R.I.P’d Off (Part 16)

I put off writing about the current events happening in the world in regards to the murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement for a reason. It was because I wanted to repost the previous R.I.P’d Off blogs to show and prove that this isn’t a new phenomenon and some of us have been shouting about it for years.

Yesterday I changed my mind, and it was in part thanks to a White ‘friend’. It all started with a post on Facebook. She was up in arms and disgusted at the London mayors proposal to possibly remove the statues of figureheads around the town with connections to profiteering from slavery.

She made her feelings quite clear. It’s just disgusting, history is history and it makes her so pissed. The majority of her friends agreed with her and commented about how we (Black people) wanted to try and rewrite history or erase it. They also spoke about the holocaust and how the Jews don’t carry on and make such a fuss so what’s our problem?

It’s funny how quickly and easy it is to be dismissed and perceived as the ‘angry Black woman’ when all you’ve done is politely speak your mind.

This is what I wrote back in response:

No one is asking to forget or rewrite history. They are asking you to acknowledge that this ‘great’ country was made great off of the backs of slaves. If it’s history and we should forget about it why are you getting all up in your feelings by having them removed? Shouldn’t you be doing the same? And comparing it to the holocaust is a joke. You acknowledge the holocaust and reparations were given for their treatment. We’re told, yeah it happened and what? Here’s a reminder on the daily! Whether they’re in public or in a museum where they belong it doesn’t change what happened in the past – but you could at least acknowledge the impact they may have on us.

My ‘friend’ saw fit to bypass and ignore my response, yet continued to interact and like other posts of those who shared her sentiment. As you can see I didn’t cuss, I just tried to politely put my point across but obviously that was too much. I scrolled back on her page and saw that this was the first mention she’d made of anything that had gone on previously in regards to this subject.

No disgust at the murder of George Floyd or support or empathy for her black friends – just anger over statues that I very much doubt she even knew existed before they were highlighted in the press, but such is life! I left it at that and moved on.

So then we come to Saturday, and the patriotic counter-protesters (🙄) who were supposedly protecting these precious statues in London by getting bladdered, fighting police, fighting each other, pissing on monuments, terrorising picnickers and generally being a bunch of racist, small minded dicks.

Funnily enough she had nothing to say about them. Crickets all round. But she did see fit to post about a Black pedophile who caused tremendous hurt and damage to a little girl. She was rightly disgusted and wanted him named and shamed.

Now, I understand her disgust fully and personally I hope he rots in whatever prison he’s in, but that post was over a year old and considering the current climate we’re in, I figured there were more important issues we should be focusing on today than to rile people up over something abhorrent that had already been dealt with.

So again I responded:

You’re right, he is a totally disgusting specimen and deserves all that he gets and then some. But I’ve gotta ask why you’re sharing something over a year old and you’ve got nothing to say about the mob that went out on Saturday to “protect” the statues you care so much about? Oh, my bad, is that classed as history too now it’s Tuesday and to be forgotten? Bye Felicia!🖐🏾

I decided that I couldn’t be arsed and unfriended her. She’d already shown me all I needed to see. But I was informed she responded back by saying she has nothing to say because she’s fucking sick to the back teeth of it all, Black, White, yellow, she doesn’t care. She just wishes everyone would get on. Seriously I need to calm down and she’s all for peace.

I need to calm down. Hmmm….

If you check it, it was she who wrote the angry post about statues and agreed with all of her angry little friends. I don’t recall her telling any of them to calm down and we should all get on. Not once did I use a cuss word or angry faced emoji, yet she did and so did her angry friends.

Yet I should calm down.

Black, White, yellow – she doesn’t care, but diss a concrete statue and it’s on! She’s got time to care about that!

She then decided to private message a family member – not me, and spin those go to lines of certain white folk of growing up with Black people and having mixed race family.

Can someone please explain to me just what the fuck that’s suppose to prove?

She also added that all this bitterness is getting no one anywhere. Which bitterness would that be? Me politely calling her out or the bitterness spewed out by herself and her angry little friends over statues? #AnswersOnAPostcard

It’s funny how quickly and easy it is to be dismissed and perceived as ‘the angry Black woman’ when all you’ve done is politely speak your mind. She’s not the first one to describe me in such a way, and as I really don’t give a fuck I’m sure she won’t be the last either.

It’s all good for her to be sick to the back teeth of it, but she was over it after 3 weeks. Try a lifetime then come at me! See how sick, tired, fed up, frustrated, confused, upset, disappointed, downhearted and pissed she feels then. And that’s just a few emotions at the tip of the iceberg.

