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There are few things I dislike from the depths of my soul - racism and abuse. It's often said that Jamaica does not have racism, and rightly so. Any outsider may wonder how can there be racism in a "black" country so proudly Afrocentric?The reality is, the gap between Jamaica's rich and poor has been widening and this is creating a heinous reality for many poor people whose livelihoods depend on working for and being employed by those who are richer.Jamaica's Vision 2030 proudly states "Jamaica, the place of choice to live, work, raise families and do business", as the country tries to attract the best and brightest to make Jamaica their home and stay to develop the island through their investment.Investment is the backbone of the island but there is a saying, 'not all help is good help' and it is becoming obvious that where few options remain, racism and abuse rear their ugly heads like a pair of John Crows swooping down to feed on the poor and desperate.Of late, there has been a disappointing trend that concerns and perplexes me. Outright racism. This is a term, and I would even say a state of mind, that Jamaicans divorce themselves from even as they become passionate and heavily invested in the fight against injustice and rights of the black community in the USA, particularly the Black Lives Matter movement.It would appear that our failure to accept that racism is occurring in Jamaica has caused us to turn a blind eye to instances of the act and pass it off as just people having differences or just "ketch up ova foolish argument" when, in reality, we are conditioned to not recognise or call out racism. Why so passionate about the acts of racial and social injustice that you see occurring in the USA, but not have the same reaction or passion in your own country?Jamaicans associate social issues with classism but not racism even though children are taught at school about the prejudices both embody. In a way, explaining away racism as classism has become a sort of excuse and even the ones affected by racism and classism are now perpetuating the idea that Jamaica does not have racism, only classism.People who share an ethnicity may speak the same language, come from the same country, or share a religion or other cultural belief or expression but may be racist against each other. Why? Ostensibly speaking, class, race and perhaps ethnicity are bundled in Jamaica even against its own race.We've seen the anger and frustration of Jamaicans in connection to the killing of George Floyd in 2020 by a white policeman. We've also seen the respect and benevolence given to Martin Luther King Jr in the fight for equal rights and justice for black communities but when it comes to Jamaica, we are deaf, dumb and blind to the issues and do not speak up as passionately. Why?The question we need to ask is, why don't we see racism and "lick out 'gainst it" or do more like actually marching and calling out the perpetrators to do better and make amends?Is it that those who witness these despicable acts do not speak up or turn a blind eye because of the relationships and associations they have with particular organisations, businesses or people of means? You don't want to ruffle any feathers? Mash up yuh relationship and connection? Why?There are some business places that are guilty of the things spoken of. Even worse, people who are reasonably expected to stand up when they see unfortunate acts such as blatant disrespect, despicable behaviour and outright derogative racial slurs committed against people of colour stand by and do nothing. Why?Is it that the poor must endure because of their lack of means and desperation to survive? There are companies in Jamaica, owned by black Jamaicans, that demean their staff in front of others. Why? Because of your power and wealth? Does that make you a good leader? Is it to stroke your ego? Where are your good character traits?Is that how cheap the morality of Marcus Garvey's people has devolved?It really bothers me to see many speak passionately about classism and racism and justice for all in the various social settings while consuming their tea, coffee, wine, macarons and eggs benedict but turn a blind eye to a generous serving of downright racism and abuse handed down from someone of a particular skin colour to people who are poor because of their skin colour.If someone of a particular skin colour, either white, black, Chinese, Spanish, Arab or Indian, speaks down to their employee/staff members and even uses racist slurs like referring to a black person as a monkey, and being comfortable enough to do it in front of patrons, there must be sanctions and boycotts and perhaps time to consider ethnic legislation to protect Jamaica's indigenous people.I cannot fathom a reason to tolerate racism, abuse and classism.I have witnessed outright racism occurring in our country. There is a particular establishment that I would go to from time to time. Usually, some friends would go there based on the coffee or type of breads being sold there.On various occasions I would witness who I presume to be the owner - an immigrant and a foreign national - reprimand, speak down to the staff or disrespect them in front of customers.One may ask "well, why didn't you say something?"I've pondered that question and my honest response would be at the time it was brewing inside me to say something but I felt like I didn't want to disturb the owner and face her wrath as she could possibly disrespect me in front of peopleI have also witnessed better customer service being given to light-skinned people. It is obvious that if you are black and rich or important you will be treated like a king or queen, but dare you be black and unknown to them, as the Jamaican saying goes, "Dog nyam yuh suppah".Now, the staff of this establishment are usually hospitable but they always seem to have a distressed demeanour. The owner is usually the one that portrays a level of distaste and dislike for black people.I believe I could be assuming here but having done my assessment of the interactions with the different types of individuals, it is apparent that the way people of colour are looked upon and how white folks are treated with more favouritism in Jamaica is why they feel comfortable to have this attitude on display.In some ways, I acknowledge there is only so much one can do. However, there are ways to deal with racist businesses.This incident is but one of many I have seen at this particular establishment. Many other establishments may be known to have passed racial slurs or used derogative racial names to staff and still no report is made.Now that we have the Sexual Harassment Bill passed, my question is where do we put in place a law or policy that protects people from racial discrimination? The island does not have in place any policy but there are models that exist elsewhere, such as Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago, that seek to punish those who perpetuate racism and provide a space for complaints to be heard and documented and even have a tribunal hear cases and impose fines.It is high time we put a law or policy in place for all companies - private sector and government - and it should be implemented as part of their corporate governance because people are our greatest asset and we must protect the spirit of the Jamaican people from those who seek to create division, disunity and injustice.It cannot be that the trade-off for foreign investment is having racist and abusive employers.Jamaicans have a constitutional right to protection and it ought to be upheld by the Government.I would like to see demonstrated acts of racism punished by not having the perpetrators reside in Jamaica. The truth is, racism is alive and kicking in our country, not just from foreign nationals, but also from those whose skin tones are lighter even when they are born and bred here.I would like to see Jamaicans unite beyond sports and music and fight against racism and racist business places and people who fatten their bank accounts with the blood, sweat and tears of our people.I would like to know that the Ministry of Labour and the Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA) institute stringent screening processes to ensure that racists cannot live and work here because that is not something that will develop the human race in Jamaica.Foreign nationals, especially when establishing businesses here, should go through rigorous checks by the labour ministry to include visits at their business place and affidavits from people who might be able to shed light on the true character of the applicant.I can only wish that those who witness acts of racism step up and speak up and that even where government does not put a policy in place quickly enough, ordinary Jamaicans choose to boycott businesses that exploit Jamaicans and are racist because such businesses are not adding to the social fabric of society and giving back to the communities in which they operate.I am imploring our lawmakers to assess whether a law could be passed to target racial discrimination and create policies to oversee establishments but also to protect vulnerable Jamaicans who might be desperate for a job but suffer through racist acts just to be able to make ends meet. This is not the futuristic Jamaica that we seek to create and I sincerely hope that those who are behaving racist take heed, make amends and change their ways as the tide is turning against them.