Let’s be honest. Racism is still alive. This week the world witnessed George Floyds murder and is faced with arguably one of the most significant outcry’s of 2020. In the midst of a pandemic, which I personally feel is one of the reasons why many people have come out to show there support for this injustice and inequality.
It is often easy to sit at home and ignore the world around you to focus on your own personal issues. It’s harder to do that when you now have time to consume a much larger percentage of the feed that comes through on social media. Then you realise how much your friend is having to deal with just based on the colour of their skin.
For the longest time, I would see someone post “Black Lives Matter” and almost immediately witness someone saying “all lives matter”. It has never been a competition of the races. It has always been a statement to provoke change.
This is nothing new to us and we are tired. We are tired. Tired of the inequality. Tired of the profiting off of our talent, which is often profiting off of our trauma. For example it’s no secret that Black history has a rich culture of arts. Hip-hop is literally built on rappers expressing struggle. We are tired of the “I can’t be racist because I have a black friend”, I can’t be racist because my neighbour is black”. Why the Because?? How about you just stop being racist.
It has almost become a theme that a person of colour overtly be oppressed in order to exist. This is seen in all aspect of a poc’s life. I can sympathise with the peaceful protests going on in America as is it completely unjust. There is more to us than this. Than the struggle.
It breaks my heart to witness another Brother lose his life because he was living. It could have been any of our relatives.
I believe what we do in the now, emphasises our intrinsic intentions. If you are reading this and you are confused, please educate yourselves. Stop being defensive and listen.
One person cannot teach you everything there is to racism however if you want to educate yourself in this time. I have a few books, links and movies that you can watch.
5 series on Netflix – (list by Cherish Meade Facebook)
1. Explained – The Racial Wealth Gap (to help understand the concept of ‘White privilege’.)
2. “Time: The Kalief Browder Story” (True Crime Docuseries – the story of a teenager wrongfully charged with theft and jailed at Risker’s Island Prison for over 1000 days)
3. “When they see us” – (True Crime docuseries- based on the Central Park jogger case. 5 teenage boys wrongfully convicted of a crime they did not commit)
4. “13th” – Documentary – analysing the criminalisation of African Americans and the US Prison Boom.
5. “Who killed Malcom X” – An insight into Malcom X, his beliefs and his mysterious death
Alt History: Black British History We’re Not Taught in Schools – BBC Stories
10 Books about Racism –
10 docuseries
British Racism as violent as America’s