Why the Black Lives Matter Movement needs to continue.

Introduction

At first this was my Instagram post caption. But I’ve decided to start posting my thoughts on here instead. So here are my thoughts on why we shouldn’t stop working on the black lives matter movement.

My Thoughts

The #BLM movement has gained so much momentum in the last two weeks and the solidarity at these protests is honestly overwhelming. Please continue to be vocal because we can’t let this go out as a yet another ‘trend’. There are still a lot of people confused by why the protests are occurring in the UK and simply put, it’s also because this country is not innocent. Separately, you speak from a place of privilege if you even have to ask this question.

Blackness as a racialised political category has always been rendered incompatible with notions of Britishness. Throughout the 60s and 80s, there were a production of official policies of racial disenfranchisement. Still today, not much has changed.

Racial disenfranchisement is ultimately how the state has become a prime actor in understanding how racism operates in Britain. Before arguing that Britain is only covertly racist or that they’re not as extreme in their racism as America, first take a look at their policies of racial disenfranchisement, which continue to be enacted even today. More recently, look into Priti Patel’s Immigration Bill, the Windrush Scandal, even the Migrant Cap in 2011. There are literally so many more evidence that I haven’t listed that point to the racist conducts of this country. When you look at this, we can understand the politics of race in Britain and how these institutions view the lives of black people.

This is the first time since the Black Power Movement (in my lifetime) that we are seeing a collective effort to mobilise a global fight against the comfy bedfellows of racism, colonialism, white supremacy and fascism.

Cities like London have a long history of serving as the blueprint of diasporic encounters and collaboration between black organizers and intellectuals from British colonies. So, it’s honestly a surprise (but pleasant one) to see other cities such as Newcastle, Leicester and Coventry (to name a few) show OUT during these protests.

We’ve finally fuelled what I would call this generation’s transnational black political culture so why would we stop here? I’m pleading that we continue talking about the movement until we dismantle racism.