◾️ zwarte piet is racisme // black pete is racist ◾️
where i’m from, Sinterklaas is celebrated today; a winter holiday like Christmas, but imagine instead of jolly elves giving you presents and bringing you joy, it’s white people in blackface - Zwarte Piet, a racist caricature.
because of this, late november - early december is Hell for black people in the Netherlands and Belgium. you walk down the street seeing white people doing blackface minstrelsy, you grow up seeing tons of blackface imagery in stores or on TV, and the conversation on whether or not its racist is being dominated by complete disregard to the Dutch colonial & slavery history.
while changes are being made (slowly), the amount of gaslighting and racist violence black people and POC here have to endure is draining and traumatizing. “it’s for the kids!” they say, but i’ve seen first hand how it has negatively impacted black kids in my family, making them question their place in society, myself included. black activists have campaigned against the tradition and those speaking out have been beaten and harassed by both the police and the far-right. and yes, this happens in a country that prides itself on being sooooo tolerant.
it should not take that much effort to change a “fun, family friendly holiday tradition for kids” in such a way that is inclusive for EVERYONE - in a way that remains fun and pleasant without harming others, especially marginalized folks.
today i wanted to speak up and use my platform in hopes to educate, spread awareness and advocate for change.
