A THREAD on attempts to derail a (now global)anti-racism, racial justice movement #BlackLivesMatter
1. It’s truly shameful how a movement focused on ending systemic racism, structural state and police brutality towards Black people & POC is being framed as a ‘culture war’ by
1. It’s truly shameful how a movement focused on ending systemic racism, structural state and police brutality towards Black people & POC is being framed as a ‘culture war’ by
2. large sections of the media and many elected politicians and public figures. This derailment goes to the heart of power, white supremacy, white fragility, and the very violence of racism in all its forms.
3. Those of us who are anti-racists or striving to be anti-racists need to be wiser to these tactics. We also need to be wiser to those seeking to co-opt our voices and our work on every level including those who purport to be with us and for us.
4. This Sunday marks the third anniversary of the Grenfell catastrophe. Accountability and justice for those who died and those left behind is still not in reach. This is the background behind which Black Lives Matter UK is mobilising and building this movement.
5. This is the context being wilfully erased by many of those in power and those with power. Instead of focusing on this we have the media pumping out utter nonsense about ‘political correctness gone mad and Fawlty Towers’ and other trash.
6. This is not happening by accident. This is deliberate. Many people in our communities are traumatised and exhausted and many more are feeling pushback from their family, friends and colleagues.
7. Last week, @AmnaAbdul1983 and I hosted a Zoom meeting for @IFFPUK to discuss how everyone is feeling. A Black sister spoke very clearly and directly. She said white allys should know that if you are committed to being a true anti-racist and an ally be prepared to
8. lose family members, friends, colleagues, social networks, power, jobs, be prepared to lose and acceptance. Black people and people of colour have been losing all of this for years. We are also losing our lives.
9. Anyone who wants to turn this moment and movement into simplistic soundbites, slogans, opportunities to centre themselves and not this pain, not this trauma, not this demand for justice, not this demand for accountability, not this demand for change,is part of white supremacy.
10. And for those who don’t know, or who want to keep up the pretence: white supremacy is a system that has been upheld, protected, promoted and enhanced by plenty of Black people, people of colour, gay people, trans people and WOMEN over hundreds of years.
11. Peddling identity politics does not give anyone a free pass to minimise or erase liberation politics or a liberation movement or silence us.
#BlackLivesMatter
#BlackLivesMatter
