What have you done? A year on from George Floyd (Part 1)
Last June we saw protests taking place across the world following the murder of George Floyd. We saw a wave of realisation spread through some of the white community after it became evident of what the social justice system is like for people of colour. These protests also highlighted the structural, societal and institutionalised racism that is still embedded within every fabric of our society from health care to education and employment.
I originally started writing this blog with the idea of posting it in May to mark the anniversary of the untimely passing of George Floyd. At roughly 10pm on April 20, however, I read the news that Derek Chauvin was convicted for the murder of George Floyd. Whilst waiting for the news to come out, I - and I imagine many black people – were experiencing a combination of feelings including hope that justice would be delivered, paired with the sense foreboding that history would repeat itself and yet another white police officer would get away with killing yet another black person. So, when I saw the headline that Derek Chauvin had been convicted, for me there was a moment of feeling joy that justice had finally been served. But as many people have said, true justice would mean that George Floyd would have been alive today. So how can I be happy?
In that moment I experienced a moment of hope that things could begin to change. Then I had to face the reality of the situation. Yes, Derek Chauvin being convicted was an important moment in moving forward BUT isn’t it crazy that we waited nearly a year for a police officer to be convicted of a murder the whole world watched him commit!? Yes, the fact that this police officer was convicted of murder was a historic moment, however, doesn’t it speak volumes about the issues that we face? This made me look closer to home and how the UK is still in continued denial of institutional racism. And today, April 22nd marks the anniversary of Stephen Lawrence who murdered because of the colour of his skin. It took 20 years for those involved to be brought to justice. This justice would not have been served if it wasn’t for the incredible brave and hard work of Stephen Lawrence’s mother. So, yes the verdict in America was the correct one and a step in the right direction.
The harsh reality being that if George Floyd’s murder was not recorded, Derek Chauvin like many other police officers in America and the UK, would have gotten away with it. The conviction of Derek Chauvin serves as a vindication for the pain and suffering felt by the black community for countless years. This small step highlights how far we need to go if we want real change. How much hard work must be done, to prevent these tragedies occurring in the first place. This is a long and hard fight and one that people of colour cannot afford to lose. I’m not sure whether you all noticed, the front-page headlines on April 21st weren’t filled with this landmark case but instead were focussing on the Super League news. The murder verdict featured perhaps only two or three papers and was side-lined to make room for sports… is that how justice is served?
CHANGE?
I remember being at work a few days after the protests in the UK began to spread. I remember a white colleague of mine speaking to me about what was going on with regards to George Floyd and the subsequent protests. Firstly, I want to give them credit for trying to have an open conversation about things because the majority of my colleagues did not acknowledge or talk about anything that was going on. This colleague asked me a very simple question that I felt required a very simple yet complex answer. They asked me, “Do I think things will change?”
My answer at the time was “I don’t know…” I wanted to say yes because it feels different this time - but history has a bad habit of repeating itself. In hindsight I wish I had turned and asked her the same question, “Do you think things will change?”
My whole life, I have seen black people fighting to be heard. Telling their stories of racist abuse. Trying to get help from those around them only to be told they were being “too sensitive”, playing the “race card” or just dismissing their experiences entirely. Me wanting to turn the question back on my colleague and change my response reflects how my life and my attitude has changed considerable within the last year.
In the last 10 months I have done a lot of reading that has led to perspective changes, personal growth and a change in how I live my life. At the time of protests, I was reading Malcom X’s autobiography and a lot of what I learned from that book is still relevant to today’s society which tells me one thing - thing’s haven’t really changed. As a group we speak about equality and ending institutional racism, but rarely do we speak about how this is done, what this looks like and how it even exists within the worlds we live in.
One thing I have started paying attention to more this year is politics. In the last year - more than ever before - we have all seen how the decisions made by the government have a real-world impact on how we live our lives. For years I never paid attention to it and rarely voted because I didn’t see the point. But that attitude was naïve and that attitude on a large scale allows for the government to get away with horrific things that can affect every single one of us. Things like kids going hungry during the school holidays should never be a worry. If it wasn’t for the work Marcus Rashford and of so many others, those kids would have gone without food. We shouldn’t have to rely on celebrities or individuals solving or speaking out about those issues when we have a democratic government that was formed to serve the interests of the public. This government that was formed to serve its people were the same one that said they weren’t going to provide food to those kids. We need a government that understands the issues we face in the real world, so they work alongside and for our interests rather than us having to shout about basic rights like access to food.
An example of how much things needs to change is from the actions of British Government this week. They have done more in the last 72 hours to combat the creation of The Super League than they have to fight racism, women’s safety and child hunger. So, when we go and vote, we shouldn’t just think about ourselves… but the type of world we want to live in.
One of the key things I have learnt is that for equality and change to occur, as a community, we must change our habits as well as how and what we teach kids. Recently Wales committed to including black history within their curriculum which is a lot more than the English Government.
Sitting here and writing this, I hit a conflict. I wanted to finish the piece but I there is still so much more to write. There is just so much more I need to process right now too. So, for now, I will leave this as part 1 and part 2 will follow when I have had some more time to process not only the current murder conviction but also the news that followed hours after the Derek Chauvin Verdict came in - that yet another black person was killed at the hands of a policeman.
The mixed emotions that I and many other people of colour feel right now…
I want to encourage you all to carry on reading, carry on reflecting and learning, and use those lessons learned to challenge racisms and injustice as you see it because change only comes through action.
Love,
Ken
