#blacklivesmatter
- millie hetherington
- Jun 2, 2020
- 5 min read
Updated: Jul 13, 2020
It has taken me a while to articulate how I really feel about the current situation. In 2020, it still baffles me how racism is so prevalent and normalised. History is constantly repeating itself and change can only happen if your actions are constant. Putting my personal opinions aside as a white person, I truly believe that there is a danger of people diluting the issue today because black lives matter every single day.
Not just when George Floyd was murdered. Not just this week. Not just today. Not just tomorrow. The news headlines will die down eventually, but this passion for change must remain.
Fostering a hatred towards other race(s) and believing that one race is superior, is undeniably a constant issue throughout each aspect of society. Institutional racism can be subtly implemented in today’s society, especially in the UK. Just because police brutality is more extreme in other countries, such as the US, does not mean that the UK is innocent.
Think about Stephen Lawrence and Mark Duggan. There is an infinitive list of people who have shared the same experiences at the hands of racism.
Whilst segregation laws have been legally scrapped, there is still evidence of institutional racism throughout the world. Concerning George Floyd, the outcry for change was in immediate effect on all social media platforms. Consequently, Derek Chauvin was charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, for kneeling on Floyd’s neck for over eight minutes. Just let that sink in.
He would never have been charged if it wasn’t for people coming together and protesting, which should never have had to happen. In an ideal world, he should be charged with first-degree murder. However, this merely shows that there has been miniscule progression towards an equitable society.
Here’s some food for thought. When people were protesting lockdown rules in America, people were coming together whilst armed and the police didn’t violently react. Whilst a month later, the police are throwing tear gas at peaceful protesters. Look at the difference.
The police are supposed to keep people safe, not put their lives in danger. Why is this STILL happening?
Although having white privilege doesn’t necessarily mean that you are racist, you just happen to not face all of the problems that BAME people face every day.
As a child, I was never told to be scared of police officers because I am white. When I started driving, I was never told to do exactly what a police officer told me to do as my life could be in danger. When confronted by the police, I was never told to put my hands up so they wouldn’t shoot without reason. When walking to a shop, I was never told to keep to myself in case I was shot (Trayvon Martin). I can breathe, unlike Eric Garner and George Floyd. That’s the difference. None of these pose any threat to me as I am white, which infuriates me. Just because I have never experienced racial discrimination does not mean I don’t understand.
In school I was never taught about colonialism. The British Empire was glorified. We were educated on racism, but from a biased perspective even if it wasn’t intentional. Colonialism was perceived as people exploring and bettering other countries. Whilst being taught about slavery, nobody told us that taxpayers were still paying the descendants of slave owners for ‘their loss of property’. Nobody told us that whilst slavery was abolished, it took until 2015 for British taxpayers to stop paying. The curriculum needs changing before every generation is socialised into thinking racism is normal.
For this post, I am keeping my personal opinions aside as I believe that an informative post is much more beneficial, as I want to amplify the issue and offer ways in which people can help.
Although it can be often seen as controversial for claiming that you have a voice which others don’t, I do see the good intentions. Everybody should be getting involved to create change, because without solidarity then the divide will keep growing and growing. Therefore, I think that #BlackoutTuesday should be used to spread awareness and be used for bombarding people with enough information for them to make a difference. A black out should not be a way of censorship. Posting a blank image with no information just isn’t enough. Being silent on the issue just isn’t enough. You are part of the problem if you are silent.
Educate yourself. Educate others. Make a difference, if you can. It’s not enough to ‘not be racist’. We need to understand the past to understand our present and future.
https://blacklivesmatter.com/ - watch, read, listen to what matters
I have been reading endless amounts of posts with information regarding the BLM movement, but one advert really stood out for me. In retrospect, I disagree with brands capitalising off social movements, but some companies have really nailed it on the head.
Reebok posted below:
“without the black community, Reebok would not exist. America would not exist.
We are not asking you to buy our shoes. We are asking you to walk in someone else’s.
To stand in solidarity. To find our common ground of HUMANITY”
This post really resonated with me. I remember reading ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ at secondary school, which changed how I looked at the world around me. As a as a child/youth I feel that it can be sometimes hard to understand issues that aren’t affecting you directly. Something just clicked. When reading the novel, I finally understood that you don’t really know other people’s experiences unless you have walked in their shoes yourself. This book has been on my mind since being young, which is what this social movement needs to do.
People need to be constantly thinking about other people’s experiences as well as their own. It needs to be on your mind. Mere ignorance does not help as society is a community; it shouldn’t be about hierarchy.
For those who have not read this book, I strongly advise you to. Please educate yourself first before educating others. Do your research, read about it online or in books and come back to the issue with all of that knowledge behind you. The power that writing has is impeccable but has often been kept in the dark.
Here are a list of books to try:
The Fire Next Time (James Baldwin)
How to be an Antiracist (Ibram X Kendi)
Witnessing Whiteness (Shelly Tochluk)
Between the World and Me (Ta-Nehisi Coates)
Uprooting Racism: How White People Can Work for Racial Justice (Paul Kivel)
Race and the Conspiracy of Silence (Derald Wing Sue)
The Emperor has No Clothes: teaching about racism to people who don’t want to know (Tema Jon Okun)
Understanding White Privilege (Frances Kendall)
The Bluest Eye (Toni Morrison)
Sister Outsider (Audre Lorde)
White Fragility: Why’s it So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism (Robin Diangelo)
Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race (Reni Eddo-Lodge)
If you don’t like reading books, then here are some films and TV shows to further your understanding:
When They See Us (Ava Duvernay)
13th (Ava Duvernay)
See You Yesterday (Stefon Bristol)
The Hate U Give (George Tillman Jr.)
The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution
Django Unchained (Quentin Tarantino)
The Green Mile (Frank Darabont)
Noughts & Crosses (Nupur Asthana)
Teach us All
Podcasts can help too:
Code Switch
Slay in Your Lane (Yomi Adegoke & Elizabeth Uviebinene)
Witness Black History (BBC)
Although reading is a good start, there are endless ways in which you can actively help. The link below has various petitions, donation sites, numbers and protest resources. Significantly, the George Floyd petition has the most signatures in history. Now that is a statement.
Acknowledging that not everybody can afford to donate, there are other ways to help on top of signing petitions. A black woman called Zoe Amira, posted a video on YouTube featuring art created by black people. With advertisements comes money, which has been strategically considered in the video as it claims that 100% of the ad revenue will be used as donations. Playing the video on repeat and leaving the ads running will help raise money.
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