Posted byJessica MacKinnon

Today, black people in Britain are still being dehumanised by the media, disproportionately imprisoned and dying in police custody, and now also dying disproportionately of Covid-19. (See more in this article from the Guardian). The importance of talking openly and honestly about systemic racism and the effect it in our communities has never been more vital.

We have pulled together some resources to help you act so that we may continue to identify and eliminate racial discrimination.

What to listen to:

What to watch:

  • WOW’s interview with legendary activist Angela Davis at 2017’s London festival is available to watch in full here. Footage starts at 21 mins 40 seconds.  Angela’s book Freedom is a Constant Struggle, in whichshe speaks about transnational solidarity, feels more important now than ever before
  • Jane Elliott’s Classroom Lecture Experiment – Being Black; an eye opening experiment to show racial prejudice 
  • The Triple Cripples’ Big Idea for WOWxBBC  – Watch from 11 mins 10 secs here to listen to Jumoke Abdullahi and Kym Oliver on their work to increase visibility of women, femmes and non-binary people of colour living with disabilities
  • Ava DuVernay’s 2016 documentary 13th (available on Netflix) about the disproportionate amount of African Americans imprisoned in the USA. Watch a trailer here
  • Kimberlé Crenshaw and Hannah Azieb Pool in conversation at 2016’s WOW London – discussing intersectionality and the Say Her Name campaign. Watch in full here
  • Nine documentaries about racism and black lives that white people should be watching right now
  • I Am Not Your Negro. Narrated by the words of James Baldwin with the voice of Samuel L. Jackson, I Am Not Your Negro connects the Civil Rights Movement to Black Lives Matter.
  • Whose Streets? Frustrated by media coverage of unrest in Ferguson, co-directors Sabaah Folayan and Damon Davis documented how locals felt about police in riot gear filling their neighborhoods with tear gas.
  • LA 92. LA 92 is about the Los Angeles riots that occurred in response to the police beating of Rodney King.
  • Teach Us All. Over 60 years after Brown v. Board of Education, American schools are still segregated. Teach Us All explains why that is
  • Black America Since MLK: And Still I Rise. In this two-part series, Henry Louis Gates, Jr. chronicles the last 50 years of black history through a personal lens.
  • BBC drama about the Windrush Scandal, Anthony Bryan – https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/p08g29ff/sitting-in-limbo
  • Oprah – Where Do We Go From Here? (Part 1) – https://youtu.be/09ysfL2SlHo
  • Desiree Burch on How White People Can Help Black Lives Matter on The Last Leg – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4n-ex-FuHFA
  • Bob The Drag Queen & Peppermint: Intersectionality – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b04_HsrfuAQ
  • Pride Began With A Protest: How Gay Rights Are Connected To Black Lives Matter – https://bobbyberk.com/pride-began-with-a-protest-how-gay-rights-are-connected-to-black-lives-matter
  • You may also be interested in looking at and supporting the work of Black Minds Matter UK – https://www.blackmindsmatteruk.com/ and the Black Lives Matter UK Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/BLMUK/

What to read:

What you can do:

  • Write to your MP

Human rights organisations such as Amnesty International are calling for the UK government to halt the sale and export of tear gas, rubber bullets and riot shields – which are being used against protesters – to the US.

One way of adding weight to that call is by writing personally to your MP demanding the immediate suspension of exports, being sure to include your full name and address so they can see you are an actual constituent. Find your local MP at writetothem.com.

  • Join the campaign for an enquiry into BAME deaths

MP Diane Abbott and Stand Up To Racism are campaigning for an independent public inquiry into the disproportionate number of BAME deaths due to Covid-19.

The campaign is calling for:

  • A public inquiry into the disproportionate impact of the coronavirus on BAME communities. 
  • The recording of the ethnic background of all Covid-19 patients as recommended by the British Medical Association. 
  • No end to the lockdown until it is safe to do so.

Click here to sign and share the statement.

  • Volunteer with Show Racism the Red Card

Show Racism the Red Card is the UK’s leading anti-racism educational charity. There are plenty of ways to get involved with the charity, including getting your employer to book an equality training session, joining one of its action weeks campaigning against racism in football, or offering your services as a regular volunteer. Find out more at: theredcard.org/get-involved

  • Join a membership organisation

Signing up to become a member of an organisation that supports BAME communities and highlights issues of racial inequality means you get access to resources to help educate yourself and others, plus you’re plugged into relevant events, new research and policy-making decisions.

There are a number of organisations to join, although many charge a fee. Race on the Agenda (ROTA) is one of Britain’s leading social policy think-tanks focusing on issues that affect Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities. ROTA membership is free, and members are kept up to date with social policy issues affecting BAME communities.