on today’s editorial pages, the cartoon depicts two police officers – one with his smoking gun drawn – standing over what appears to be a dead chimpanzee in a pool of blood. One officer says to the other: “Now they’ll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill.”

Hmmm. Are they referring to the dead chimp as the president of the United States? That's weird and I have to wonder what the intent of the cartoon is. Okay, the massive $787 billion stimulus bill was signed into law yesterday and the cops shot a crazy chimpanzee, but what do they have in common? Could it be President Obama being portrayed as a rabid chimpanzee? We all know that blacks are portrayed as monkeys repeatedly, so that is a sound conclusion to draw. With that in mind, Mr. Rupert Murdoch and his posse owe us an explanation and an apology. Funny, Matt Drudge has been a big critic of Barack Obama and his Administration and this cartoon is conveniently absent from the Drudge Report. It is also missing from Fox News Channel's website, but I expected nothing different.

Is Rupert Murdoch's New York Post Calling President Obama a Monkey in its Latest Editorial Cartoon?

So, after Rev. Al Sharpton made some off-the-cuff comments about Gen. Colin Powell at a recent speech at Middlebury College, he has rightly criticized the New York Post. He is demanding that the newspaper, which has come under fire in the past for racially-tinged cartoons, explain what it meant in its latest controversial offering. The cartoon suggests that the stimulus bill was so bad, monkeys may as well have written it. The incorporation of violence and, on a sinister level, race into politics is bound to be controversial. Rightly so.

Displayed prominently on today’s editorial pages, the cartoon depicts two police officers – one with his smoking gun drawn – standing over what appears to be a dead chimpanzee in a pool of blood. One officer says to the other: “Now they’ll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill.”

Hmmm. Are they referring to the dead chimp as the president of the United States? That's weird and I have to wonder what the intent of the cartoon is. Okay, the massive $787 billion stimulus bill was signed into law yesterday and the cops shot a crazy chimpanzee, but what do they have in common? Could it be President Obama being portrayed as a rabid chimpanzee? We all know that blacks are portrayed as monkeys repeatedly, so that is a sound conclusion to draw. With that in mind, Mr. Rupert Murdoch and his posse owe us an explanation and an apology. Funny, Matt Drudge has been a big critic of Barack Obama and his Administration and this cartoon is conveniently absent from the Drudge Report. It is also missing from Fox News Channel's website, but I expected nothing different.

Helen Suzman, South African Anti-Apartheid Activist, Dies on New Year's Day

South African anti-apartheid activist Helen Suzman, who won international acclaim as one of the few white lawmakers to fight against the injustices of racist rule, has died on New Year's. She was 91. Suzman was twice nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize and fought a long and lonely battle in the South African parliament against government repression of the country's black majority and the imprisonment of Nelson Mandela.

Nelson Mandela Foundation chief executive Achmat Dangor said Suzman was a "great patriot and a fearless fighter against apartheid." For 13 years, Suzman was the sole opposition lawmaker in South Africa's parliament, raising her voice time after time against the introduction of racist legislation by the National Party government.

After her retirement from parliament in 1989, she served on a variety of top public institutions, including the Independent Electoral Commission that oversaw the country's first multiracial elections in 1994. She was at Mandela's side when he signed the new constitution in 1996 as South Africa's first black president. A year later, Mandela awarded her a special gold medal in honor of her contributions.

"It is a courage born of the yearning for freedom; of hatred of oppression, injustice and inequity whether the victim be oneself or another; a fortitude that draws its strength from the conviction that no person can be free while others are unfree," Mandela said at the time. Source: Huffington Post

The world has lost another icon who worked tirelessly for equal rights for all. Rest in peace, Ms. Suzman, you have done well.

Helen Suzman, South African Anti-Apartheid Activist, Dies on New Year's Day

South African anti-apartheid activist Helen Suzman, who won international acclaim as one of the few white lawmakers to fight against the injustices of racist rule, has died on New Year's. She was 91. Suzman was twice nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize and fought a long and lonely battle in the South African parliament against government repression of the country's black majority and the imprisonment of Nelson Mandela.

Nelson Mandela Foundation chief executive Achmat Dangor said Suzman was a "great patriot and a fearless fighter against apartheid." For 13 years, Suzman was the sole opposition lawmaker in South Africa's parliament, raising her voice time after time against the introduction of racist legislation by the National Party government.

After her retirement from parliament in 1989, she served on a variety of top public institutions, including the Independent Electoral Commission that oversaw the country's first multiracial elections in 1994. She was at Mandela's side when he signed the new constitution in 1996 as South Africa's first black president. A year later, Mandela awarded her a special gold medal in honor of her contributions.

"It is a courage born of the yearning for freedom; of hatred of oppression, injustice and inequity whether the victim be oneself or another; a fortitude that draws its strength from the conviction that no person can be free while others are unfree," Mandela said at the time. Source: Huffington Post

The world has lost another icon who worked tirelessly for equal rights for all. Rest in peace, Ms. Suzman, you have done well.