and when we speak we are afraid
our words will not be heard
nor welcomed
but when we are silent we are still afraid
So it is better to speak
remembering
we were never meant to survive.
– A Litany for Survival, AUDRE LORDE
Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and Tony McDade. They, and countless other Black people, have been murdered by agents of this vicious white-supremacist system. They can now only exist in the public domain as symbols of a basic truth. A truth that refuses to be understood by racists and active proponents of this dangerous white-supremacist society.
White supremacy has a global reach, the UK is not exempt. We say their names: Rashan Charles, Mark Duggan, Sarah Reed, Belly Mujinga, amongst many others. Black men in the UK are forty times more likely to be stopped and search by the police. Black people also disproportionately die as a result of the use of force or restraint by the police. In order to effectively combat this, we as a people need to actively support racial justice organisations, we need to provide mental and emotional support to one another, and we need to invest in our local Black communities.
“In a racist society, it is not enough to not be racist, we must be anti-racist.” – ANGELA DAVIS
For white readers, you are complicit in systemic racism if you cannot, or refuse to, under-stand how protected and powerful you are because of your white skin, wherever you are in this world. For all readers, regardless of the colour of your skin, you are complicit in systemic racism if you do anything that perpetuates this inequitable system as it stands. You are complicit in systemic racism if you wilfully remain ignorant of our shared human histories that have led to this white-supremacist system. You are complicit in systemic racism if you even attempt to rationalise the death of a Black person in these circumstances before accepting the following fundamental truth: they died because they were Black.
It is not about participating in the spectacle of “support”, “sympathy” and “understanding” to assuage guilt, quell one’s conscience or protect a social or commercial brand. It is about being actively oppositional 24/7 against any and every form of racism and white supremacy. It is about unlearning the deplorable and racist untruths that have been ingrained into our collective social consciousness, on a global scale. It is about recognising how systemic racism works, on a global scale. It is about recognising how white supremacy works, on a global scale. It is about being active in decolonising our society and committing to this. We all need to unite together to save Black lives.
We stand in solidarity with our sisters and brothers rising up worldwide. After years of patience, we understand the necessity of these uprisings against white supremacy and police brutality. Demanding change is essential. These uprisings are needed in order for our truth to be communicated in a language that is undeniably intelligible for everyone. And so, we continue to be emphatic with this basic truth. This truth that refuses to be understood by racists and active proponents of this dangerous white-supremacist society: Black Lives Matter.
Please join us in showing solidarity by using the hashtags #blacklivesmatter and #justice-forGeorgeFloyd on your social media.
We encourage you to donate to and support as many racial justice groups and campaigns as you can. We would suggest the following organisations especially:
Resourcing Racial Justice fund
The Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust
Please also support the families and friends of the most recent and named victims of white supremacy, and donate to the bail funds in America in order to help protesters here. And finally, if you are looking to support our efforts in racial justice in the UK, we would urge you to support our work here.
– BLAM UK –
BLAM UK CIC 