Racism

On 8 October, Indian-born activist Avtar Singh Jouhl OBE passed away. Singh was a trade unionist who valiantly advocated for workers’ rights and spent his life battling racial discrimination in the UK.

In 1964, Gandhian socialist and Member of Parliament Ram Manohar Lohia refused to leave a restaurant in Jackson, Mississippi, which did not serve non-whites, for which he courted arrest. What followed was a remarkable chapter in the struggle for civil liberties.

Alibhai Mulla Jeevanjee was the entrepreneurial legend of Kenya. He rose from the oppressed class to become a business tycoon. This is his story.

What happened on that February afternoon in 1959 in a Kerala school created an awakening that some might suspect gave further clarity to Reverend Dr Martin Luther King Jr's struggle against racial inequality and injustice.

Ruchi Ram Sahni was a prominent scientist from undivided Punjab, as well as a teacher, meteorologist, physicist, and member of the Brahmo Samaj. Known for being one of the earliest promotors of Punjab as a science hub, lesser known are his contributions in saving thousands of lives in Orissa, and how he was never given credit for it due to his race.

Princess Victoria Gowramma was the daughter of Chikavira Rajendra, the last King of the Kodagu (Coorg) kingdom, and was adopted as a godchild by Queen Victoria and converted to Christianity. But her diasporic story is not quite a fairytale one would hope.

When Kala Bagai, and her husband Vaishno Das Bagai, arrived at Berkeley in 1915, there were only close to 2,000 Indians living in the US.

“While studying in Chennai, I was initially scared and embarrassed to cook my home food that had a distinct smell. It’s because of the stereotype associated with our cuisine, as if it’s something dirty or unappealing. I finally decided to break away from that feeling.”

“I always overhear aunties at weddings saying, she’s lucky that he married her despite her complexion.”

Colourism is the ‘Cousin of Racism.’ Calling out racist conduct doesn’t have a statute of limitations either. Your intent doesn’t matter when you call someone ‘kalu.’