What Action Have You Taken, or Has Normal Service Resumed?
On the 2nd of June 2020, many of us on social media posted black squares in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. It’s been a month since many people openly declared their shock, disbelief and sadness at the stories that black people were telling.
Cast your mind back to that day. What did you want to change? Did you decide to learn more, to educate yourself, to shop differently, to question more, to have those ‘difficult’ but necessary conversations with friends, family, employers or clients? Did you want to take some action?
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So here’s the question, have you taken any action or has normal service resumed? Publicly posting a black square was easy. Outwardly declaring disgust about stories of racism was easy. It’s what happens behind the scenes when no one is looking; that’s the tricky bit.
If you’re an influencer, have you checked the brands you work with? Are they varied and inclusive? Do they support marginalised groups?
Friends, have you discussed with each other what you’ve learnt? Have you spoken to family members?
If you run a business, have you looked at your suppliers and what they stand for? Have you explored the possibility of extending your product range to include products from black and brown suppliers?
If you consume content on social media, have you looked at who you follow? Is your feed diverse to allow for different opinions? Or do you follow those that look like you and have the same opinion and experiences?
If you have a company with 3, 30 or 300 employees, have you considered how you could do more? How inclusive is your company? How would it feel to be the only black or minority person within your business?
Where do you get your news from? Are you only getting only one point of view?
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I’m not saying that you should be documenting your every educational move towards anti-racism on social media; absolutely not. The real work happens behind the scenes.
But if you haven’t done anything at all, my question to you is, WHY? By doing nothing, you are allowing things to stay the same.
