Singapore, we need to have the talk (or several talks): the one about race, migrant workers, and even mental health. But ready or not, this younger generation of change-makers is taking on these social issues head-on. In the fourth of a five-part series, Sharvesh Leatchmanan, the co-founder and editor of Minority Voices, shares the untold stories of unheard voices through the online platform
One would tread lightly when talking about race and racism in Singapore. But even as we speak of how racial harmony spins the threads of our social fabric, that doesn’t mean racism does not exist today.
Young Singaporeans are not shying away from the conversations about race, more so on the tail of viral videos concerning racism on social media in recent years. One of them is Sharvesh Leatchmanan, the co-founder and editor of online platform Minority Voices. “I think people are tired of seeing all these visual representations of racism and discrimination, starting with that blatantly racist Nets E-Pay ad two years ago,” he shares, citing how a Chinese actor portrayed people of different races, and even appeared in “brownface”.
“I think more youths are realising how racism affects their lives and also their mental health. With social media and the knowledge of the Black Lives Matter movement in the US, more people are also able to contextualise what’s happening around the world to Singapore, and realise that while it may be different, some things are still similar.”
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While social media enhances the visibility of such issues, the 24-year-old says peer support is important too. This is the premise of Minority Voices, which he started in May last year with Veena Tadikonda, 23, to encourage minorities to share the stories of their everyday encounters with racism and discrimination in Singapore, to be shared on the Minority Voices Instagram feed and website.
The two were introduced by a mutual friend who saw how passionate they were about social issues. “Veena had seen a YouTube video called The Curry Song, which featured a bastardised version of an Indian song, along with the hand gestures and head movements. She found it offensive and wanted to share her frustrations,” describes Leatchmanan.
He also shares how he was put off by the racial undertones of a forum letter published in a local Chinese newspaper, at the height of the coronavirus outbreak in dormitories, “suggesting why South Asian migrant workers were experiencing Covid‑19 at a disproportionate level was because of their culture of eating with their hands, sitting on the floor, and even holding hands. I found it unfair that they were not talking about the cause”.
Tadikonda, who is currently focusing on her law studies, suggested they start something, and Leatchmanan, a counselling major and trained storyteller, came up with the idea of sharing personal stories of lived experiences. “I believe that sharing these stories can move and inspire, and motivate people to change. Furthermore, when you have a community behind you, you have agency and autonomy,” he shares.
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