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Time for action
Picture: Maria Oswalt
Learning more about racism in the UK is an
important step - but it is not where the journey ends. In order to bring about
change, we must use what we have learned to speak out and support others
through whatever means we can.
Donate
After the murder of George Floyd, a lot of links to donation sites were
circulated - and understandably, a lot of the organisations being promoted were
US-based. But, as noted further above, there are plenty of worthy UK-based
charities who would value a donation - so if you’ve wanted to contribute but
felt uncomfortable doing so for organisations so far from home, now you know
where you can turn.
Remember, in the most recent issue of the TiC
newsletter we suggested that you donate the cost of an activity or purchase
which lockdown had prevented to a charitable cause - if you have not done so
yet, any of the above-listed organisations would be good choices.
If you are not in a position to be able to
financially contribute, don’t worry - there is still plenty you can do.
Petitions
In the wake of George Floyd’s death, social
media was awash with links to petitions for people to sign. The majority of
these petitions have been hosted on Change.org and for some causes, this may
well be the right platform.
However, in May this year Jacob Rees-Mogg stated
that the Government would not debate petitions which were not hosted on the
official parliament.uk website - so if you want to make sure these issues are
not lost, petition.parliament.uk is where you need to go.
Some currently open petitions relating to this
cause as of 18th June:
Teach Britain's colonial past as part of the
UK's compulsory curriculum:
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/324092
Improve Maternal Mortality Rates and Health Care for Black Women in the U.K.:
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/301079
Require all police officers to take
Anti-Racism education:
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/324879
Suspend future sales of tear gas and other
crowd control equipment to the USA:
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/324208
If you use social media, you will be given the
option to share petitions you have signed with your feeds. You will also be
advised of who your local MP is, with a link for you to contact them and voice
your support for the issue.
Talk to loved ones; hold each other
accountable
We’ve probably all been in a situation where
we’ve been with friends or family, and someone says something inappropriate
regarding people of other ethnicities. We may not agree with it, but often we
simply grit our teeth and let it slide because it’s easier, because we don’t
want to upset loved ones. But it’s this silence which allows racism to endure,
which allows it to be continued to be seen as a social norm rather than bigotry
which needs to be wiped out.
So share what you know. Talk to friends and
family about what is happening. Share links and book recommendations - either
you’ll set someone else on the path to self-education or you’ll find they’ve
already been doing some learning of their own and have links and
recommendations to share with you in return. Talk across generations - your
children and grandchildren will have insights and experiences that you do not,
so take the time to listen to and learn from them.
And if someone does say something
inappropriate in your hearing, call them out for it - you can do so calmly and
politely, but stand firm. Even if there’s no-one else around to hear what was
said. Often, people will assume that, for example, it’s okay to make racist
comments or jokes about black people as long as no black people are present -
by challenging them, you are truly acting as an ally and force for change. You
may not change that person’s mind there and then - but you will at least make
it clear that you do not approve and that might spark a change.
Of course, we all make mistakes. Old habits
die hard, even those we are trying to break - but if you do slip up and are
called out for it, resist the urge to get defensive. Apologise, and take time
to reflect on how you slipped up and how you can avoid doing so again.
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