Following the conviction of Derek Chauvin on Wednesday for the brutal murder of George Floyd on 25th May last year, there is a heightened sense of, ‘why aren’t we talking about race?’ for some of our community.
For some it is uncomfortable, for others, they may want to have the conversations but are afraid to say the wrong thing. For others still, the conversations are way overdue and much-needed to shine a light on an issue that has been engrained for centuries.
Why aren’t we talking about race?
Yesterday was Stephen Lawrence Day. A day marked with a double-edged sword perhaps- a Mother lost her son in a racially motivated murder. Wrong time, wrong place some report. But when will that stop being an excuse for loved ones being ‘lost?’ There followed a lengthy inquiry into the murder and years of injustice ensued, leaving the family and Black communities with not only the bereavement of their son but also with the significant disappointment of being let down by a justice system that was itself inherently racist. Consequently, the Macpherson report was commissioned and released its findings, including the recommendation for a revision of the national curriculum ‘to prevent racism and value cultural diversity.’
In some ways we have indeed moved on since then but there is still a long way to go.
Why aren’t we talking about race?
The two links below offer a current insight. We have to make the uncomfortable comfortable. We have to create a safe space for conversations so that the same mistakes do not happen, even in the education system. Micro-aggressions are not ok. Racism has to be stamped out. Full stop.
Why aren’t we talking about race?
@equality_ed