There is a persistent misconception that racism only flows in one direction, that it is a force wielded exclusively by one group against another. This oversimplification has allowed many people to dismiss the experiences of those who do not fit neatly into that narrative. The truth is far more complex and far more human. Members of every ethnic group can be victims of racism, and recognizing this universal vulnerability is not an act of dilution but an act of clarity. It is the first step toward understanding why this particular poison must be fought at all costs, not just for the sake of some, but for the sake of all.
Racism, at its core, is the intersection of prejudice and power. It is the belief that someone is lesser or more threatening or fundamentally different simply because of the color of their skin or the shape of their eyes or the accent in their voice. This belief does not belong to any single culture or continent. It is a human flaw, a shortcut our brains take when confronted with someone who does not look like us. Throughout history and across the globe, every ethnic group has both suffered from this prejudice and, under the right circumstances, perpetuated it against others. To pretend otherwise is to ignore the rich and often painful tapestry of human migration, conflict, and coexistence.
When we acknowledge that racism can target anyone, something important happens. The victim is no longer an abstraction or a member of a distant category. They become a person, potentially anyone, potentially you. The child bullied on a playground in one country for having light skin and freckles is experiencing the same sting of otherness as the child bullied in another country for having dark skin and curly hair. The pain is not comparative. It is not a competition where only one group gets to claim the trophy of suffering. Pain is pain, and exclusion is exclusion, and the loneliness of being told you do not belong because of how you look is a loneliness that transcends borders.
This understanding is vital because it dismantles the illusion that racism is someone else’s problem. If you believe that only one group can be victims, it becomes far too easy to become complacent, to view the fight against racism as a charitable act performed on behalf of others rather than a necessary defense of our shared humanity. But when you recognize that the same mechanisms of prejudice that harm one group today could harm any group tomorrow, the urgency becomes personal. It transforms the fight from a favor into a fundamental act of self-preservation for the entire human family.
Fighting racism at all costs means defending the dignity of every person who faces discrimination, regardless of whether their story fits the expected narrative. It means listening when someone shares an experience of prejudice without immediately rushing to compare or dismiss. It means understanding that a world where any child can be judged by their ancestry rather than their character is a world where every child is at risk. The cost of this fight is high. It requires us to examine our own biases, to speak up in uncomfortable moments, to challenge systems even when they benefit us. But the cost of losing this fight is far higher. It is a world forever divided, a world where we have forgotten that beneath the superficial differences that so captivate us, we all bleed the same shade of red. And that, more than anything, is worth fighting for.