Gibor Basri and Jessica Broitman, who have been married for more than 40 years, live in Berkeley. As a mixed-race couple — Basri is Jamaican/Iraqi/Jewish and Broitman is Caucasian/Jewish — they have seen firsthand how the world treats them differently because of their different skin tones.
In an op-ed published by Berkeleyside today, Basri and Broitman offer their response to the recent incident documented by local comedian W. Kamau Bell who said he was subject to racism at the Elmwood Café.
Citing examples from their own experience, the couple details how racism can pervade everyday life, even in Berkeley, and argues that we can all be guilty of bias, whether it’s conscious or unconscious.
What is your opinion on the issue? Share your thoughts in the Comments section on the Opinionator piece.
Berkeleyside welcomes submissions of op-ed articles. We ask that we are given first refusal to publish. Topics should be Berkeley-related, local authors are preferred, and we don’t publish anonymous pieces. Email submissions to editors@berkeleyside.com. The recommended length is 500-800 words. Please include your name and a one-line bio that includes full, relevant disclosures. Berkeleyside will publish op-ed pieces at its discretion.
