Natalie Strecker
What happened to George Floyd is an unspeakable
act of racially motivated brutality, but I am not
going to repeat the ins and outs of the act of
murder perpetrated by, Derek Chauvin, nor that
it was one of countless acts of violence committed
with impunity by those allegedly tasked with
protecting communities, not just in the US but
also in the UK. Nor how the history of violence
against people of colour has lasted centuries and
is the result of the deliberate dehumanisation
by the European elite so we as ordinary people
would accept the brutal oppression of slaves and
indigenous peoples. This dehumanisation is not
just a historical issue, it continues today with the
messages that are sent out in the media, in movies,
on posters. We have drilled into us day after day
the message that black people are more violent,
more likely to commit crime, to take drugs etc. etc.
regardless of what the statistical evidence shows
us. We are encouraged to turn a blind eye to the
endemic, institutional racism and to blame the
black communities for any social issues that have
arisen because of this racism.
Now I want to mention something that triggers
a lot of people, I am going to be honest and put
my hands up and admit that as a female from a
working class family, who found herself in Jersey’s
Care System that it triggered me when I first heard
it. It is the subject of white privilege, and yes, for us
that are white it is uncomfortable to acknowledge
it, however, if we are truly honest with ourselves,
so it ought to, but as with any irritant it can drive
positive action.
Now white privilege does not mean we do, or did
not have barriers, what it means is that colour
was not one of them. It is not one of the things
we need worry about when we have to call the
police, are at school, are applying for a job and if
we find ourselves in the criminal justice system. It
also does not mean that the system does not also
actively work against us as working people, we
know we have an economic system that has been
deliberately designed by the 1% to pit ourselves
against each other and endangers the wellbeing of
each and every one of us.
It is not our fault as ordinary white people that
we were born white, nor are we responsible for
the original construction of the system, but
that fact does not mean we are absolved of the
obligation to proactively oppose it. We need to
take to heart that the issue of colour is an issue
in our community as white people, not of the
black community. It is institutions and individuals
within our communities that have a problem with
the colour of somebody else’s skin. We need to
understand that not being racist is simply not
enough, we must be proactively anti-racist and thus
we must call out racism, even when demonstrated
by our family and friends each and every time we
see it. It means we take time to educate ourselves
on the history of colonialism and its impact on
other nations and peoples. We must proactively do
these things as adults, because unfortunately our
education system fails us in this regard and thus
perpetuates the myth of white superiority.
It also means that we do not give people a free
pass when they try to change the subject from the
murder of a black man, to “looting is bad”, because
if we feel that the looting of a small minority of
downtrodden people is more of an issue than the
murder of another unarmed black civilian, then we
are part of the problem and if people really have an
issue with looting, then they are going to be mad
as hell when they find out how the treasures in the
British Museum were acquired!
We need to understand the full context of what
is happening at this moment in history and
because of Trump’s response, the implications
now if the protesters fail in their demands for
justice and equality.
The signs of our descent as an international
community into fascism are very visible if you
are paying attention, history is knocking at our
door, the alarm bells are ringing friends, will we
hear them?! We have a choice now, so let us use
that choice to envision and then proactively work
towards a new, kinder system built on equality
and justice that will benefit us all.
Will we hear the call and join our voices with
black and indigenous communities around the
world and say no justice, no peace! So, I say from
the United States to Palestine, From Yemen to
Kashmir, Black Lives Matter!
*This speech has been condensed for print.
Natalie's full speech can be found online at
www.mannermagazine.co.uk
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