Thread by @ObiomaUgoala

“SO YOU DON’T LIKE RACISM, BUT YOU’RE IN THE UK AND FEEL POWERLESS TO DO ANYTHING?”

I have had several conversations with friends who have recently felt powerless as to what they can/should be doing in response to some of the atrocities in the US.

Here are some ideas. 1/?

Firstly, let’s acknowledge that global anti-blackness is a real thing. It manifests differently in different countries but white supremacy has been an economic driving force for centuries.

This is just a fact. So read that and don’t feel defensive. There is no attack here. 2/?

That’s sorted. Great.

The U.K. has a terrible history of atrocious crimes from near/actual genocide to pillaging nations of their natural resources.

We can only move past this if we have ever, at any point, addressed it as a nation.

We haven’t, don’t and must. 3/?

So what can we do now? Well firstly education is key.

As an adult these are some essential texts that are worth reading from @akalamusic @afuahirsch @renireni @AdamRutherford

We are purposefully not taught about this history to maintain the current order. 4/?

What this means is that we must unlearn/be humble enough TO learn about the honest history of the U.K. that we were not afforded in our education system.

(These all have audiobooks as well if you consume it easier that way)

And now to our education system 5/?

“To Kill a Mockingbird” and “Roll of Thunder” are wonderful books for children and young adults.

However,

That they are one of the few books in a U.K. classroom that discuss racism is the beginning of a lifelong myth that “The US has the REAL problem with racism”

6/?

You can, in the U.K. education system, go from 7-21 studying history and never have to go into any depth into Britain’s role in colonising and depriving whole continents of rights and resources.

This is a glaring hole in our children’s education. 7/?

So what pressure are we placing on @GavinWilliamson to ensure we have an honest ANTI-Racist education delivered to our children so that they might enter the world fully aware of our history and the future we want to make? 8/?

As uncomfortable as it might be for us to have that conversation with our white friends, family, colleagues and children, our black friends, family, colleagues and children do not have that luxury to opt out of racism. So let’s do the work. And continue it. 9/?

Many people have commented recently that we cannot apologise as a nation. That it’s “I’m sorry you feel that that’s what I said” and “I’m sorry that that’s how you took it”.

We are afraid to admit culpability because we are worried we’ll be held accountable. 10/?

But if we cannot acknowledge our nations past actions, how can we expect our children to acknowledge their own faults and expect that they apologise when they err, as it is so human to do? 11/?

We learn about the world from the stories we tell ourselves and each other.

If we GENUINELY want to know what we can do to engage with that struggle that black people face daily and be an ally, the first step might be to listen to some stories from more diverse backgrounds 12/?

That could be as simple as following them on this platform.

It could be acknowledging your co workers truth if they said you have offended them.

It could be empathy and outrage for scandals like #Windrush that you may have been spared by accident of birth. 13/?

We NEED you to see colour. If you cannot or will not, how can you ever be an ally?

How can you ever see that our skin marks us out as a threat?

How can you ever lift the knee from our neck?

How can you ever stop us dying? 14/?

And not just from the police.
From unfair justice systems.

From biased media reporting.

From unequal treatment in classrooms.

From discriminatory practices in job applications.

It’s uncomfortable but we need you now 15/?

Last but not least, I have avoided as it is by an American white woman, but it holds true. If you have got this far, please read.

Be kind to yourself and others and wash your hands. 16/16

Ok so I lied, this is the last one.

Follow, support, hire and pay black artists.

To name a few powerhouses. @kelechnekoff @BeeBabs @DanielleDASH @Rachel_Delahay @xaymacans 17/16