Former President John Dramani Mahama has condemned attacks on black people in the United States of America ” in all their many forms” that has led to widespread unrest.
Mr. Mahama’s comments come on the back of the May 25 death of George Floyd, an African-American man in the US state of Minnesota whilst in police custody.
The protests erupted last Tuesday after a video showed Mr Floyd being arrested in Minneapolis and a white police officer continuing to kneel on his neck even after he pleaded he could not breathe.
Mr. Mahama Facebook post said the “recent events in America have brightened the moral spotlight on the systemic prejudice and danger that Black people there experience solely because of the colour of their skin.”
“The killing of George Floyd is the latest in a centuries-long series of moral outrages that are now more visible because they are being documented on film and through social media.”
He further said that the reaction of Americans to such acts should serve as a caution and an opportunity for Ghanaians to examine the use of “unwarranted violence” and the treatment meted out to “the socially disadvantaged”.
“This new awakening also applies to unwarranted use of violence against civilians here at home (Ghana); and to our own prejudicial treatment of some Ghanaians and the socially disadvantaged.”
Mr. Mahama also called for the world to unite and speak against the discrimination of people based on their skin colour irrespective of social class or other factors.
“Moments such as this call for solidarity. The systemic prejudices and injustices faced by Black people in America is based on racism – it makes no distinction on the basis of migration history, national origin, social class or educational attainment. They are concerned, solely, with the color of your skin. That is because the issue at hand is not “respectability”, it is racism.”
“We must understand that the threats and dangers are as real for Ghanaians and other Africans in America as they are for African Americans. We cannot look away, and we cannot be silent,” he added
George Floyd’s killing ‘shameful and unfortunate’ – Rawlings
In a related development, Former President Jerry John Rawlings also condemned the killing of George Floyd describing it as “shameful and unfortunate.”
The former President in a tweet said: “It is heart-warming to see Americans react the way they are to the unfortunate incident.”
Below is the full Facebook post from Mr. Mahama
Recent events in America have brightened the moral spotlight on the systemic prejudice and danger that Black people there experience solely because of the colour of their skin.
The killing of George Floyd is the latest in a centuries-long series of moral outrages that are now more visible because they are being documented on film and through social media.
I condemn these injustices, in all their many forms.
Moments such as this call for solidarity. The systemic prejudices and injustices faced by Black people in America is based on racism – it makes no distinction on the basis of migration history, national origin, social class or educational attainment. They are concerned, solely, with the color of your skin.
That is because the issue at hand is not “respectability”, it is racism.
We must understand that the threats and dangers are as real for Ghanaians and other Africans in America as they are for African Americans. We cannot look away, and we cannot be silent.
This new awakening also applies to unwarranted use of violence against civilians here at home (Ghana); and to our own prejudicial treatment of some Ghanaians and the socially disadvantaged.