By Erin O’Connor

Up until now, I have professed that I am non-racist, that I believe in equality for all. But this week has slapped me so hard in the face and made me aware that being non-racist is not enough. Being non-racist and leaving it at that means that racism still pervades, still spreads like a virus through the body that is our society. And we all know what viruses do to us, considering we’re living through a global pandemic right now. Why 3rd June 2020 though? Why 23 years into my life?  Well, the 3rd June 2020 marks the first Black Lives Matter protest that I’ve ever been part of. I am sorry to say that it has taken me so long to take a public stand for this movement, but I vow to never stay silent about this again. Ever. 

The protest I was a part of was a peaceful one, starting in Hyde Park (London) and making its way to Brixton. Let’s just take that physical pathway as a metaphor for a second. 

For those of you that aren’t familiar with London, Hyde Park is probably one of the most affluent areas of London. Buckingham Palace around the corner, Parliament and 10 Downing Street around the other. Brixton, by and large, is the antithesis of that. Our movement through the city symbolised something bigger than just a march from one side of the city to the other. It symbolised a collective demand to give power, a voice, a platform to those who for so long have been powerless, voiceless, platform-less. Not because they weren’t inherently worthy, but because white people have not shared the opportunities or offered the respect.

What the protest taught me is that we are part of something bigger than ourselves, something that we, all of us, have a duty to be part of.

The protest took over the whole afternoon, and in that time there were so many moments that were so incredibly powerful, some even bringing me to tears. But they can’t be summed up into the space of a blogpost, nor should they be confined to so many words. The voices, the stories, the tales of persistent injustice, inequality and violence against black people and other minority communities should be given the world’s stage, to be heard fully and completely. Because until black lives matter, no lives really matter. And that’s not an opinion - it’s a fact. 

Why this particular protest though? What was so poignant about this protest, compared to others? The truth is, I’m not too sure. I think ignorance has a huge part to play in it, and perhaps when other racial inequality protests took place over the years, something else got in the way of my attention. And for that, I am truly sorry. 

However, the past few weeks have felt different. This protest hit different. This time, it feels like we are in the midst of a cultural, historical, humanitarian revolution. Scratch that, we are in the midst of a revolution. 

What the protest taught me is that we are part of something bigger than ourselves, something that we, all of us, have a duty to be part of. Taking back power from the few and giving it to the many has been long overdue. This is a fight that needs to happen in the streets. A fight that needs to happen behind the closed doors of government institutions. A fight that needs to happen in all businesses, all industries, all areas of society that involve people. It is a fight that needs to happen within us all.

We need to hold up a proverbial mirror to ourselves and start asking some seriously difficult questions. Do I act in a way that is just for all? Do I treat everyone in my life and in my wider community with the same level of respect and equality? Do I immediately make judgements on someone’s character based on the colour of their skin? Do I question, call-out, stand up to the people around me when they comment out of racial prejudice and privilege?  Yeah, you feel uncomfortable? So do I. Sit in that discomfort. Because through discomfort, we grow. Through chaos, we grow. Through pain, we grow. 

At the end of the day, we are either part of the solution, or part of the problem. There is no longer a middle ground. So, which side of history are you going to fall on?

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