Written by: Samantha Inesta
Human Right Fellow/Founder & Executive Director for BeaSister2aSister
By now we have all been inundated with images coming out of Ukraine caused by Putin’s blood lust to control all of Eastern Europe. The takeover that has turned what some are saying is genocidal has been blasted all over news media, social media and yes even entertainment media. At the Oscars, Amy Schumer’s desire to have Ukranian President Zelensky give his own speech regarding how the celebrity community can aid in helping his country fight against it’s demise, was struck down and probably would’ve been overshadowed by Will Smith’s smack down of Chris Rock anyway. But when was the last time we have ever seen this type of activism begging and pleading with anyone and everyone to do what you can to help a people caught in a war they did not ask for? Probably not at the scale we are seeing right now.
War in of itself is a human rights crisis and does deserve attention. But what happens when it breaks out in a country where modern comforts and first world materialism have thrived for quite some time? It becomes unthinkable and people see themselves in this tragedy and fear that such a catastrophe can happen to them at any moment. War has been around for decades and is still burning as we speak. But the war that has been raging for years is not the same as what we are seeing in Ukraine. Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan, Palestine and lets not for get the Arab Spring are all wars that are basically targeting areas where people are poor and desperate. These are third world country wars not well to do, middle class comfort, and let’s be real ,mostly white European takeovers. These are countries where you may expect this to happen, coups, armed terrorist, illegal occupations are part of the makeup of countries destined for turmoil and suffering.
Some in the news media didn’t seem to do a good job on reporting the reasons why they felt this was happening. This was a cosmopolitan city, there are stores, cafes, probably even a Starbucks, how could this happen these are civilized people. As if anyone outside of Europe isn’t civilized. Of course they back peddled and re-worded their findings and refocused their content, but it was a huge backlash of advocates from countries whose people are still being devastated by bombs and killings that forced these journalists to change their tone. War is horrific and more the evil that comes from it the more it is able to persist, but putting one group of people above all others and sending more resources than other war-torn countries have received, sends a bad message that they are not worthy because they are not white and live in Europe. Even those in Ukraine who are from Africa, India and other countries felt the sting of racism when countries like Poland looked to turn them away from help in favor of white Ukrainians. This has now changed because of a social media outcry. We should not have to choose or pit cultures against one another, if we are giving Ukraine what it needs to get through this and come out strong, we should be doing it for every country that has been destroyed and ripped apart by war.
The United States sees themselves in Ukraine. As well as other developed countries, they fear that of it can happen there, it can happen here, so by protecting them, we are protecting ourselves. We should see our image in EVERYONE affected by war no matter their race, culture, religious background or color of their skin. I do believe we should help Ukrainians, this is a horrific and devastating time for them but, we should do the same for those who have been trapped in the same situation for years. Don’t just see yourself in one group of people, see yourself in all of them because war, dictatorship and authoritarianism does not discriminate.
Of course with all wars, women are collateral damage and their bodies have become a battle field just like women all over the world whose bodies have become playgrounds for campaigns of violence. You can’t talk about war without talking about rape and human trafficking. Stories are coming out as Ukrainian women are being used and abused by Russian soldiers. We should absolutely care about that just as we should care about women and girls who were raped and trafficked by ISIS, BoKo Haram and the Taliban. I know for my part I am diving into the fight for these women where ever they are. The reflection you see in the mirror should should be a reflection of you and the women who you know are begging for you to speak.
Thank you so much for reading this blog! if you would like to find out about the work we do and donate you can contact me at samantha@beasister2asister.org. You can also listen to my podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/6q0ZRXrbTpXCdIEpP20MXL
W.A.R. 