The Black Lives Matter movement
The response to George Floyd’s death feels different – why?
The visceral impact of George Floyd’s murder created a wave of emotion flooding the whole world. The video footage of his death was transmitted worldwide, played repeatedly, first on devices, before taking hold in people’s minds.
I purposely avoided watching any of the footage - reading his last harrowing words was traumatic enough for me, because what happened to George Floyd was a modern day lynching – carried out by a law enforcement officer while three others stood and watched. Officers whose duty it is to use the power they hold, to protect and serve, but who chose to use it to kill a helpless black man.
Here in the UK we’ve seen the government criticise the Black Lives Matter (BLM) marches because of the Covid pandemic. Of course, I can understand their stance - though not how they pick and choose what or who to criticise.
The prime minister refused to sack his friend, the government advisor Dominic Cummings for breaking lockdown rules – in fact, the prime minister continuously defended him. For those of you who are unaware of what happened Dominic Cummings drove thirty miles to a tourist spot with his wife and young child to “test his eyesight”, he said (I know - he should have gone to Specsavers). His actions alone could have encouraged thousands of people across the country to also break lockdown rules.
There have been protests in the past when people have been killed in police custody Mark Duggan’s death in 2011 caused days of rioting and protests here in the UK. So why the difference in reaction to George Floyd’s death?
To a degree Covid has resulted in people being more open to seeing other people as, just that people. And not just people, but people like them – an acknowledgement of a collective humanity. Feels like for the first time white people saw this black man as a person, a human being, one who loves his children, loves his mum and not another black man who must have done something wrong to have ended up dead. For many George Floyd’s killing hit home – a ’newly discovered’ home.
Here in the UK it’s encouraging to see the reaction from young people, of all races, who have had the loudest and strongest voices. They tend to place great value on fairness and tolerance and want to take an active part to ensure that change actually happens. They recognise that white privilege is real, that only those who hold power can be racist and that racism isn’t just ‘an American problem’.
They understand that the focus, at the moment, is on the BLM movement (and quite rightly so) when ‘all lives matter’ is the knee jerk defensive reaction. They are less willing to allow the discomfort felt when racism is mentioned prevent frank and honest discussions, as they understand that feeling uncomfortable is part of the process.
They are also less willing to allow the BLM movement’s legitimacy to be questioned and criticised because of how some within the movement choose to protest. They recognise that the movement needs true allies, not ‘fair-weather friends’, who ‘run for the hills’ when the going gets tough for them. They recognise all of this because racism is wrong. And will always be wrong. Regardless.
It’s important that black people recognise the instances, and are open to discussion and guidance, when well-meaning white people’s genuine attempts to make change look and feel clumsy.
On a final note all allies who commit to the movement can make helpful changes. For example, rather than mentally dismissing conversations when a colleague mentions a racial insensitivity, choose to think ‘what if’. Or the recruitment officer who decides to not dismiss a qualifying application form or CV belonging to a candidate with an ‘unusual’ name, but instead chooses to shortlist the applicant.
These ‘small’ gestures make a big difference. They matter.
Click here for resources from BLM.
Article by Ng
#blacklivesmatter #smallgesturesmatter
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