Why things like the commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities is holding the Black community back
Our narrative and the progression of Black people should not be conceived and handed to us by well meaning white people or any other none Black person. Non Black people who decide to pick and choose the Black person/people they'll put in charge of leading our narrative. I don't want to use my platform to tear down the next Black man/person and it's important we don't focus our energy on attacking him at this moment, I don't know Dr Tony Sewell, I don't believe I've heard him speak. Enough Black people disagree with the findings of this report and some Black people may honestly believe institutional racism doesn't exist in the UK. But regardless of that, let's not use this moment and our energy to tear him down but to focus our efforts and energy on building us up and working toward the experience Black people deserve.
The point here is, even if as a Black man, he believes institutional racism doesn't exist, his belief should not and does not cancel out the lived experiences and realities of many other Black people in the UK, including myself.
The fact is this approach is the very thing that is holding us back & the very thing I am fighting against, a world where non Black people get to pick and choose the gatekeepers, the mouth piece and the visible leaders who communicate what people who don't care about our reality have already made their minds up to believe, no matter how well meaning you are, you can not and should not lead on the Black conversation if the experience does not belong to you. In a BBC interview I said, 'The media and Coporate Britain, hijacked the Black conversation last year' the approach felt very much like, 'If you can’t beat them, pretend to listen to them, praise them for their strength and they’ll forget to use that same strength in the face of the glory.' It is true that some Black people are more interested in the lime light or having a seat at the table, having their voice amplified and being accepted by a white majority society. But what use is the light if you cover it with darkness, what use is a seat at the table if you can't shake things up and be honest, what use is a voice and amplification if you can't speak your truth?
The change must be born from a place of authenticity, this is why I wrote www.LetterToZion.com
This is why I created the Black British Network, behind the scenes and in front of your eyes, I am forming a coalition of the willing and able, connecting soft power to Black renaissance, to dismantle systemic racism and create an equal playing field for the economic advancement of the Black community in the UK. Together we are stronger.
The movement toward change must be conceived and led by those who the experience belongs to. In this case, ‘Black people’ and supported by non Black allies, not the other way around.
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?56 Black Men / Let's change the narrative for life.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/31/uk-an-exemplar-of-racial-equality-no-10s-race-commission-concludes?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other&fbclid=IwAR0C7OeZiebKluda3aAOvViheYExtMfcZMN7XANG1gNxhbmjuMK4Z4bvbhM
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2 年Cephas, thanks for sharing!
Director @ Mobilus Ltd | Business Growth Strategies
3 年Sewell's comments often seem very self-serving. It feels very much the same with this as he takes an attitude of I am alright so everyone else must be. This is never really the case for the majority who otherwise suffer. Be this with those who are subjected to racism or any other bias ( see his commenst on homosexuality as well ) Surely we should treat others as we would wish to be treated . It feels like a mantra that should be used in all parts of life . Figures and facts should not be massaged to give a picture that makes people feel comfortable otherwise action never happens to improve the lot of others.
Case Manager at Harmonium, Inc
3 年Real talk doc !
My observations are based on the reported narrative from a number of friends and colleagues from different ethnicities -Black African, Caribbean, North African, Asian, Indian people of colour from many different cultures. Can they all be wrong when they relate experiences of institutional racist behaviours? Micro aggressions to major in your face racist behaviours. No, they are telling their lived experiences from the past and the present, today. This report would seem to miss the point, who exactly ran the data? What lens was used to evaluate and analyse the findings? As much better informed people have said, this is a missed opportunity to tackle the ongoing inequities that abound. As a white woman, I can only imagine the day to day issues faced by non-white colleagues and friends. Or perhaps I can't? I suspect I can only understand a small part of what it means to be challenged for who I am on a daily basis. Hear or see this behaviour, step up, take action, call it out. Do not join the tacit silence.