An Open Letter: Why Silence is Not an Option

Dear Friend,

“Throughout history, it has been the inaction of those who could have acted; the indifference of those who should have known better; the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most; that has made it possible for evil to triumph.”

Haile Selassie

On the 25 May 2020, we were all forced to pay attention to the brutal murder of George Floyd.  Sadly, murders of black people at the hands of police and other racist civilians are not uncommon in the US (or the UK for that matter); George Floyd was not the first. However, this lockdown state in which the entire world has slowed down made it hard not to see the images and, for most human beings with any sense of moral decency, equally as hard to ignore the fact that what we witnessed was wrong, sick, disgusting, depraved, wicked, evil, a grave injustice and an abuse of power on every single level.  Whether you witnessed the video of Derek Chauvin kneeling so casually and intentionally on the neck of George Floyd for 8.46 minutes or saw the photo that made its way around the world on social media, I’m sure that every MVFer was left horrified, outraged and angry no matter what colour you are.

For every Black person I know and have spoken with, speaking about issues of race and racism on our social media platforms or amongst each other is quite normal for most of us.  Speaking about issues of race and racism at work…well, that just isn’t the ‘done thing’.  Even with a network in the workplace, such as LEEP, conversations would almost always be led by a silent question, ‘How do we talk about this without it coming across in the wrong way or making people feel uncomfortable?’ Imagine that!!  Black people and people from other ethnic backgrounds would often choose to sit in our own discomfort in our workplaces than make others uncomfortable by speaking our truth (from a black perspective, there are reasons for it but that is another letter for another day). And yet, George Floyd’s murder has sparked such outrage among the black community that this has spilled into a global cacophony of angry, frustrated voices who are saying ‘enough is enough’ and a unified chorus of ‘black lives matter’.  This has traumatised black people such that we can no longer be silent in places where even we considered it a taboo, no-go zone before.  In some ways, it’s been like a slow, sigh of relief. Finally, we can speak our truth and a painful truth it is.  We’ve realised that as Bishop Desmond Tutu said, ‘Silence is too high a price.’

Our allies who stand in solidarity with us are asking, ‘how can we help and show our support?’  Some allies are hesitant to speak openly on their own platforms for fear of being shot down or being seen to speak up for their own personal gain.  If you’re an ally and have had these concerns, the question to ask yourself is ‘What happens if I STAY silent?’.  On the matter of being ‘shot down’, people are entitled to their opinion AND you are most certainly entitled to yours.  Fight the fear by educating yourself, building informed opinions and sharing from an enlightened perspective.  This requires real strength, courage and resilience because if you’re waiting for validation and/or agreement on matters of equality or racism, you’ll be waiting for another 400+ years like the black community has been already!  Would you hesitate to speak out against harming animals or the damage being done to our environment?  Do you hesitate to speak out about the plight of the refugee, abused children or a woman’s right to have choices over her own body? What about speaking out about atrocities committed against women or people in the LGBTQ+ community? Most likely not.  Why is it so hard to do the same when it comes to race relations?  Isn’t it simply the right thing to do?  We must learn to talk about the ugliness that this system of racism has inflicted on our world and innocent people who at the very least, are merely fighting for their right to breathe, to exist (!) and at most, asking to be treated as equal to their ally brother or sister!  So what if it comes out clumsily or people misconstrue what you are trying to say?! If someone does misunderstand, offer to have a conversation with them so they can hear your heart and you can hear their heart too.  Bottom line, no one who stands in solidarity with the fact that black lives matter will misunderstand you if what you say is conveying this one message: ‘What is happening is completely wrong. I am angry about it. I want to be part of the change that dismantles systemic racism.’  Then there is the question of personal gain or performative allyship.  Quite frankly, if speaking the truth gains you followship, I’m here for it!!! LEEP’s Bex Drissi is one of the best role models for allies in my personal opinion and I loved recently hearing her thoughts on performative allyship. She said, ‘How you choose to use your following to further fight inequality will be more telling of your genuineness as an ally.’

It was Frederick Douglass (an escaped slave who became a leader in the abolitionist movement) who said that ‘Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.’ The idea of placing a demand speaks to making a noise or a fuss about something that one cares wholeheartedly and deeply about.  I have never yet heard anyone make a demand for something quietly and tho I have no idea who said it, I recently saw a status that said ‘Whatever you are not changing, you are choosing’ (read that again,slowly!).  So, I encourage you all to use your voice in whatever capacity you feel able.  For some, that will be on social media platforms, for others it might be having a conversation with family or friends who you think have an alternative perspective, it might be volunteering with charities or movements who are working toward a better future.  How we use our voices doesn’t have to be the same, but one thing is very clear to me: Silence is not an option!

At some point, the media will stop reporting on the George Floyd story and their attention will divert on to something else.  We’re all hoping to get to that stage where lockdown is over and we can go about our daily lives, maybe not as we did before just yet, but it will mean that we’ll no longer be in a position where this subject will have the world’s focused attention.  We’ll be competing with the busyness of living life again.  And when that happens, please remember that systemic racism will still be here, it will still be an issue for black people and many other people from different ethnic backgrounds and it will continue to perpetuate if good people revert back to silence or continue to be silent. 

I probably could have written this letter using just two quotes by Dr. Martin Luther King that summarise what I’ve been trying to say.  So, I’ll end with them.

“The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people.”

“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”

Silence is no longer an option.

I wish you strength, courage and wisdom.

Ange

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