The fight for equality in the UK is far, far from over.
Last night, a 14 year old black boy playing football in the streets in was murdered by a group of men. Birmingham Police are trying to say it was not racially motivated, I say that once again that police are talking shit. I see no reason why a group white of men would get out of their car to chase down a group of teenagers and stab one of them to death. This a boy who was out enjoying the sunshine on a bank holiday Monday, ready for half term with his friends, a boy with his whole life ahead of him. He had a family at home, probably waiting for him to come home for his dinner, now they’re mourning their son while his killers are still out there.
This comes just weeks after Sasha Johnson, a BLM activist in the UK was shot in the head.
The government claim there’s no systematic racism, that is a clear lie. They have tried to put a positive spin on past slavery. Our invasions and colonastions throughout history are not taught in schools, 95 percent of young black people have witnessed or heard racist language at school in the UK.
We need to step up, we need to be calling out racism and showing that this is not okay, and we should not be standing for this. I hear casual racism being brought up in conversation all the time, it took me a long time to educate myself and get the confidence to not only call out this behaviour, but attempt to educate. I’m sick to my stomach with what has happened, i can’t even begin to imagine how the black community is feeling. I’m linking some resources below, please, please support anti racism causes in the uk, we have such a beautiful and diverse culture, we should be embracing it.
Resources below.
Organisations:
Stop hate UK - anti-racism charity
Show racism the red card - anti racism charity
Charity So White
Black Lives Matter
BMECP Centre – a sustainable resource centre which champions the Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) community in Brighton and Hove and supports BME communities and their families.
MOSAIC Brighton – Black and Mixed-Parentage Family Group
Immigration and Asylum Helpline from Rights of Women
Southall Black Sisters – addresses the needs of BME women empowering them to escape Domestic Violence, Forced Marriage, Honour Based Violence, FGM, Rape
Karma Nirvana – supporting victims of honour-based abuse and forced marriage
Imkaan – “addressing violence against Black and minoritised women and girls”
Justice for Grenfell
Movement For Justice
Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust
The National Memorial Family Fund is the first permanent national resource of its kind specifically for those that are affected by deaths in custody.
UK Black Pride
Imaan London – LGBTQ Muslim Charity
Liberty help challenge injustice, defend freedom and campaign to make sure everyone in the UK is treated fairly.
The Black Curriculum
Runnymede Trust – the UK’s leading independent race equality think tank
The United Families & Friends Campaign, is a coalition of those affected by deaths in police, prison and psychiatric custody.
BAME recruitment consultancy website
Black LGBT organisations you should know about: a list from Stonewall staff
Books:
Why I Am No Longer Talking to White People About Race, by Renni Eddo Lodge (non-fiction)
Me and White Supremacy, by Layla F. Saad (non-fiction)
White Fragility, by Robin Diangelo (non-fiction)
Kill the Black One First by Michael Fuller (non-fiction)
Brit(ish) by Afua Hirsch (non-fiction)
Black and British by David Olusoga (non-fiction)
Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo (fiction)
The Windrush Betrayal by Amelia Gentleman (non-fiction)
Black Feminist Thought by Patricia Hill Collins (non-fiction)
Ain’t I A Woman by bell hooks (non-fiction)
Redefining Realness by Janet Mock (non-fiction)
Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde (non-fiction)
Me, Not You, by Alison Phipps (non-fiction)
Queenie, by Candice Carty Williams (fiction)
Sula, by Toni Morrison (fiction)
How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi (non-fiction)
Assata, by Assata Shakur (non-fiction)
Articles and social media posts:
Welcome To The Anti-Racism Movement — Here’s What You’ve Missed
“Where are the Black girls?” about (in)visibility in Childhood Sexual Abuse bu Jahine Davis
Report from Imkaan: Reclaiming Voice: Minoritised Women and Sexual Violence Key Findings
Intersectionality infographic from Listen Up Research CIC
The Truth About Women and White Supremacy
How We Make Black Girls Grow Up Too Fast
White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack
What will you do to continue the work? (IG)
What to do if you can’t protest on the streets for Black Lives Matter
Why you need to stop saying “All Lives Matter”
10 Steps to Non-Optical Allyship
When Feminism Is White Supremacy in Heels
I want to be an ally but I don’t know what to do (IG)
What does black British activism look like in 2020
We revolt simply because, for many reasons, we can no longer breathe – statement from Diversity & Ability and resource list
Structural Racism vs Individual Racism (IG)
Everything else on Gal:Dem, an online and print publication committed to sharing perspectives from women and non-binary people of colour.
