Osita Ifezue

In 2005, a few weeks into relocation to Finland, I experienced racism with a cruel awakening. A man spat at me going up the escalator at Helsinki Central Railway Station. Processing this incident made me reckon my blackness. You can imagine the pain and many questions that went through my mind. Before moving to Finland, I didn’t gain consciousness of my blackness. This incident was the start of that awakening until. Before life in Finland, I identified as an individual of African descent, but now I am Black!

A poll published by Yle in 2020 shows that 43 percent of the 1000 people surveyed think racism is not a problem in Finland. This is a sad reflection of the state of racism in Finland.

Solving the problems of racism should go beyond the optic of doing something.

After the elections in the United States companies, like Amazon, and Meta, cut their diversity, equality, and inclusion programs. This buttresses the fact some institutions are not committed to promoting inclusion. The debate over diversity, equality, and inclusion rages on.

Hence anti-racism initiatives should address the real problems associated with racism rather than lip service. Victims of racism develop a sixth sense to detect anti-racism programs that will work or not. It becomes like a compass to help separate the core issues of racial bias and solutions. Solving the problem or designing anti-racism programs requires a proper understanding of racism.

The Finnish government, on the 5th of September 2024, approved an Action Plan with 62 measures to combat racism. It is laudable that the government is acknowledging racism is a major problem in Finland. Acknowledgment of racism as a problem in Finland doesn’t go far enough. There remains a gap between participants of anti-racism programs and those designing programs. This disconnect comes from not addressing the real challenges of those dealing with racism.

Trust is a good foundation to build anti-racism initiatives on, which comes from listening to those dealing with racism.

The focus should be to understand the needs of victims, which will offer fresh perspectives on dealing with racism! Examining what has worked, what needs improvements, and what we need to stop doing to address the challenges of racism.

How To Start Addressing The Real Problem of Racism?

According to the Finnish Discrimination Ombudsman- Yhdenvertaisuus.fi, Anti-racism is active and conscious action against all forms of racism. An important to note is that we cannot fully eradicate racism, but we make it difficult for racial injustice and violence to happen. Active action demands that we give a strong voice to fighting racism. Not being silent when racism is in our favour. Being conscious means we need to know and understand the problem we are trying to solve. In the words of the Finnish Prime Minister, Petteri Orpo “We must build a Finland that is safe and equal for everyone. We, the political decision-makers, cannot achieve this alone, the society as a whole needs to be involved. Every single concrete act to increase equality is valuable.” It takes a collective voice to address the burden racism has placed on the communities.

Unfortunately, a good number of anti-racism initiatives in the past don’t involve those who are dealing with the problem in the solution-designing process.

Hence victims of racial discrimination develop a sixth sense that kicks in when the solutions don’t address the real challenges.

Those who don’t have first-hand experience with racism cannot be the only ones designing the solution. It is like selling a product you have not tried, which makes it a tough sell. To design anti-racism programs that work, a thorough understanding of what the problem is, and how to design a solution that is fit for purpose.

The State of Inequality in Finland 2020 (2nd ed.) a study compiled by Maija Mattila, and funded by Kalevi Sorsa Foundation shows the impact of racism and inequality. One of the research projects in the report was by Adjunct Professor Tuomas Zacheus, who studied experiences of racism and discrimination among ninth-graders, and a follow-up study of students in the third year of the upper secondary level, in some Helsinki and Turku schools. The finding shows racism affects people’s optimism for the future. The recommendation is that teachers did seriously with any kind of name-calling or racial violence.

Another study by Assistant Sociology Professor Elina Kilpi-Jakonen of Turku University shows the reasons why students of immigrant background, and one of the reasons is because of the outdated education structure, which is one reason why kids of immigrant background perform poorly, compared to Finnish kids. The study recommends that ‘new teachers should be trained to deal with the new situation and teachers with different backgrounds need to be recruited.’

We cannot use the structures of the 1980s and 1990s when Finland was very homogenous to apply to an increasingly diverse Finland.

Creating a racism curriculum in schools is important, not only to solve the problem of racism but to raise awareness among those who are not impacted. One way to understand the problem is by examining the challenges including the study of racism in the school curriculum and institutions. We need to differentiate anti-racism from gender discrimination, and sexism. These are unique problems that should be examined individually to offer targeted solutions to the issues. For example, in one school where I facilitated a workshop on how to communicate in diverse teams. Some of the young people are feeling the effects of racism that their parents experience impacts them. The effects of racism cut deep and when the damage is done, it cannot be undone. It takes time and deliberate action to change a racist mindset in society. It requires deliberate learning and unlearning new and old ways of dealing with racism. We need to look at processes and ways of dealing with racial discrimination. Considering the cost of racism and its impact on wellbeing will help address the challenges from a different perspective.

The Cost of Racism

In Episode 23 of the Think About It! With Osita Ifezue’s podcast Prof Andrew Agbaje, a researcher at the University of Eastern Finland, concluded that ‘what makes us beautiful and unique is that we are humans, no one will ask to be transfused with a white person’s blood in the case of an emergency. So focusing on what makes us human should be the focus. It’s a symbiotic process.’ Tapping into the value people from different races bring can be valuable. Such values will not be put to good use if Finland fails to harness such potential.

Some of the brightest immigrants trained in Finland have left for countries where their skills are put to use. A huge cost of racism.

The changes happening in Finland can be scary because the once very homogeneous population is fast shifting to a multicultural society. Yet to tap into the value others bring we need to look at differences as a resource rather than a threat. Racism prevents a society from viewing rough diamonds like precious stones.

According to Adjunct Professor Tuomas Zacheus, racism affects people’s optimism for the future. When an individual’s belonging is challenged by racial discrimination, wellbeing can be impacted. The ability to contribute optimally to society lessens. The cost accrues to the state in terms of low productivtiy, high unemployment, overburdened healthcare system. The need to act and act right cannot be overstated. Anti-racism and action plans need to address the real challenges of racism.

What the latest withdrawal of many corporation’s diversity, equality, and inclusion programs shows that they have been window-dressing problems rather than focusing on instituting real change. We need to look at belonging and inclusion from a different Len, which will help us be innovative with solutions for racism.