Black Lives Matter: A Letter to the Next Gen

Dear Next Gen,

I hope you’re all keeping well during this time.

I’m sure you have all seen the recent events that have unfolded in the last week, with the killing of George Floyd by four police officers, and the Black Lives Matter protests that ensued worldwide over the last few days.

Youth Music put out their statement on Monday, which you can read here. However, as a Black woman I felt I needed to speak out about this separately, to reach out to you all about my thoughts on this current situation.

Firstly, it has been deeply disheartening to see yet another Black life be violently taken away by the hands of the very people who are supposed to protect their citizens. Unfortunately, this recent event sadly did not surprise me, as George Floyd is just one victim of a very long list of unjust killings by the police, and by white people who deemed someone as a threat to society, simply because of the colour of their skin.

While looking at the protests in our cities across England, some media outlets have questioned why the UK is getting involved, as they suggest that police brutality and systemic racism are only pressing issues in the US. The reality is, many innocent lives have also been lost in this country due to the senseless brutality of our police force, and hate crimes committed by those who hold white supremacist views about Black people. We cannot ignore the long history of racism and discrimination that Britain has, and how that has contributed to an unjust system for Black people in this country that we see today, and it needs to stop.

I’m writing to you all, the next generation of thinkers, creatives, and activists to urge you to do your part to drive true change that this country so desperately needs.

This doesn’t just mean who we vote into No.10 Downing Street or into Parliament, it doesn’t just mean protesting, or donating, or signing petitions or posting hashtags. While these all play their own role in moving us in the right direction, the most important thing we can all do during this time is educate ourselves.

In order to be true allies to Black people and to the many ethnic minorities in this country that suffer oppression under systemic racism, we need to understand how we got here. Youth Music have put together some resources that can help you get started on educating yourself and actions you can do to support this movement.

While I’m writing this, I am reminded of meeting, speaking and working with some of you over the last year, and seeing the breadth of talent, intelligence and tenacity you all possess. Thinking about that gives me hope that your generation will be the driving force to create meaningful change.

And so, I close this letter with these thoughts. Racism or discrimination of any kind has no place in society. Equality and equity for all should not a be a controversial issue, it is a human right. The value of Black people’s lives are not dependent on how well they can assimilate into a society that was built to work against them. Ignorance is a privilege. Ignorance is a choice. What choice are you going to make?

Thank you, and please stay safe,

Domenica