Making Change

The image of a black man, struggling for breath and for life under the knee of a white police officer hit me hard.  I cried and I cried. I could not watch.

It was another drop into a glass that was on the verge of overflowing and it spilled over and now we cannot stop the outpouring of grief, of outrage, of exhaustion, of rage, the demands to be heard, seen and for change.  Enough is enough.

I am black.  My skin is brown, my heritage is Caribbean, I was born in Britain.  My name is Denise Nurse.  Do you know where my surname comes from?  My father is from Barbados.  Barbados is an island in the Caribbean where kidnapped human beings from West Africa were taken to and forced to work for free, enslaved on sugar plantations.  My surname comes from our slave owners.  

The work of my ancestors helped to make Britain Great.  You would think for that level of contribution to the buildings, culture, wealth and prosperity of this country that people of my skin colour would be revered, put on a pedestal, thanked, respected, appreciated and that a debt of gratitude for the over 200 years of enslavement would be still being paid.

This is not the experience for black people.  Instead we face a long ingrained bias that deep in the psyche still sees us as lower than, lesser than, other than.  There has been no justice for the profits made off of the backs of our ancestors, no reparations, no levelling of the playing field.  Everyday it is a reality that we have to get used to working harder, being better, excelling more, to get the same opportunities afforded to white people, whilst also knowing that because of the colour of our skin we are disproportionately treated unfairly in housing, education, health, criminal justice, employment – you name it.

For those who have been asking, these are some of the thoughts that I have which affect how I feel.  This week I have felt tired and exhausted with it all and visceral anger and rage.  Enough is enough.

What to do now?  For me, if I focus my thoughts on how I want things to be I feel better.  I will continue as I was raised and as I have tried to do throughout my life. To  Educate myself, be Independent, to Forge my way through and Create an example of what can be done and achieved in spite of it all.  Take action, speak up, create opportunities, build the world I want to live in.

My thoughts on some of what can be done now to make lasting change:

1.     Acknowledgement:  Listen, see, hear and acknowledge.  You know what is unfair and unjust, don’t pretend it’s not there, acknowledge it out loud.  It has been so meaningful to see so many people across Britain coming out on to our streets to acknowledge injustice and unfairness.

2.     Accountability:  Institutions and Individuals must be held accountable for their actions and inactions and there must be consequences.  We have laws and there have been reviews – it’s time for implementation – The MacPherson Report, The Lammy Review, Kick it Out (racism in football).  We have been talking about this for years, hold your elected MP to account to ensure that promises are kept, changes made and there are consequences for injustice.

3.     Action:  Speak up.  When you see it say it.  I can only imagine the things that are said in rooms that I am not in based on the things that are said in rooms that I am in.  If you hear something racist or biased or you see an opportunity to dismantle it, be courageous and speak up.  It may be uncomfortable but you can do it.  If you are in power use it wisely – hire, promote and set a culture where all people can thrive.  Are you brave enough to hire people who don’t look like you and have them sit at the top table with you?  The fact that diversity has been shown to create more profitable companies yet businesses still are not doing it, speaks volumes. 

This week I am mostly facilitating conversations.  I am working with my son’s school to improve the curriculum on teaching about race, bias and privilege and explaining to the children what is happening in the world right now.  I reached out to our Year 2 parents WhatsApp group for our school.  We are the only black family in the entire year of 38 children. Having raised the issue I got back an outpouring of support and a real hunger for discussion, to have conversations with each other and our children and for better more prominent teaching in our school.  Then I reached out to my street.  We are the only black family on our street and shared a reading list of books to read with their children.  Today I am sharing here particularly for my colleagues in the legal community.

It can feel exhausting always having to raise the issue and fix the problem. For my white friends and colleagues who have asked how you can help. If you Acknowledged, were Accountable and took Action, in your schools, communities, work places, clubs and businesses it could make a difference. 

Love and Peace

Denise