#RishiSunak is the new Prime Minister, the first person of colour to become prime minister, and on #Diwali too. This is a hugely symbolic and representative moment for many, many people, and not just the usual suspects, those on the right of politics. 🧵 To dismiss or ignore this fact is to discount and dismiss facts, just as asking people of colour to celebrate Sunak becoming PM, by virtue of him being brown, is equally reductive, tokenistic, and dangerous.

It took mum 3 hours to get to her medical appointment in the city centre this afternoon from East Oxford due to #LTN traffic. She’s a pensioner with underlying health issues and mobility issues, uses a walking stick. Ordinarily her journey would take her a maximum of 1.5 hours. Mum left home two hours before her appointment to ensure she got there on time. She had to wait 40 minutes for her bus home because of excessive traffic in East Oxford due to the implementation of LTN’s. These are just some of the stories I’ve heard from residents this week.

I brought this bag from an Afghan women’s group when I was working in Peshawar, Pakistan, around 6 years ago. The group sell handcrafts made by Afghan women to enable women refugees, many of whom are widows or only breadwinners in families to make a livelihood.
#Afghanistan The bag is recycled material from a burqa. The bag and this tweet is not a statement about the burqa. This is however a thread about the devastation and horror unfolding in #Afghanistan at lightening speed and why we can’t look or walk away from what’s going on.

Three Hijabis walk into a bar to watch the Three Lions thrash Ukraine. What an incredible evening and an absolutely brilliant win by a magnificent England team! Well done, lads! A thread on the importance of an anti-racist, inclusive #England ⚽️ team & why #RepresentationMatters When I was growing up many, many people and communities of colour would avoid going out when an England match was on due to knowing we weren’t safe and would absolutely be at risk of verbal and physical racism dished out by so called England fans. Sadly this risk still exists.

A thread on Israel and #Palestine and why the media’s “both sideing” and false equivalency between the occupier and the occupied means the average person in this country has no understanding of the basic facts surrounding the worlds longest running military occupation. 1. I’m very fortunate to have spent time in Israel and Palestine and to have travelled and worked across the Occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip. I’ve worked with Palestinian refugees in Lebanon and displaced Palestinian in Syria and Iraq over more than 15 years.

Thread on #USAElections2020
1. What happens now is also on the US media. They have to stand firm and hold the line and hold their ground. The election result is too close to call and it will be for some time. 2. Trump will use this fact to declare he’s won and to invite chaos, harm, even more racism and hate and to turn things upside down. This is what narcissists do. They set fire to things and watch the rest of us scrambling around to find water to put the fires out.

#JohnnyDepp #AmberHeard #DomesticAbuse. Here’s @SolaceWomensAid’s statement: 1. “This libel trial, focused on the reputation of one of the worlds highest profile and well known Hollywood actors will of course generate further global headlines. 2. The fact remains #AmberHeard was not on trial. She was a witness who claims she has been subjected to sustained violence and abuse during her relationship and marriage to #JohnnyDepp. @SolaceWomensAid expects the media to refocus on the disturbing details that have emerged in

A THREAD on cognitive dissonance, white supremacy, racism, and the media and political narrative of ‘counter protests’ and ‘both sides.’
#BlackLivesMatter
👇🏾 1. I’m seeing many white people on social media saying yesterday’s terrifying, horrific violence by the organised far-right in London and a number of cities across the country does not represent Britain, it’s only a ‘small minority’ of people and its why “we” should ignore “them”

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 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.

THREAD on separation of the media and the police when reporting on protests. #BlacklivesMaters
1. I found myself watching CNN at 4am and following the excellent reporting by a team of journalists, all people of colour, reporting from across US cities where people are protesting 2. the latest brutality and racist murders of Black people by the police. I was struck by how journalists and the protestors were wearing masks to protect themselves from Covid-19 at the same time as trying to protect themselves from huge volume of tear gas used against crowds.

THREAD What happens when you refuse to perform for the media and become part of the spectacle that is racism. Earlier I received a text message from a producer working for a national radio station. I’m not naming the radio station as the producer is only following instructions. 2. Producer: Hi Shaista, would you be available to speak to Xxx over the phone at xxx to discuss how far the press coverage about Meghan Markle has been driven by racism? Thank you!

.@AGlasgowGirl is on point: “It seems that much of Britain desperately wants to be absolved its racist history without doing any work to combat racism – treating marginalisation and discrimination like imagined annoyances not worth confronting.” theguardian.com/commentisfree/… Confession. I never brought into story that a financially independent, accomplished, political, bi-racial woman marrying into Royal family was symbol of post racial Britain. Despite this, like many, I’m stunned by further OFF the scale unleashing of racism & misogyny past week.