If Its Hard To Speak About, Then You Need To Speak About It

I think we can all agree 2020 was an extremely insightful, emotional yet very educative year. Despite the series of unfortunate events, there were lessons we were able to take from them. Once again as a generation our silence and ignorance towards very daunting issues became a major betrayal. It took the inequalities in the effects of this pandemic to the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Rayshard Brooks, Daniel Prude, Atatiana Jefferson, Ahmaud Arbery and many more lives taken in the USA, for us to find our voice, feel the pain and recognise it’s time to reopen this conversation for the sake of our future!

As a black woman, I have always understood the reality of my race. Growing up, it had always been vital that I be educated on the true meaning of my identity and recognise that I most likely will experience inequality throughout my life purely from the basis of the colour of my skin. Although, right now more than ever more things are coming to light! It has been tense understanding how badly the black community continue to be treated and how much racial injustice is experienced even during these present times. I want to seize this opportunity to shine a light on the fact racism is not only a US problem. Rather, racism is endemic and very much pervasive in the UK context, manifesting at every level of racist disparities in UK policing. From stop and search to deaths after police contact, therefore, pierce through any delusions of UK “post-racialism” as protesters have reminded us, “the UK is not innocent”. In the UK people are finally beginning to have much-needed conversations about the experiences of Black people and the anti-Black racism that runs through our national story.

Around the world, people met in unity to protest racial inequality and police violence, to make the unequivocal statement that Black Lives Matter and have always mattered. The BLM movement is a symbol of change, that has the power to spark sweeping positive change away from the discriminatory ideologies that govern the lives of all marginalized people – provided we continue the conversation. Black humanity and dignity require black political will and power. Despite constant exploitation and perpetual oppression, this generation is the driving force pushing the world towards the ideals it articulates. This is our time to continue the works in history in the hopes to elevate the experiences and leadership of the most discriminated black people including but not limited to those who are; women, queer, trans, gender non-conforming, religious, formerly and currently incarcerated, cash poor, working-class, disabled, undocumented and immigrant.

This is not a black person problem, but a structural issue built on white supremacy and centuries of racism. BLM is all of our fights, the chance to fight against every derogatory terrorist joke, every extra security check at airports, every prejudice stare at head coverings. It is our fight against the insolence, dehumanization and ignorance that enables others to challenge our characters as they do for people of colour. It is our fight against the injustices faced by every single disadvantaged class, every single group of racially or religiously oppressed individuals.

During this period of self-isolation, it has been so powerful to view the continued anger, passion and determination expressed from a diverse audience in continued support of this movement. Beyond merely understanding the overall race issue it is each of our responsibility to remain active, aware, and vocal. We must acknowledge our own biases, and hold ourselves and our peers accountable for our past words and actions. We need to amplify the voices of those who can contribute to the unheard narrative of the life of the black community and be willing to listen and learn from their stories.

Ultimately, society must work to create a future where the injustices faced by George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and many more anonymous victims of structural racism and oppression will never be faced by any group of people white, black, or brown, Christian, Muslim, or Sikh. The first step in undermining the ideologies that allow for discrimination against any ethnic group and the first step in eliminating systemic injustice in all corners of the world is recognizing the abuse of the rights of black people in all parts of the world. We have the opportunity to prove that the youth will no longer allow our predecessors’ racial beliefs and prejudices to govern how we view one.

Black Lives still Matters, Today, Tomorrow and every other day!

Yours Truly

Sasi