Thread by @KimShutler

I'm sorry that it has taken me a long time to find the right words. Long thread ⬇️ #BlackLivesMatter

Over recent weeks the stark reality of the disproportionate effect of Covid on BAME communities has slapped us in the face.

Yet this, should in reality be no surprise, when the huge inequalities in our society have been presented to us time and time again, for as long as any of us can remember.

The deeply distressing death of George Floyd has rightly brought us together in our assertion that Black Lives Matter. For the majority of us, the fact that this statement is needed feels almost absurd. & yet before our eyes we see the violence unfolding...

the hatred of people of colour and the disturbing levels of racism. But these overt displays show the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the covert, institutional racism as well as the everyday racism, dressed up as ignorance.

These are the things which drive the pervasive inequalities which kill many more, every day.

So many of us devote much of our lives to social justice but what is clear is that doing this is not enough. If we care about health inequalities we care about anti-racism.

It is not enough for this to be an implied message. We must all be explicit in our fight. Whatever the colour of our skin we need to pull together. The path is not straight forward. It is fraught with complexities.

There is a need for us to educate ourselves, listen deeply to others, reflect on our thoughts, behaviours and actions, and be willing to learn. We must also be willing to acknowledge when we have been wrong or have fallen short.

As we look around us and feel sad, angry and sickened, we must turn these things into agency, passion and a collective drive to make things better.

Ignorance is not an excuse, helpless is not an excuse. There are no excuses.

I will do better, @TheCellarTrust will do better, we all must do better. #BlackLivesMatter