Black Ballad, a UK based lifestyle platform that seeks to tell the human experience through eyes of black British women.
A more extensive list can be found here, please feel free to add more!
In this article I’m going to be sharing my insights and give advice to artists looking to exhibit or sell their work at comic cons or similar events. I attended 10 different U.K. cons over a …
A great read and rare insight into the UK con scene, including very detailed finance info.
(was asked to resend this) So I'm an adult US citizen and I've always had this dream to eventually move to either England or Scotland. I'm pro dx ASD and ADHD (among other things). Are there any laws/rights/protections regarding autistic or otherwise disabled people in the UK? I'm feeling less and less safe and accepted here in 'Murrica and would really love to Escape!!
Hello!
Sorry it has taken us so long to get to your ask! We had been waiting for our mod from the UK to answer it, but they aren’t available to. The following are some resources about autism/disability law in the UK.
Do you know of anywhere to get good quality binders in the UK? I've seen you give the Underworks binders a lot of praise, but the website is American, and while American websites do sometimes ship abroad, the postage is usually crazy high when I order other things from the USA (and that's not even getting to the possibility of extra customs fees, which are hard to determine). Any suggestions?
I thought I had seen something on our blog about UK resources for binders before but I think I was wrong. Sorry! I did a bit of digging on the net, however, and found a few things.
I found this on the UK Amazon site. There’s a few others in the related section as well. Just make sure you measure before purchasing!
Also, a few people have said that they purchased from Underworks and the shipping was not that expensive.
I wanted to buy from the UK too but we just seem to have nothing of much here…i can find the odd packer but as for binders i’ve never found anything.I’ve just this second put my order in for a underworks tri-top binder as i have a larger chest (D-DD)it was cheaper then i thought. Came to $48.00 thats around £32.00 including airmail costs.
I found that here. Susans is generally a decent website. That post is from 2010 so things might have changed. Unfortunately, besides ebay, that’s all I was able to find.
This week's featured website is TrangenderZone: An online support group for gender nonconforming individuals who are looking for information on health, mental health, or just want a community to connect and be open with. This website was established in 1998 and is based in the UK but their online resources are available to anyone who visits the website. They provide weekly private live support that you can join via Skype or if you do not feel comfortable participating, they have helpful podcasts as well. Their website also features a forum where individuals can connect with other members of the trans* community in a safe and personable setting. They also have a Twitter where they post trans-related news and a Facebook where individuals can share news, events, and other helpful information.
Since last week’s resources were based in the United States, this week I am featuring a couple resources that are based in the United Kingdom.
The Beaumont Society is one of the largest and oldest transgender support groups based in the UK. They work to provide all kind of support to trans* individuals and create a wider acceptance of trans* people in the general public. They are supported by the NHS and are funded entirely through membership fees, a community you can be a part of if you are a UK resident and 18 or over. If you would like to know more, visit their website here.
The second UK resource is the Swans of Scotland: a supportive help group for trans* individuals living in the North of Scotland. They offer both professional support and peer support for Scottish trans* individuals who are in need of mental support or solidarity. They often hold meetings, information sessions, and support groups for those who want to connect in person with allies and other trans* people who are looking for support and want to help others. You can also connect to them online either through their website, which has event information and dates, or through their Facebook.
