I have been at war with myself about whether or not I should write about recent events. It wasn't because I couldn't be bothered or I didn't want to "rock the boat", but because I didn't know if I could or even wanted to relay all my feelings in an eloquent manner. I am extremely tired of the racial injustice that continues to plague our societies. The plight of my community isn't going to change if I stay silent, so here I am laying it bare.
Let me begin by saying racism isn't dead nor has it disappeared. Racism isn't just saying 'the n word' or hate crimes. It's being told that your braids are unprofessional in the workplace. It's being denied medication because many doctors believe you have higher pain threshold than white people. It's having to add "black girl" when searching makeup looks because everyone that pops up first is white. It's having to check if a country is racist before considering going there on holiday. It's having enforcers of the law use excessive force that is out of proportion to the situation and no consequences coming of it. It's having to protest for your rights, for your very existence and being met with resistance. I could go on and on, but the fact of the matter is, racism is at every level of society. This means that it isn't enough to say you're not racist. You have to actively work at being anti-racist because the systems in place do not benefit black lives at all.
This is not any individual country's problem, it's a global issue. Just because our police officers don't have guns doesn't mean we aren't just as bad. The UK is not innocent. Even now, we are fighting for justice for many victims of racism who have been let down by the system. Belly Mujinga and Shukri Abdi are just two examples of national cases that have gained traction in the media.
UK Facts and Figures
- 50% less likely to receive pain medication (source: Singhal et al 2016)
- Black women are five times more likely to die in child birth than white women (source: UK Confidential Enquiry into Maternal Deaths)
- 95% of doctors who died in the first month of lockdown (due to COVID-19) were black and brown (source HSJ April 2020)
- Black NHS staff report the highest incidence of bullying & harassment from their colleagues and leaders (source: NHS workforce eace equality standard 2019)
- Black patients are overall less likely to receive care and support during their cancer care national cancer patient experience survey
What Can You Do To Actively Be Anti-Racist
There are many petitions online demanding justice for those who have lost their lives or are incarcerated and your signature can help those people be heard. Never underestimate the power of unity. Below is a list of petitions that could use your signature.
Donations are very helpful against the fight for racism. Just recently, George Floyd's family were able to use donations to get an independent autopsy and found that he died from "asphyxiation from sustained pressure", which differs from the original report where his cause of death was a heart attack. Below is a list of donation pages.
If you don't have money to donate, you can watch specific YouTube videos and the ad revenue will be donated to the relevant causes (see below).
Protests show unity and solidarity. It is a way of proclaiming your opinion publicly and has been known to help causes make their voices heard by the government and often results in change. This is seen in America, where the case of Breonna Taylor - a woman killed in her sleep by the police - has been reopened as a result of protests.
- Start or participate in hard conversations
Change has to start at home. It's all well and good supporting black lives on social media, but you also need to engage with your friends, family, colleagues etc and raise awareness of the microaggressions that contribute to racism in society. Call them out if they make racist jokes or say racial slurs.
You have a lot more power than you believe. We have the power to pick our MPs and their job is to work for us. If you do not think your local MP is doing enough, write them and email asking them how they're tackling racism in your district. You can find your local MP
here.
We live in an age where information is readily available for us. Don't rely solely on information that you are fed. Go online and read articles, take out books from your library. As unconventional as it sounds, Twitter is actually a great place to gain insight into recent events.
There are many movies and TV series that recount some of the atrocities done to the black community. But beware, several of these movies white saviour movies. Below is a small list of movies/series you can watch.
Petitions
Donate
The Stephen Lawrence Trust - works with children from disadvantaged backgrounds to inspire and enable them to succeed in the career of their choice
Access UK - helps people from the BAME community with career advice and support
YouTube Videos
Movies/Series
13th
When They See Us
Dear White People
See You Yesterday
The Hate U Give
Fruitvale Station
Moonlight
Selma
Change doesn't come instantly, so we must keep fighting and keep making the government aware of the inequalities and the injustice that the system upholds.
In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends - MLK JR.
