A US professor has warned that black Bermudians may have to return to social protest unless their white countrymen move to end institutionalized racism.

Professor Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, Professor of Sociology at Duke University, told a public forum on Friday night that white Bermudians had to stop thinking of racial equality initiatives by Government as forms of "reverse discrimination".

Giving the Workplace Equity Act as an example, he said: "This has been labelled by some Bermudians as reverse discrimination.

"White Bermudians must accept the fact they have the historical and moral obligation — the white man's burden — on matters of racial fairness, as they have ruled all facets of Bermudian life from the 1700s to late 1990s."

And he said although the PLP's election to Government in 1998 had brought black political power, this had "not reversed Bermuda's white power structure".

"The white minority still runs the show, and has to stop the cry of 'reverse discrimination'," said Prof. Bonilla-Silva.

"The minor policies proposed by the PLP are just but a Band-Aid approach to racial injustice, but even a Band-Aid is not enough."

Prof. Bonilla-Silva was speaking at the Bermuda Race Relations Initiative (BRRI) forum 'What is Racism? A Current Perspective', at Bermuda College.

A black Puerto-Rican, he recounted his experiences of racism living in the US and spoke of the current problems facing the Caribbean region and Bermuda — the post-Civil Rights movement "new racism".

An expert in race relations, Prof. Bonilla-Silva has written several books including 'Racism Without Racists' and the forthcoming 'White Logic, White Methods: Race, Epistemology, and the Social Sciences'.

Prof. Bonilla-Silva told Friday night's public meeting: "Bermudians' 'Don't rock the boat' approach to racial change might not be the best approach.

The blacks may have to get back to the streets, boycott businesses and make some noise.

"With concerted effort, or by the push of social protest — will Bermudians recognise the equality of all citizens and transform race into a mere signifier of ethnicity?

"Or will Bermudians need a new round of social protest to get to the gates of the Promised Land?

"My hope is Bermudians will transform your lovely beautiful country into a racial paradise for all of your citizens."

'What is Racism? A Current Perspective' was introduced by Government MP Zane DeSilva, who said: "If we are going to be successful to make the legacy of racism a thing of the past in this country, then hard work needs to be done not just by black Bermudians, who by truth have borne the heaviest load, but by white Bermudians."

Although it was until recently "considered taboo" to talk about racism in Bermuda, Mr. DeSilva said that now "the discussion is on the table".

He said: "All of us knew it (racism) existed but good manners required us to act as if it did not.

"We still have a lot of work to do. All of us should feel embarrassed about the statistics which show inequality of opportunity has still not been achieved.

"I issue a challenge to white Bermudians, to get into the Big Conversation and encourage your friends, relatives and co-workers to do the same.

"We must cease to become a country held hostage by fears in this regard and instead be a country which embraces this with hope."

Lynne Winfield, president of Citizens Uprooting Racism in Bermuda (CURB), also addressed the 100-strong audience. She said: "To this day every white on this Island benefits from the legacy (of laws to protect white interests and property), and I include white expatriates in this.

"I realise that simply by the colour of my skin, I was given advantages, good jobs and progressed beyond my black colleagues."

Ms Winfield said: "This is not about whites carrying guilt from the past but recognising the legacy of the past."

She said whites now had to be on their guard against more "insidious" forms of modern-day racism, such as through jokes, stereotypes and hiring practices.

Ms Winfield said that from her work with CURB, she found white Bermudians currently believe race relations are at "an all-time low", but that black Bermudians "believe it is better than it has ever been".

"How can it be that people living so close on an island of 21 square miles have different perspectives? That puzzles me, especially as we are so nice to each other," she said.

"Many blacks feel race relations are liberating and validating, but whites feel it is stirring up the past.

"Any psychologist will tell you the key to understanding is communication. All Bermudians need to take ownership of this process.

"We live in institutionalised racism and benefit from white privilege, but we can't see it and we deny it exists."

Ms Winfield said white Bermudians continued to occupy more management positions and those with Bachelor degrees still earned more than blacks with Masters qualifications.

But she remained hopeful for the future. "I believe race relations are improving because we are dialoguing and discussing the issues which have kept us apart from each other for so long.

"At last we are starting to act like a family, a family somewhat dysfunctional, but I see this as a process full of hope."

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