All Black Lives Matter and the surge to Anti-Racism
Things have been turbulent across the world because of the ongoing uprising against police brutality. I could go on about the ongoing 50 plus year outcry from the Civil Right Movement up to the present day. I could talk about the parallels between this movement and the Pride movement and its other uprisings prior to Stonewall. However, what I will talk about is my own personal experiences of being black, queer and non-binary and its context in the present day.
I never saw the actual video footage of George Floyd. All I knew and trusted by my black siblings with sending stills and it made my stomach fold up several times. Then came Breonna Taylor, Belly Mujinga, Tony McDade and many other siblings being shot or killed.
However, instead of the death fading into oblivion and being forgotten…the weight has awoken all black voices to say…NO MORE. History already has marked many black lives who died being enslaved, segregated or lynched. Even with the ongoing pandemic, protests erupted across the world. From Minneapolis, then New York, London and even Tokyo.
Never has it been clearer that not only black lives matter, but black trans lives matter, black women matter and the ongoing multitude of blackness matters. It can no longer be something to avoid or be nonchalant, it must be addressed and understood at a deeper level especially by non black people.
I don’t know how long the window will be open before things fade away. It could be wide open for months, but as we approach ‘the new normal’ I know our time is limited before capitalism hypnotises us into sleep once more. So I use the words of the great Angela Davis:
‘In a racist society, it is not enough to be non-racist, we must be anti-racist’
Google can assist you with this and I can assist you with this. I can guide you through the woods of all the books as well as provide my own experience of what actually living in such a society. Until then, may the fire burn bright, may the earth remain rich and #embraceinfinity
