Living in the midst of a pandemic has done strange things to our perception of time. The summer of 2020 feels like it just happened and also like a lifetime ago.
It was a moment of seismic change as thousands took to the streets demanding justice for the murder of George Floyd and protesting against all forms of racial injustice.
We may have been inspired by the nationwide gas shutoff, but this was collective action on a scale many of us had never seen before, and it was transformative.
Racism is being forced to apologize for past racist behavior and commit to positive change in the future, institutions of all kinds and the public and has been in the headlines for months, along with private enterprise.
Social media was flooded with reading lists, illustrations illustrating how to play your role, and long, emotional captions about the importance of “allies.”
Skeptical about the fragility of social media “activism,” and despite my distaste for active solidarity (shout out the black squares on Instagram), I was hopeful. As Kiel Sturmer said angrily, it felt more like a movement than a moment.
For the first time, white people are no longer allowed to simply hide behind the defense of not being racist. More was requested.
Being anti-racist means opposing racism and promoting racial tolerance, and that requires action.
From speaking at public conferences on racism, to launching initiatives to empower members of ethnic minorities in the workplace, to participating in news, literature, and campaigns to counter racist ideologies, I have been encouraged by colleagues, my wider friendship group and beyond High school friends on Facebook who engage in this type of behavior.
But two years later, it seems we are going backwards: the progress that seemed to have been made since the BLM protests has now been undone and may end up worse than it originally was.
When the new Premier League season began last week, it was announced that players would no longer take a knee before every match in solidarity with Black Lives Matter.
In July, the first UK journalism awards for black journalists, launched only in the summer of 2020, were put on hold to “increase overall diversity”.
Sales of titles written by African-Americans rose on the charts in 2020, but African-American authors are still overwhelmingly underrepresented in publishing, with a 23% decline in the number of African-American characters appearing in best-selling children’s books since 2020.
Awards, book sales, and anti-racist gestures like taking a knee are not necessarily the most influential elements of the movement, but there were more significant examples of setbacks.
This week, new data revealed that black children are being subjected to more police strip searches. Whistling abounds, as both Sunak and Liz Truss move forward with plans to deport the migrants to Rwanda. Ford’s report revealed a “hierarchy of racism” and discrimination against black Labor lawmakers.
It’s scary to think that we’re here now, just two years after the statue’s fall, diversity effort, and enthusiastic shared reading list. Where are the allies who have promised to drive change? Where are the people who read books, listen to podcasts and promise to “get the job done”? Where are the anti-racists protesting this perversion? Where are the apostles?
Perhaps now is not the time to focus on racial inequality as other global crises unfold, such as the aftermath of the pandemic, the cost of living, and the growing impact of extreme weather.
These crises are not isolated, isolated problems, but rather intersecting and overlapping ones, and as each problem draws closer to its community, it is people of color who feel the combined effects.
We need to recognize that the life crisis and climate emergency disproportionately affect Black and Brown people in this country. It also requires those in power to take action to mitigate the impending disaster, recognizing that not all of us are affected in the same way. We provide funding and tangible support to the communities that need it most.
It is simply not true that we no longer need to fight for racial equality, that we need anti-racism more than ever.
As a black woman of mixed race, it hurts me to see white people wake up to the reality of racism in 2020. But it hurts me even more to see them lose interest and the plight of racial injustice off the agenda.
The summer of 2020 cannot be fleeting. It’s an old trend that fades into the archives once it’s no longer worthy of a news headline. Now is not the time to return to passive racism.
I have no right to pick up and carry an anti-racist backpack because my luggage got too heavy.
If you called yourself an anti-racist two years ago, get out there and speak up and keep calling for change now and in the future. Anti-racism should be a lifelong philosophy, not just a hashtag.
Source: Metro
I am currently a news writer for News Bulletin247 where I mostly cover sports news. I have always been interested in writing and it is something I am very passionate about. In my spare time, I enjoy reading and spending time with my family and friends.
