Founder & CEO at Crest Impact | Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Social Impact Consultant | Global Project Manager
🇳🇿 New Zealand As an Indigenous African woman, I feel the energy of these Māori MPs. 🗞 Excerpt: "There were wild scenes in Parliament today as Te Pati Māori MPs interrupted proceedings to perform a haka in front of ACT MPs including leader David Seymour. The drama began as MPs were voting on the ACT Party’s bill on the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi following its first reading. First-term Te Pati Māori MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke rose from her seat and tore up several pieces of paper as she began a haka, which was joined by her co-leaders Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngawera-Packer. MPs from the Labour and Green Party joined in the haka also. Speaker Gerry Brownlee stood and eventually declared Parliament was suspended. Brownlee had earlier ordered Labour MP Willie Jackson to leave the House after Jackson had labelled Seymour a “liar” and then refused to withdraw the comment." I have seen countless comments calling this haka performance 'unprofessional', 'embarrassing' and 'inappropriate'. Some even think it is immature. Let us talk about professionalism in mental and physical spaces of colonial and racial oppression. If you are the oppressor, colonialist, neocolonialist or from the Christopher Columbus religion, it makes sense to you and most people surviving under your rule to follow your 'procedures' and laws at all times. It would also makes sense for you to punish those who refuse to follow your rules. However, it does not make it right, humane or less ridiculous. Can we look at the racial power structures all around us? European culture dictates what is professional all over the world. Equality and real justice would not allow Eurocentric thinking to colonise Indigenous people everywhere. It would not create inequities to benefit European communities first or create a global white alliance that strengthens these structures. Colonialism is a form of oppression and exists in every workplace from London to Nairobi. Colonialists came up with the idea to oppress people in the most cruel fashion and then created systems where everyone is forced to ignore and suppress their humanity and instincts to protect themselves. Colonialism even lies to women that our struggles are equal while strategically placing their own ⬜ women in positions to decide and control what is professional and the punishment and exclusion everyone should face for objecting Eurocentric reasoning as THE only way. Beneficiaries of colonialism and neocolonialism ironically talk with disgust about African and other 'dictators'. We nod with them in compliance while, ironically, existing in a racial hierarchy they created to oppress and control everyone who does not look like them including said dictators. 🙃 Colonialism is the biggest and most oppressive lie on Earth. Those who protect and uphold colonial barbarism better hope there is no real justice after what we all know as life. Sources 📸 Whakaata Māori 🗞 https://lnkd.in/d6M-qWDD #AntiRacism #Colonialism