By Kristen Bingle
When will black lives matter enough for things to change?
The past few days have been heavy. People all over the world, but especially Black people have felt a wide spectrum of emotions; anger, helplessness, sadness, depression, fear, frustration, exhaustion.
The blatant murder of George Floyd by police officer Derek Chauvin, the shooting of Ahmaud Abery on his run and the violent interuption of peaceful protests have all made the headlines, but are sadly just a small snippet of the disregard for Black lives in the United States. These events have drawn people’s attention to a number of other atrocities that are, and have been taking place. There has been a huge wave of response, including protests in all 50 states of the US, in New Zealand, in the UK, France, Puerto Rico, Syria and in so many other places. The solidarity has been astounding, with many people, brands, communities and countries turning inward to reflect on their own relationship with race and racism.
However, let’s be clear, this is not purely an American issue. Racism is also very much a British problem. The denial of this fact is at the root of why race is an issue in the UK in 2020. The presence of Black individuals on these British islands is not anything new, but has always been contentious. The Black community have always experienced racism in this country. The list ranges from racist fuelled acts of brutality, to microaggressions in public spaces. Most recently there has been the death of Belly Mujinga, the 47 year old rail worker who was spat at whilst on duty at Victoria Station. Mrs Mujinga, who was spat at by a man who claimed to have Covid-19, later contracted the disease and died. The case has been closed, no arrests have been made and official reports claim that Mrs Mujinga’s death was not caused by this attack — justice has not yet been served. However a man in Glasgow has been jailed for 12 months following a similar attack, against a white police officer.
Our policemen may not have guns, but issues like police brutality, institutional racism and white supremacy are still problems. Stephen Lawrence was murdered in a racially fuelled attack at the age of 18 in 1993. Mark Duggan was shot dead by police in 2011. His death sparked the London riots, a demand for justice, in the same year — the biggest race riot in the UK to date. The UK has a long history of race riots including those in Notting Hill and Nottingham in 1958, both sparked by attacks on young Caribbean men. Joy Gardner’s death under the hands of the police following a failed deportation attempt, has still not been accounted for. This is only a small snapshot of the reported cases; the list goes on and on and on. The false arrests and ‘stop and searches’ that occur daily and affect a disproportionate number of young black men — ‘Black African, Black Caribbean and Other Black groups consistently [have] the highest rates’ of stop and searches. The racist forms that allowed the police to shut down grime raves, the Windrush scandal as well as the injustice experienced everyday under institutional racism in the United Kingdom. This is the negative side of the Black British experience.
The question remains, what can we do to help? As Black people, non-black people of colour and white people. This is everyones’ responsibility and we can all do something.
Don’t underestimate the power of social media. It has been a key tool in spreading the truth surrounding the riots in the US, bringing the world’s attention to police brutality — once again — and spreading awareness and resources for those who are protesting or showing solidarity. Keep sharing, keep posting and keep having the conversation. However it is not the only tool. There is only so much sharing that can be done before tangible action must be taken. A large portion of the population, and arguably the population that need their eyes opened the most, are not active on Instagram or Twitter, where most of the action has been taking place. Therefore we must take action in real life.
Even with an international pandemic on our hands, people are still choosing to protest. Protests have been used for decades as a tool to fight against oppression. Protesting creates a sense of solidarity and physically brings people together around a cause. There are protests happening up and down the country and they are as much about showing solidarity with Americans, as it is about seeking justice for racial inequality in the UK. If you do go out to protest, take precautions. Carry sanitizer, gloves and a mask on you. Bring food, water and first-aid supplies. Keep a safe distance from the people around you. Follow the instructions of the volunteers who have been deployed to keep you safe.
Upcoming protests:
Saturday 6th June
- Parliament Square, London – 1pm
- Piccadilly Gardens, Manchester – 1pm
- Grey’s Monument, Newcastle – 1pm
Sunday 7th June
- George Square, Glasgow – 2pm
- Market Square, Nottingham – 12pm
Amplify Black voices. The Black Lives Matter movement is not about silencing other voices or erasing other struggles. Black lives are the most disposable in the world we live in so this is not the time for ignorant ‘all lives matter’ statements. Share your thoughts and opinions but most importantly, listen to the voices of those who know and understand the struggle and put these at the forefront of conversations. Even as Black people we should continue to have these conversations within our communities, recognise certain privileges some of us may hold (ex. lighter skin privileges) and listen to what everyone is saying. The struggle goes beyond our individual experiences.
Donating money to key organisations is a powerful way to not only show solidarity and allyship but to make a tangible difference. In the UK there are countless organisations and charities that you can choose to support. The 3 highlighted here are again just a fraction of the work being done daily to fight against institutional racism:
- 4FRONT – ‘We support members with experiences of violence and the criminal justice system to create change; in their own lives, communities and society.’
- Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust – ‘The Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust was founded on the premise that inequality must be tackled in all its forms.’
- Runnymede – ‘We generate intelligence to challenge race inequality in Britain through research, network building, leading debate, and policy engagement.’
There’s a larger list of organisations here
Signing petitions is another way to be proactive in the struggle against racism. Don’t underestimate the power of a simple signature, ‘at 100,000 signatures your petition will be considered for a debate in Parliament.’ Here are some petitions you can sign:
- Justice for Belly Mujinga
- Justice for George Floyd
- Justice for Willie Simmons
- More petitions you can sign
Having uncomfortable conversations and fighting against passivity. Let your voice be heard. Call out racism when you see it, even if it’s considered to be a joke by those around you. Make your voice and opinion known and heard regarding things that make you uncomfortable. If necessary, come back to the situation at a later time when you’ve had time to reflect on how you want to phrase your response. Although it’s important for everyone to have these discussions, if you know you are in a more privileged position where your voice holds more value, make it your responsibility to speak up and refuse to be a passive bystander. Be bold enough to take these conversations beyond social media and into the communities where these conversations aren’t being had. We must also confront the internalised racism, within ourselves and within our communities.
Share resources with those around you. There is so much content floating around right now. Being ignorant has become a choice. Share videos, books, music and conversations with your friends and family on social media, but also with those you know don’t have access, and are more likely to not be in on the conversation. Screenshot or download images, post them on your Whatsapp profile or just send via messages to people. The resources are out there and we have to take responsibility for sharing.
Knowing our history and empowering ourselves with knowledge. Shockingly few people know about colonisation, imperialism and the British Empire and fail to see the effects which still haunt this country today. No one talks about colonisation and the British Empire. We know this tiny island once occupied ¼ of the world but have we digested the implications? No-one talks about the thousands of Caribbean and African soldiers who fought for Britain in WWI and WWII, putting their lives on the line for a country that showed them nothing but disrespect. No one talks about neo-colonialism and how former British colonies are still grappling with the effects of colonisation. No-one talks about the British Civil Rights Movement and the UK’s long history of police brutality. Yes the education system is at fault here for not making this information mandatory knowledge, but we’re living in a time where the resources are plentiful and we simply have no excuse but to educate ourselves. This isn’t just Black history, but British history; a part of history we can’t ignore any longer. Without any of this information, it’s easy to see why many people are quick to say that the UK is not racist.
What else can we do?
Writers, musicians, politicians, poets and podcasters have all spoken about race, racism, white supremacy, racial inequality and the Black experience in different mediums. Below is a small collection of the some of the work you can absorb:
Read these fiction books that explore the Black British experience
- Small Island by Andrea Levy
- Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams
- Girl,Women,Other by Bernadine Evaristo
- The Lonely Londoners by Sam Selvon
- Ordinary People by Diana Evans
- The Terrible by Yrsa Daley-Ward
- That Reminds Me by Derek Owusu
Read these non-fiction that explore institutionalised and interpersonal racism in detail:
- Brit(ish) by Afua Hirsch
- Why I’m No Longer Talking To White People About Race by Renni Eddo-Lodge
- Natives by Akala
- The Good Immigrant edited by Nikesh Shukla
- Black and British: A Forgotten History by David Olusoga
- Back to Black: Retelling Black Radicalism for the 21st Century by Kehinde Andrews
Listen to these podcasts
- About Race with Reni Eddo-Lodge
- Good Ancestor Podcast
- In Search of Black History with Bonnie Greer
- Have You Heard George’s Podcast?
- Say Your Mind with Kelechi Okafor
Listen to these tracks dissecting Black Britishness from varying perspectives
- Black, Hangman and Question Time by Dave
- This is England and Trouble by Kano
- Police Officer and Cockney Translation by Smiley Culture
- J Hus’ Daily Duppy
- Dy-Na-Mi-Tee by Ms Dynamite
- Blue Lights by Jorja Smith
- Sis by Br3nya & Hamzaa
Follow these activists on Instagram
- Temi Mwale – justice campaigner & Director at 4FRONT PROJECT
- George the Poet – poet, podcaster & social commentator
- Akala – rapper, activist and author of Natives
The struggle goes beyond our individual experiences, but it begins with our individual actions. Our actions cannot be confined to one moment of atrocity, they must be on-going and they must be deliberate. We must be proactive and we must hold ourselves accountable. Know your power, responsibility, privileges and role in this fight.
‘It is not enough to be not racist, you must be actively anti-racist’ Angela Davis.
Feature Image credit: Getty Images.