In the week of George Floyd’s funeral, killed by a policeman on May 25 in Minneapolis, United States, the PLATFORM was to feel the pulse of the feeling of everything that happened after the images that shocked the world. Whether through ignorance or pure malice, racism exists and is global.
“It’s nothing new,” says Eliane Vasconcelos. “We are black and we have known this type of story since forever”, he adds.
The Cape Verdean resident in Macau says that none of this is good, “quite the opposite”. “Unfortunately it is not an isolated case”, he says, after taking a few minutes to take some pictures as a form of protest and tribute to George Floyd.
“When I saw that moment, almost live, I was angry. There are no words to describe the act. It is a huge indignation. There was no reason for it to end that way. Honestly, I think if it were a white man, it would be very different. I wouldn’t die, I believe, ”says Eliane, who assumes that she has already experienced racism, especially when she is with people with darker skin than hers.
Elisabete Barros, with roots in Guinea-Bissau, is also revolted. In the last few days there has been a feeling of helplessness. “George Floyd’s death made me very sad. It is a subject [racism] that has been going on for too long. Often there is yet another case like this, most of the time spent in the USA, ”says the PLATFORM.
The Guinean, who has lived in Macau for many years, like Eliane, considers that Floyd’s death “is not an isolated case”. “As a black woman, when I see that kind of thing, it touches me in a very special way.” She recalls a story that has marked her since childhood. “The first act of racism I felt was at the age of six. They sent me with a bucket of cold water because they didn’t want it to be leaning against the wall of a building. That marked me a lot at the time ”, he recalls.
He cites other examples of how discrimination can be felt because of skin color. “On several occasions, people didn’t want to sit next to me on public transport or those subtle looks that say it all.
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