BLACK LIVES MATTER

"BRING JUSTICE FOR FLOYD AND THE MANY PEOPLE AFFECTED BY RACISM"

With over sixty countries coming together to fight injustice, Tag ’21 is talking about Black Lives Matter. We contacted young people in Britain and the USA who have been affected by racism to find their views on how they think life has changed since the unforgettable protests during the 2020 – the first year of the Coronavirus pandemic. George Floyd’s upsetting story marked a moment when the world had enough. Social media enabled celebrities and influencers to reach out to their followers to try to force a change in the system and to teach people of all ages what anyone of colour goes through.

We interviewed people from different backgrounds asking them the same questions and getting their point of view on the legacy of BLM. Everyone we spoke to had mixed opinions. “…we felt like our voices were being heard” said Maisa aged 19. “…it opened my eyes to what really goes on in our society and that our society still thinks its slavery times with this racial discrimination and targeting” Isiah 20.

“THE MEDIA ARE NOT TAKING IT SERIOUS”

AMZ TARIQ, 20 FROM LONDON

Lots of people were involved in the protests during May and June 2020 but to what extent has that made any difference to racism today? Many in the UK said they have experienced it less but “some people aren’t afraid to show their true colours” said Maisa. Whereas Isaiah Rasheen, 20 in America, said “I notice way more racism, especially in this year alone”. He also said “I fear for my own safety at times” While the British claim they have the word out, in America the stories are different and it seems to have made it worse for those living there. These protests, especially in Minneapolis and London have sent a loud and clear message to those who needed to change but arguably not effective enough to change everyone’s thinking. It shows that there’s still a long way to go. Recently we have seen in major sporting events men and women taking a knee to show support, equality and no room for racism either on the pitch or in society. Unfortunately there has been a backlash as some fans (who have recently returned to sporting events after covid) seem to have been emboldened to boo when the knee has been taken. This has been especially noticeable in football. As well, we have observed a perceived lack of clear leadership in government with the Home Secretary telling GB News that she agrees with the England football fans booing the knee saying “It’s up to fans if they boo.” This is disturbing when a high political figure in this country provides a mixed message on division. Alongside this controversy

“HOW RIDICULOUS IT IS THAT WE’RE STILL

FIGHTING FOR RIGHTS” MAISA ALVES

we have seen a corresponding escalation on Twitter with ‘England’ fans putting videos up of themselves booing in front of their televisions when the players take the knee. It seems with fans returning to the stadiums the long term issue of racism is not going away and the division between the fans and the players is continuing is getting bigger every time. Will this ever be resolved? What is the new US president doing about racism? Joe Biden is making the right noises as he pledges ‘actions against systemic racism in all areas of US society’. Let’s hope the words will be followed by action and the ‘leader of the free world’ can give us optimism to tackle racism.

What would you do differently to change attitudes towards racism?

Shazzida Siddika Design: Jess Scrivener

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abcnews.go.com/alerts/black-lives-matter www.bbc.co.uk/news/ world-us-canada-52844192