Orville W. Taylor, Contributor

Finally! Someone called me racist. I recently received an anonymous letter from what appears to be a mature lady. Well, if not, the gentleman is obviously very connected to his female side. Anyway, it is the 13th so guess what? This is really an unlucky day because I will not stop speaking with a black mouth and uncovering facts about a set of people, misrepresented by Eurocentric historians.

Racist I am not, but form your personal opinion or jump to your own conclusion. When you jump though, be careful because you may fall and break your leg. Or worse, hit your head. Like most of my white colleagues and friends, I understand that the country's social problems and those of the world are largely racialised. Of all the major races today, black people are the worse off in every way.

Of Jamaica, I unapologetically declare that this is a black country. Proportionally, more blacks live in Jamaica than there are Jews in Israel. Similarly, the whites in England and America have smaller majorities than the blacks here. So, what's the problem? The American motto is almost identical to ours, "Out of many one." We added the 'people' at the end; somewhat as our politicians do. Yet, even the blind see that these are white countries.

Was it Marcus Garvey who suggested that being sightless was an impediment, but worse is being without vision? In the month when we celebrate our emancipation from legal slavery, there is little fanfare regarding the birth of this magnanimous black man. His birthday is on Thursday, but the mental slavery is as incurable as a bad case of the pox.

Developmental issues

Our developmental issues are black ones. Unemployment is around 13 per cent. Disarticulated by race, the data are alarming. Unofficial statistics on race in colour-blind Jamaica show us to be 90 per cent black. There is perhaps no statistically significant unemployment among whites, Jews or Arabs. In fact, unemployment is so low among the Chinese that hidden in full view of the Ministry of Labour, they 'wholesale' import a lot of their kin to meet the 'shortfall.'

Nevertheless, unemployment for young black males is four times the national average. Similarly, the almost 1,700 homicides last year were virtually exclusively committed by youths and the rise in rape and carnal abuse is mostly their handiwork. Furthermore, countless cases of sexual abuse in the inner cities go unreported. The victims are invariably young black girls.

Illiteracy among native-born Jamaicans is highest for blacks. Again, perhaps the only other group with comparable rates are the Asians, who may be able to read Cantonese and Mandarin but not "Engrish."

Sadly, many of the persons who could benefit from these words are unable to read. Then, among those who can, very few do. Therefore, many of them who are unhappy with their blackness, miss my critique of skin bleaching unless I say it on air. True, some light-skinned Jamaicans often use lotions and other skin darkening products, but not due to their feelings of inferiority. Furthermore, no one looks at their poorly done job of colour changing and asks, "How she 'tan' so?"

Scarce economic resources

Lower class black people in a black country have scarce economic resources and social capital. More so, they lack the social prestige that comes with knowledge of a traceable and glorious history. Most whites can trace their heritage to known families in Europe. Middle Easterners still maintain connections in their motherlands including those recently trapped in Lebanon while visiting known relatives. The Honorary Consul to Israel is a Jamaican Jew and the Chinese have perhaps the best model of inter-continental networking.

Even our racehorses and pedigree dogs have documents of origin. However, large numbers of black Jamaicans don't even have a proper accurate birth "serfitickit." Even fatherhood is often dubious since 30 per cent of DNA paternity tests carried out at the University of the West Indies (UWI) reveal that the self-acknowledged fathers are not the biological ones. Though unmoved by 10-month pregnancies their incredulity ends when they open the child's file 'jacket.'

The fact is, people with nothing to make them feel worthwhile will do anything. Ironically, a narrow-minded few think that any attempt to give a sense of history and worth to black people is a tirade against light-skinned persons. Yet, they depend on 'darkies' for everything. Most security guards, police personnel, nurses, household workers and gardeners are darker-skinned Jamaicans. Many of them have sons, nephews, grandsons, neighbours and other clan who are on the fringe of the criminal wave.

Large numbers of the down-trodden with low self-esteem present a grave danger to all, gated communities or not.

Beyond more prisons and a better police force we must enhance the sense of self of black people, making them feel there are choices because they have a glorious history before and after slavery.

Inventions

By the way, Friday, August 11, was the 25th anniversary of the invention of the personal computer (PC). Though generally unknown, Dr Mark Dean, a black American, still only 49 years old, was one of its inventors. He owns three of the original nine patents including that upon which the microprocessor is built.

The traffic lights where black men and youth lurk and forcibly wipe your windscreen were invented by black Garrett Morgan and first put into operation in August 1914.

So pardon me if I speak to blacks because in making them understand their history I am making the place safer for all.

In concluding, forgive the strange smugness I developed in Montreal last week as I passed traffic lights and did not see one black crack head wiping windscreens or panhandling. They were all white. Why not? I believe in equal opportunity for all.

Dr. Orville Taylor is senior lecturer in the Department of Sociology, Psychology and Social Work at the University of the West Indies, Mona.