'Black lives matter, but I'm white'

The best thing we can do to join the alliance of our Black friends is not to ignore race, or be overly sorry about racism, or overload our friends with questions about things you'd 'never even considered before'. I can guarantee you that they have had to consider it a long time ago. Educate yourself, consider it, and then talk to your Black friends. Try not to express shock, or hurt, so explicitly. Instead, show them through action and open conversation, that you are with them for the long haul.

However, our Black friends are hurting particularly at the moment. The current climate is not the time to be starting conversations without first checking in on how they really are, or even asking if they are comfortable answering questions.

Donating, for example, is great in relation to protests and particularly for bailing those involved in the current events. But, donating takes ten seconds and isn't the long term work we need to be doing to combat racism in the way it exists more generally. It is so important to remember that once the protests are over, the struggle continues here and in the USA, simply because the anger doesn’t represent a new phenomenon, or a shock. Black people are tired. Racism is not only police brutality, but is also implicit, and gendered, and institutional. The issues were there before, and will be there afterwards. It's going to take education of the masses to make Black Lives Matter. Education of white privilege is key because anger is nothing without gratitude.

I have learned that the reason we may not have heard from some of our Black friends at a time like this is because they do not feel listened to; they don't feel comfortable reaching out, simply because they have done so much already. It is our turn, and has been for a long time, to do something bigger, and something more than ever before. It is not anyone's responsibility but our own.

Open the conversation, but for the first time without hesitation, let our Black friends lead. Don't only read, don't only ask, and don't only listen.

FOR COMPREHENSIVE UNDERSTANDING OF BLACK EXPERIENCE AND HISTORY:

'Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People about Race' by Reni Eddo-Lodge - with a paradoxical title for its ideal audience, this journalistic-style book is great for covering, in a more emotive and less academic way, a multitude of aspects of racism in Britain. It has chapters on privilege, histories, white fear, feminism, institution, and social class.

An Asian friend recently expressed to me that they are in a difficult position because they 'tick all the boxes' in terms of white privilege, but are not white themselves. The history and particularities of racism against Black communities in Britain is, without devaluing the experiences of other ethnic minorities, really specifically important in understanding how race relations work more broadly in this country.

For this reason, this book is the perfect starting place for anyone who isn't Black, to grasp at a surface-level understanding of Black-specific life experiences, and re-evaluate what they thought they knew about prejudice and institutional racism.

'The West and the Rest' by Stuart Hall - this is a chapter of an academic book called 'Formations of Modernity'. If you can get access to it, I highly recommend it as an analysis of how the whole world is actually based on racialised prejudice, which I think we all know in the back of our minds, but have consistently failed to recognise or grasp. It describes that we are divided into the 'west' and the 'rest', in politics as well as our subconscious minds, and explains theory behind the initiation of racial stereotypes. It is a shocking read that allows deeper understanding of the roots of everyday racism in imperialism.

It is a useful resource to reflect on and may particularly draw attention to where these personal biases may exist in your own life. This is a necessary part of self-reflection needed to make the shift from being non-racist, to anti-racist.

'We Need to Talk about Race' by Ben Lindsay - to gain an understanding of the workings of institutional racism, and to draw light on the fact that even the Church can be internally racist, this book is great for opening up conversation about how white-run Church leaderships can respond to race relations.

Of course, even if you have no affiliation with the Church, it is still a great way to listen to Black experience, especially in a part of life that you may not have particularly considered could even be affected by race. If you are affiliated with the Church, start here.

FOR STORIES OF BLACK LIVES AND EXPERIENCES:

'Heart of the Race' by Beverley Bryan et al. - this is an explanation of the particular intersectional struggles that Black women in Britain have faced since the 1960's, combined with related interview snippets. It is vitally interesting on the grounds of Black feminism that is compounded with lasting effects of the racial/class struggle, and other wider experiences of the Windrush generation.

Immigration to Britain is glamorised then condemned. This collection of personal experiences is useful to provoke empathy, so is a good read to be shocked by the real lack of exposure we have had to how Britain really works for Black people, on a basis of immigration. As white people we are extremely shielded from the realities of how difficult living in Britain is if you aren't white. Our internal racial biases just fade into everyday life, but over time they cause extreme injustice, and limitations on all areas of Black people's lives. This, compounded with structural racism from a society created for the benefit of white people, is consistently damaging.

This book allows exploration of these ideas, but I would suggest it as a more in depth option after reading 'Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People about Race', or something that similarly lays a bit more groundwork, due to the initially difficult nature of reading into these experiences as white people.

'Half of a Yellow Sun' by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - my favourite novel of all time; it touched me for so many reasons. Stories can do just as much good, for representation of Black characters, support for Black authors/creators, and education of personal histories. Set in Nigeria during their Civil War, this book follows the tragedy that was implicitly inflicted by white people, from the perspective of Nigerian characters.

The plot also allows for commentary on white ignorance, as well as white condemnation of alliance. Educating ourselves in, and empathising with, Black histories, is just as important as learning about current affairs, because we are provided with context for the damage that modern ignorance and racism causes.

OTHER RESOURCES:

'The Urgency of Intersectionality' by Kimberle Crenshaw - Crenshaw is a race relations theorist who focuses here on Black women's experiences of racism, and the crossroads between gender and race that they find themselves at. This is a required listen for white women to gain some understanding about why their feminism doesn't work, and for all non-Black people to empathise with the particular oppression that Black women face everyday. [Link to TED Talk]

'We Should All be Feminists' by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - a short overview of the fact that feminism is for everyone; Adichie's experiences of sexual politics as a Black women reflects that this means Black people as well. This is also available as a short essay in book format. [Link to TED Talk]