Those cheering #GandhiMustFall should recognize that they’re cheering a xenophobic and racist sentiment that is the opposite of #decolonial thinking. A thread on how to think about Gandhi’s anti-Black racism. 1/14
Gandhi was an elite, high caste Hindu from a conservative family. His father was a govt. administrator & while not wealthy, Gandhi benefitted from family connections. In 1888, aged 18, he left to study in the UK where he wore western clothing and embraced British customs. 2/14
As a young lawyer in British ruled S. Africa, Gandhi was a dutiful upholder of colonial values. Like most members of the subject races, he espoused racist views to uphold the petty privilege granted to such groups in colonial Africa. This is how divide and rule functioned. 3/14
Most of the racist quotes from Gandhi are from his early years in SA. I call this the Colonial Gandhi. Even though he sought to challenge some aspects of British rule, he had not evolved into the Anti-Colonial Gandhi for which he is mostly remembered today. 4/14
But did Gandhi’s views on race and on Blacks/Africans change after he returned to India in 1915? Luckily, we have numerous exchanges between Gandhi and prominent Black leaders that reveal a dramatic shift in his earlier, racist views. 5/14
For example, in 1929, WEB DuBois wrote to Gandhi asking, “I very much want a message from you to these 12 million people who are the grandchildren of slaves, and who amidst great difficulties are forging forward in America.” 6/14
credo.library.umass.edu/view/pageturn/…
credo.library.umass.edu/view/pageturn/…
Gandhi’s response to DuBois: “Let not the 12 million Negroes be ashamed of the fact that they are the grandchildren of slaves. There is no dishonour in being slaves. There is dishonour in being slave owners.” 7/14
credo.library.umass.edu/view/pageturn/…
credo.library.umass.edu/view/pageturn/…
Howard Thurman, a theologian @HowardUniversity and a major influence on MLK traveled to India in 1936 with his wife, Sue, the founder of Aframerican Women's Journal. At the end of their convo, Sue implored Gandhi to visit the US, “not for White America, but for the Negroes.” 8/14
Gandhi declined the Thurmans’ invitation, responding: “I must make good the message here before I bring it to you… It may be through the Negroes that the unadulterated message of non-violence will be delivered to the world.” 9/14
In 1937, Channing Tobias, the former Chair of the Board of the @NAACP met with Gandhi. “What word shall I give my Negro brethren as to the outlook for the future?” 10/14
Gandhi’s response to Channing Tobias: “With right which is on their side and the choice of non-violence as their only weapon… a bright future is assured.” 11/14
Benjamin Mays, President of @MorehouseCollege and a mentor to #MLK and numerous other civil rights leaders also met with Gandhi in 1937. During their convo, he asked, “How is a minority to act against an overwhelming majority?” 12/14
Gandhi’s response to Benjamin Mays: “I would say that a minority can do much more in the way of non-violence than a majority… The use of non-violence requires greater bravery than that of violence.” 13/14
My take: Gandhi’s views on race, caste and gender all deserve examination. But more than caste or gender, his views on race evolved considerably over his career. #GandhiMustFall is not a decolonial impulse, but reinforces the same tired logic of racial divide and rule. 14/14
