Battling racism

1. Page 2A Thursday. March 28.2002: The Sun
Sun Journal
Ireland learns to accept others
• Racism:, )//«• ceuturic* <tfit*
•icuph: wuiffrfiiiitfj, the itnii"-
•0aent iiatiiiH x/r/«/<yfc> trith
'ion' (o treat immiffittitln.
DUBLIN". Ireland — When
Mlnja Mandlangu arrived here with
Us wire and five children after flee-
jig from civil war In their native
2ongo seven years ago. the wel-
:omc could not have been warmer.
-Everyone was so friendly. 'Wcl-
:onie to Ireland, how are you?'"
Mandlangu recalled, A fnw years
alcr. the grecllng changed.
•They said on the news that the
/..••'.. man Is coming." he said at
lis home In the South Dublin com-
•nunlly of Tallaghl. 'They said.
Gel back to your country.' Same
people don't like the skin."
Today's Ireland is gaining
1es as an Impoverished Island —
mmlgranls. And that's triggering
in increase In racism — an emo-
.lon that was less pronounced Education: Irish football star Janon Sherlock, who u of part- Asi descent, helps promote the International
A'hen virtually all residents shared Day Against Racism before Its observance March 2l in Dublin.
:ommon roots and the country
*-as losing people football star who Is part Asian, as a Jobs to foreigners as the "Celtic Tl- tress where revolutionaries were
It's on ironic und uncomfort- cautlon against prejudice. In the ger" economy turned a pour nation jailed and executed In the 1800s
and early 1900s, guide Mary Kir-
:ountrymen faced bigotry when whether the state-run television The businessmen don't care wan has taken to ending her tours
.hey Immigrated to the United station should quit Its doily broad- that we're here, but people who are with a caution against prejudice.
Stales. England and elsewhere cast of the Angelus. a Catholic poor don't want to hear anything The Republic was created to allow
Colonial Maryland required prayer, because the country, while about black people or African peo- diversity, she reminds visitors.
.hat voiers swear oaths against still predominantly Catholic, Is fosl ple." said Mandlangu. the political Her group passes a display In-
Catholicism, principally affecting becoming home lootiiers. refugee from the Democratic Re- cluding the Proclamation of 1916.
Irish immigrants Later waves of -It's like a Uttle bubble lhal's public of Congo. They think we which urged Independence from
Irish to Ihe Uniled States were ready lo burst." said Joe McUo- get Jobs from the government, that British rule. The Republic guar-
jonfronted with "No Irish Need nagh, a former Irish sports official we get mobile phones from the antees religious and civil liberty.
pply" signs In major cities. who chairs the nonprofit National government, that we get a car. get equal tights and equal opportuni-
'The Irish In a sense have not Anti-Racism Awareness Program. a house from the government. Peo- ties to all Its citizens ... cherishing
•eaclcd as well as they should, par- "We've been on the periphery of ple don't understand the meaning all the children of the nation
.Icularly for a people who have Europe for so long. This Is a new of refugee." equally and oblivious of the differ-
irofited from Immigration." sold animal for us. to welcome people to Mandlangu and his family do ences carefully fostered by an alien
Lawrence J. McCaffrey, an author our shores." live In government-subsidized government, which have divided a
if 11 books on Ireland und Irish- McDonagh presides over a new. housing, but receive no car. no minority from the majority In the
Mnericans. and history professor phone and no Job. he says He past."
.•mcrltus at Loyola University In "Know Racism." The "K" and the works for an organization that -It's kind of payback time for
Chicago. "Next to the Jewish peo- "W are shaded on signs to deliver helps African settlers In Ireland. us We've asked other nations to let
ple, the Irish are probnhly the most the underlying message Singer Mandlangu said he had no Idea our people In." said Klrwan. who is
nigralory people in the world." Sinead O'Connor, actor Llam his destination was Ireland when related through marringe lo re-
To Ireland's credit. It has Necson and Waterford Crystal de- his wUc paid someone to arrange a tired Baltimore County Fire Chief
nountcd a major campaign to signer John Rocha arc among ce- departure from their homeland. Paul 11 Remcke.
:ombat racism and passed antl- lebrltle.% who have lent their names Bui he's proud that his children Peace activists say they wont to
liscrimination laws, but recent mid talents to the effort are gelling betier schooling than deter the rise of hate groups that
leadlines have been disturbing. The dnve began after the Irish they would have In his nulivc land huve tormented parts of Europe
In January, a gang with Iron government recognized the prob- and thai his daughter, a runner, is and the United States,
:lubs fatally beat a 2S-ycor-old Chi- lem in :,.(.: and decided It had to altempling to qualify for the Irish "Ireland Is better than In Eng-
icse student here In what was de- come to grips with It. A total of S5 championships. land In England. It's very racist."
bribed a,i a Imie crime. Police ore million (in US dollars) has been He's disappointed aboul the said 38-year-old Zoln Ail He owns
.till Investigating the murder, on Asian-Arabic grocery a few
vhlch sparked anil-racism demon- The Initiative — r consplc- lusloncd about his new home. blocks from where Saint Patrick is
said to have baptized converts to
ilher case, two women were sen- "Conversation about Race" In the to get benefits from the govern- Catholicism In the fifth century
Said All: "It's very good people
>rtson for severely beating a black lie service cumpal^is against teen Irish people They're really so here."
Moroccan woman In Cork while smoking and drunken driving friendly." People Involved In combating
hey shouted racial slurs. Ireland was losing 30.000 resl- The national police force. An racism hope to show tangible
Since October. 40 complaints of dents a year through the cconoml- Oarda Slochuna. is also receiving progress within two years, and the
..:..• been reported to the National 1990s brought a surge of technol- charged situation: for education programs doubled
Consultative Commitiee on Kac- ogy Jobs —and more reasons to re- Thai was In evidence one re- lost year,
sm and MulllculluruUsm. main or move here cent weekday at a crowded bus Though acllvlsis rind that en-
Ireland has long known rcll- e of
flous strife. Just monlhs ago In latton last year was 26.000. accord- ncan woman carrying a child the difficulty. For example, an ad
fort
had paid him for her ticket, he said prejudice against Irish gypsies.
.choul post angry mobs In e scene Nearly 300.000 people have im- otherwise and refused her entry. A called travellers, recorded high
hat was compared to Little Rock. migrated to Ihe Irish Republic police officer waded through the public recognition — and almost
rk.. in 1057. But racial hate Is a since 1895 — about 10 percent of curious crowd, spoke briefly with no change In acceptance, said
lewerand growing malignancy. the nation's current total popula- the driver, and the woman and Llam Conlon. with the Irish De-
The Insh government has re- tion Refugees have arrived from baby took their seat portment of Justice, Equality and
sponded In recent years with laws more than 100 countries. Including The officer said afterward that Law Reform
igains i discrimination In housing. Bosnia. Somalia and Vietnam. she didn't know who was telling "Attitudes can change over-
• • - . , . I ; . > i i and business. And In turn, forces that have histor- night." Conlon said. "Just look at
'Olces of tolerance are building, ically fueled racism around the fuse Ihe situation. Sept. II."
Billboards dot Dublin with Ihe globe have revealed themselves. Elsewhere In Dublin, ol Kil- Even su, he acknowledges, it
ilcturc of Jason Sherlock, a Gaelic Natives began fearing the loss of mainham Gaol, a grim, slone for- will be very difficult to do so.