OPINION: Joint statement on racism against BIPOC civilians in Ukraine

By SIPA Students of Color

We, student organizations at Columbia SIPA, share this statement to condemn the racism and violence against BIPOC civilians being exposed by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and consequent media coverage. The mistreatment on the basis of race, ethnicity, and nationality is horrific and appalling. We cannot be silent on the impact that racism has on the Black and Brown citizens and foreign nationals fleeing this conflict. Our condemnation goes hand-in-hand with our full support for the Ukrainian people. 

Background:

SIPA Students of Color (SSOC) and collaborating organizations strongly condemn Russia’s unjust full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Many Ukrainians have been seeking asylum in neighboring European countries such as Poland, Romania, and Slovakia. We commend Ukraine’s success to date in defending the country and want to amplify the work of activists and civilians spreading awareness and mobilizing resources. We also recognize the severity of the evacuation crisis and emphasize every Ukrainian citizen’s right to seek refuge and asylum, a right protected under international and regional legal frameworks. 

Unfortunately, not every civilian has been able to exercise this basic human right. A number of Ukrainian and Polish authorities have specifically barred people of African and South Asian descent, predominantly students and working professionals as well as Ukrainian nationals, from crossing the border with Poland, forcing them to wait hours in the snow as white refugees boarded first. A stranded Moroccan student described this unequal treatment, saying, “They segregated us into two groups — Africans and Europeans. The European bus came every 15 minutes, the African bus came every four hours. It's like a color filter for refugees.” According to The Independent, white Ukrainians themselves have blocked Africans — some foreign nationals, some born-and-bred Ukrainian citizens — from boarding free trains to flee from Ukraine. The African Union has been vocal and denounced the treatment. 

There are also accounts of Nepali, Indian, and Somali men being beaten by Ukrainian guards before being allowed to cross on foot, as well as Jamaican students forced to walk 20 kilometers to Poland. Nearly 20,000 Indian students were left stranded when Kyiv closed its airspace, and over 1,000 Indian students were fired at by Ukrainian guards on a railway station with no protection from shellings. This led to an Indian student being killed when leaving a bunker to fetch food for others sheltering in Kharkiv. To summarize the trauma and fear of these Black and Brown civilians, Brazilian soccer players trapped in Ukraine posted an Instagram video pleading for help from the Brazilian government: “We are really desperate. We are going through chaos.”  Students have also made aware that the Roma people, who are stateless, are actively being turned away at borders and not helped by volunteers. This further cements the necessity for action to support BIPOC and marginalized people facing discrimination in Ukraine.

This is only compounded by recent biased and racist media reporting. As those who are aware of the ways in which conflict disproportionately affects people of color and those from marginalized identities, we denounce the clear hypocrisy demonstrated by media outlets (such as NBC News and CBS News) and politicians who have expressed shock of this war occurring in a “civilized European” country. This is in stark contrast to their resigned acceptance of ongoing conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, Syria, Yemen, Ethiopia, Somalia, Haiti, Venezuela, Myanmar, Sudan, Mozambique, and other majority-Black or Brown regions. Columbia University’s response to Ukraine in comparison to their relative silence about other regions is a notable example. Empathy only extended towards “blond hair and blue-eyed” demographics marks a clear message of who is deserving of support, media attention, immediate international intervention, and, above all else, safety and wellbeing. The global suffering of marginalized groups is not given the same urgency, shock, or outrage currently seen with the “civilized, developed world.” Consequently, death, war, and political prosecution have become normalized and accepted for certain groups.

Our Views & Action:

We condemn — and also demand that SIPA condemn — the explicit racism towards BIPOC civilians in Ukraine. We express grief and regret over the inadequate empathy for people of color in Ukraine by the Western world. This statement is not meant to invalidate our support and sympathies for Ukrainians and others at SIPA directly affected by the conflict; however, we cannot be silent on this gross violation of the human rights of BIPOC. We denounce all acts that would further disenfranchise and jeopardize the lives of people of color, LGBTQIA+ people, and other marginalized groups in Ukraine, and we urge international bodies to ensure they receive resources, safe passage, and support. We quote Ahmed Ali, who said, “You can (and should) unapologetically advocate for the Ukrainian people’s safety and peace AND you can call out the hypocrisy and racism on full display with the comparisons to other conflicts. They are not mutually exclusive. Let your sense of humanity be on full display.”

We stand in solidarity with and offer our support to our Ukrainian and other affected students. As individuals who study policy to become the “leaders of tomorrow,” it is crucial for us to learn and reflect on our biases and actively make changes to protect and promote the basic rights and livelihoods of all people, as well as dismantle white supremacy and unequal power structures that enable these grievances to repeat over time. We encourage our faculty, staff, and students at SIPA to create safe spaces for everyone to express their thoughts and emotions regarding the war’s impact on the Ukrainian people. We urge all community members to stay engaged, share information and resources, and continue attending protests. As actionable steps, everyone should contact representatives regarding our demands on the administrative level (described below), offer tangible resources (shelter, financial donations, contacts to immigration lawyers, etc.), and/or skills-based support if able. All members of the SIPA community must call out racism wherever and whenever you see it, uplift the experiences of BIPOC people in crisis and conflict situations, and show up for all people fleeing violence and fighting oppression wherever it may be. 

Per President Bollinger’s email on March 2, Columbia has committed to expanding “the initiative we put in place for students and scholars displaced by the crisis in Afghanistan to include those seeking refuge from the war in Ukraine.” We should ensure that Black and Brown individuals seeking refuge from the war in Ukraine have equal access to this initiative. Based on an interview with Alexander Somto (Nze) Orah, “representatives from several African countries — Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, and Gabon — have condemned the reports.” Similarly, as a global leader in public policy and international relations, SIPA should mobilize its prominence, alumni, and field connections to condemn these reports on racial discrimination at the borders. Our school can go beyond intercampus resources and call on relevant agencies to support foreign citizens. 

Conclusion

We have listed these not as passive suggestions, but as active demands and encouragements. In order to show our solidarity for all Ukrainians, including BIPOC civilians, we cannot stand by the sidelines and watch from afar. We must engage within the SIPA community and across the world to Ukrainians in need of help. We publish this statement in hopes of making clear the urgency and significance of our actions. 

Addressing both individual and collective bias and inherent racism is an ongoing process. In reading this statement and following live updates on the war, we hope to engage you in the process of dismantling systemic oppression and its multi-level perpetuations and highlight how oppression transcends race, gender, class, and borders. Empathy for everyone in Ukraine, not excluding certain groups, is a necessary expression of our humanity in the face of war. Please, don’t let your heart grow cold.

Share with your networks. Spread the word. Take action. 

Media Coverage and Responses

Resources to help

In Solidarity,

SIPA Students Of Color (SSOC) 
Black Student Union (BSU)
Civic and Voter Engagement Coalition (CiVEC)
Community Engagement and Recruiting Volunteers Club (CERV)
Conflict Resolution Collective (CRC)
Empowering Asian Women (EAW)
Environmental Science and Policy Student DEI Committee
Gender Policy Working Group (GPWG)
Humanitarian Aid Working Team (HAWT)
Journal of International Affairs (JIA)
Korea Focus (KF)
Migration Working Group (MWG)
Palestine Working Group (PWG)
PolitIQ
Progressive Security Working Group (PSWG)
Race, Inequality, Solidarity, and Economics Working Group (RISE)
SIPA Energy Association (SEA)
SIPA Pan-African Network (SPAN)
South Asia Association (SAA)
Spectrum
Women in Leadership
Women in STEM (WIS)

OpinionSIPA Students of ColorComment