Due to the fact that the Guyanese population largely emerged from and collectively suffered under white domination and colonial rule, many do not believe in the concept of privilege. Privilege to them is something that exists solely in the realm of Western society where Black and White issues are more clear-cut.
In Guyana, where power is often fluid and all ethnic groups face some sort of bias and economic turmoil, the way in which privilege manifests itself can look a bit different, but it is not non-existent. Economically, Afro-Guyanese are more privileged than Indigenous persons, while Indo-Guyanese are more privileged than them both. On a race level, anti-Blackness places Afro-Guyanese at the bottom rung of all groups, resulting in things such as, discriminatory banking practices, inadequate community development and higher imprisonment rates. These things do not occur in a vacuum, but are supported by the anti-Black beliefs and policies of those who hold positions of leadership.
While we are a people versed in masking, every once in a while persons let their masks slip and we are able to accurately assess their beliefs and practices. One such person is the Minister of Culture, Charles Ramson who for all intents and purposes, is a person of immense privilege. He has not only ethnic and economic privilege, but also unfortunately is part of a government that has power over the lives of Guyanese citizens. It would be useful to assess Ramson’s recent interview and his follow up prepared statement not only in an individual context, but also in the larger context of ethnic beliefs and inherent benefits that comes with being born into certain dynamics.
There remains a large economic gap in Guyana between Afro-Guyanese, when compared to that of Indo-Guyanese. Many believe that this gap is based on the collective failures of Afro-Guyanese themselves rather than a systemic issue that is geared towards limiting their opportunities and economic growth. This ignores the fact that many continue to work extremely hard but are rarely ever able to climb the proverbial ladder of success due to factors that they simply have no control over. So when it comes to building economic wealth and developing positive models of success, it isn’t that Black people are lazy or lack the know-how. Rather, a large contributor to this is the societal and institutional discrimination that Black people face.
Given that we live in a very meritocratic society, acknowledging how one’s ethnicity and class can propel or stymie one’s life and that of their children is one that persons are often not comfortable with. We are conditioned to believe that personal values and hard work are the sole determinants to successful life outcomes. Those who are called out to acknowledge the role of their privilege in their success, often go into attack mode, accusing others of promoting a race-based agenda. This willful ignorance becomes a tool of prolonging racial dominance, as they never have to confront the power they have over others.
They might understand that the experiences of various ethnic groups in Guyana are not monolithic, but the beliefs that they have no leg-up over other groups remain. The reason for this is that people largely continue to associate privilege with having unfair/unearned advantages over others. So when they are asked to check their privileges, they might come up with a host of personal obstacles that they would have had to face to get where they are, setting the stage as to why they should be considered different from the overall group. Understandably, one might not want to view their successes in this way and would like to maintain the belief that everything that they have earned has been on the basis of hard work and sacrifice.
Denying the advantages you might have based on your ethnic makeup or class status is a form of self-protection, but this denial also increases the life span of the inequities that exists. Becoming aware of one’s privilege should not be viewed as something to feel guilty or ashamed of, but about acknowledging the ways that societal and institutional discrimination benefits you. With that acknowledgement also comes a responsibility to do what you can in your own spaces to raise awareness of and confront the challenges those less privileged than you face. We aren’t all born with a gold spoon in our mouths, but we can all contribute towards making life more comfortable and equitable for others, particularly if we are in a position of leadership.
