The last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind of emotions. Each month, 2020 brings us something more shocking than the last and May was absolutely no different. The killing of George Floyd was a huge wake-up call for so many people out there, but the fact that another person had to lose their life at the hands of police brutality in order for us to once again reaffirm the fact that, yes, black lives do matter is a problem in itself.
I took time away from posting when the news first broke out; it became stressful to be online so I would get a few updates throughout the day here and there. A few days passed and I became more and more engrossed in finding out ways I could help out with petitions and spreading the word. Countless of petitions signed later, I’m still here trying to figure out a way to move forward.
It is evident that in 2020, it is not enough for non-black people to be “not racist”, but to be actively anti-racist. We all have a role to play in how we can bring down societal and systemic racism that *spoiler alert* isn’t just rampant in the US, but is very much alive and thriving in the UK and all over the world.
I ~do not~ speak for all black people when I say that I had my own learning and unlearning to do over the last couple of weeks. From thinking back to secondary school and sixth form at how I let so much slide in the classroom to how I navigate my day-to-day life right now living in China. I’ve also been thinking about how I as a medical student can ensure I don’t end up playing into the hands of racism in the medical field. Black women are 3 to 4 times more likely to die during or after childbirth than their white counterparts, and that is absolutely terrifying. Not only that, but black and Asian people are more likely to die from Covid-19. As someone who will be working in the field one day, I (just like all my fellow medical students) have a duty to make sure this statistic isn’t still standing 10 years from now. My curriculum in China isn’t heavily centered on bias in the medical field, so it’s up to me to educate myself on this every day.
I want to share important and useful resources that we can all use in order to start being actively anti-racist. A lot of them are what I have/am using at the moment, and if you know of anything I have not mentioned, you are more than welcome to sharing in the comments, because after all, we all have a role to play in this.
TO SIGN
TO DONATE
TO READ
How to support the protestors demanding justice for George Floyd - Teen Vogue
How to take anti-racist action in your life - Teen Vogue
How to support the Black Lives Matter movement if you don’t live in the US - The Lifestyle Files
Why I’m No Longer Talking To White People About Race - Reni Eddo-Lodge
TO WATCH
Get Out
When They See Us
13th
TO FOLLOW
TO DO
Continue educating yourself even after this stops becoming the trending topic.
Talk to friends and family members no matter how uncomfortable.
Get rid of the idea of “not seeing colour” - this article on The Everygirl explains how problematic and counter-productive this is perfectly.
Speak up and stand up when you see racism or injustice.
Petition and donate as much as you can.
Diversify your feeds and follow more black creators.
Understand your privilege and how you can use it to help black people and uplift their voices.