Whilst her fellow patriots were busy ‘protecting’ statues and not being a menace to society in the slightest, I was busy at a peaceful protest on the same day in a local park. It was a beautiful day with no trouble and good vibes. Everyone came together for a common cause and it was truly a sight to see. I was asked to give a speech and admit to feeling flattered that they would ask but also nervous. I’m really not a limelight girl or public speaker, but I felt the need to come out of my comfort zone and show my support.

For the ‘friend’ who chose to ignore our plight and the rest of my readers I’ll end with the speech I gave. I hope it gives a little more understanding and incite into why we feel the way we do.

In life there comes a time when you look at a certain situation and come to the conclusion that enough is enough. I’d reached my limit a good while ago, but the horrific, public murder of George Floyd became the straw that broke the camels back for a lot more of us.

His murder may have been the catalyst for these protests and current events, but it is by no means the only reason why we find ourselves taking to the streets. For centuries the tale has been the same. Depending on how far back you go, HIStory will tell you of how great a country is, but deny or try to sweep under the carpet the reality of how that greatness came to be – and racism is key!

We have been – and for a lot of people will always be seen as the dregs of society. To be used, abused and disposed of accordingly. Racism runs deep within the police force and governments, home and away, and the reality is they were not created to benefit the likes of us. Only now are we slowly beginning to see change, but even still, the level of justice that is mete out to White people is highly disproportionate to those of colour.

They will throw statistics at us to prove our plight is a myth and we literally doth protest too much, but actions will always speak louder than words or figures on a page. It’s funny how people are incensed and raging over the removal of statues, but not outraged at the brutal loss of life they represent. That in itself speaks volumes. It seems like no matter what we do, or how we do it, someone will take issue with us telling the world that our lives matter and we deserve to be treated with respect.

You don’t even have to go way back to 1775 to highlight things. For example, look at how they handled the murders of Steven Lawrence and Mark Duggan. In 2015 the last reparations to slave owners was paid out. In 2015! It’s nearly 3 years to the day that the Grenfell fire broke out, with very little progress made in the enquiry and the Windrush scandal is still ongoing. I could happily stand here all day and give you example after example but what we really need is change. The system has been proven to be broken and corrupt from the core and desperately needs to be addressed and fixed, but that is not something we can do alone.

This is not a Black and White issue, it’s a humanitarian one. There are plenty that hate us but also an equal measure that have shown love and support from the start and from the heart. I know plenty who actually get it and understand that our cry isn’t about being selfish, it’s about being treated equally, respectfully and with dignity.

They are aware that White privilege is very real and they benefit from it on a daily basis without having to try. They understand that the privilege is the ease to walk and talk freely without fear of repercussions based purely on the colour of their skin. But to those who say that they are not racist or don’t see colour it has to be said that that is not enough. For real change to be made you need to be anti racism and acknowledge that yes, we are different shades, but it doesn’t make us lesser people.
I want you to see my melanin and embrace it, not deny it exists.

I’ll never forget my first racist encounter, and it was in this very town not far from here, by a blonde haired, blue eyed boy who spat at me and called me a nigger whilst I was simply minding my own business walking down the back of the high street. I’d love to say that that was my one and only experience but it hasn’t been. To those who have been lucky enough to not experience any racism so far in their lives, I’m happy for you, but please don’t dismiss those that have as talking nonsense. Who feels it knows it.

So, where do we go from here? Well, you’re never too old to learn, and it’s never too late for change. Racism isn’t genetic. To the White people who want to make a difference start by teaching your children to love not hate and educate yourselves on the real history of how your countries became so ‘great’.
Try to empathise and put yourselves in our shoes before you judge us.

To my fellow brethren, especially those who live in Slough, I say this; we need to focus on us and feel no way about it, and that’s not being divisive, it’s about coming together as one and celebrating us. Throughout the years I have seen nearly every other ethnic minority pull together and support their own without any issue. It’s more than time for us to do the same. It can be achieved we just need trust in each other, faith and to believe.

You can’t have a community without unity, and to the ladies that organised this protest today, my husband Chris Biggs, Rebecca Richardson, Tina Brooks, Tanya and Claudine Brooks-Carty, Anita Herbert and those who have already started in paving the way I thank you.
To the parents out there I’ll end with this, we need to teach our children that these postcode wars and fighting each other will get us nowhere and is bullshit! We will always be stronger together!

R.I.P George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Rayshard Brooks and all those who have lost their lives this week.