Notes from Isolation Week 10 & 11
Every couple of weeks since the beginning of lockdown I have compiled a collection of notes with things that a few of my friends and I have been making/doing, reading, listening to, watching and following. Sharing our recommendations has sparked conversations in group chats as we discuss the newfound ways in which to spend our days. I titled the series, Notes from Isolation and shared them in the hope that they would serve as a form of comfort and distraction to others as we navigate this strange and uncertain time. In the last few weeks, however, most of my listening and learning has focussed on the anti-racism movement and whilst these notes barely scratch the surface, I wanted to share the reading and research that I had found particularly engaging, challenging and helpful.
There are lots of useful resources circulating online — this is a document compiled by a friend from uni, she explains —
“To my white friends,
Black Out Tuesday, while the thought behind it was well-meaning and served as an act of solidarity, has highlighted how problematic online ‘activism’ can be. Companies who have, in the past, profited off of racism performatively posted black squares, eradicating any further antiracist responsibility. ‘Clicktivism’ is the most ephemeral form of activism.
I made this document for my own use, to better my allyship. None of the ideas below are solely my own, many of these types of documents exist already and I am by no means pretending to be an expert on these issues. I don’t want to come across as assuming anyone’s ignorance, or as lecturing. It is a collection of resources, links and thoughts to help us further our activism and education - we should not be relying on the black community to do the work for us. I hope they are as accessible as possible; I realise many of them require a level of privilege to access.”
Her resource contains links to other google docs as well as lists of reading, podcasts, films/tv shows, concepts, initiatives and actions. Along with questions and worries about being an imperfect ally. Here.
Do:
Donate (if you can). I know many people will have done already, particularly to the bail funds in America. I wanted to include three charities doing crucial work to support black lives in the UK. I’ve also included a link to a list that I discovered latterly, it’s much more extensive than mine and thought it was super useful. Created by Roundtable Journal — A Simple Guide to Lesser-Known Black Lives Matter Organisations & Funds — here.
Black Minds Matter UK — read more about them here and donate here.
Runnymede — read more about them here and donate here.
The Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust — read more about them here and donate here.
Support — black owned British businesses — a little list of black owned sustainable businesses to buy from created by my wonderful friend Laura. Have a look here.
Sign — this petition to get Nikesh Shukla’s Good Immigrant and Reni Eddo-Lodge’s Why I’m No longer Talking To White People About Race on the GCSE reading here.
Read:
Ibram X. Kendi in The New York Times, An Anti-Racist Reading List — I wanted to add this for the resources, but also to include Ibram X. Kendi’s words before he shares the list —”To build a nation of equal opportunity for everyone, we need to dismantle this spurious legacy of our common upbringing. One of the best ways to do this is by reading books. Not books that reinforce old ideas about who we think we are, what we think America is, what we think racism is. Instead, we need to read books that are difficult or unorthodox, that don’t go down easily. Books that force us to confront our self-serving beliefs and make us aware that “I’m not racist” is a slogan of denial.” Read here.
Bernardine Evaristo in Vogue, “Literature Can Foster And Express Our Shared Humanity”: Bernardine Evaristo On The Importance Of Inclusive Publishing — Like Ibram X. Kendi, Bernardine Evaristo explains the importance of reading, the power of publishing and how — “literature can connect us to each other and foster and express our shared humanity. Our experiences in this country might be specific, but through art we can interrogate universal truths about what it means to be human. This is why it’s so important for our arts, culture and society to be inclusive of everyone.” Read here.
Nesrine Malik in The Guardian, Fighting the racism that killed George Floyd requires more than hashtags — on how white people must understand true solidarity when it is not fashionable to do so — “True solidarity, the one that helps in the long term rather than merely buys a sticking plaster for the short term, is in those moments. It is in the daily discomfort of taking risks, of challenging a system that subtly but emphatically excludes black people, when there is no reward for doing so, and of making way and giving up space where it counts – at the table where power sits – and when no one can see you do it”. Read here.
Yomi Adegoke for Vogue, We Need to Rethink Our “Pics Or It Didn’t Happen” Approach To Activism — a very powerful piece deconstructing the grief and anger in response to the pledges of allyship on social media “Put simply: the idea that silently doing the work can be negatively weaponised while empty barrels can sate themselves with the noise they make is dangerous. Many people, white people, who have been largely mute on these issues until this point are now doing what they can to detract from their own previous apathy in the form of screenshotted donations and fervent threads, rushing to prove they’re not like those “other” silent white people, quickly writing captions decrying complicity that was theirs until last week. And since silence is complicity, the logic follows that loud self-flagellation is activism, even if it is in part to temporarily assuage white guilt and requires little actual action. I am not interested in statements fuelled by fear of cancellation. I am interested in those who maintain this energy when nobody is around to applaud it.” Read here.
Listen:
This is just a short clip from Clara Amfo’s show last week, I’m sure lots of people heard it too, I found it very moving and powerful. Quoting one of her favourite thinkers, Amanda Seales she said, “you cannot enjoy the rhythm and ignore the blues.” Listen here.
1619 is a podcast created by The New York Times examining the long history of slavery that America was built on. My favourite episode was number 3 on the Birth of American music – on the black voices that created, influenced and shaped the music we know and love. Link to the series below.
About Race is a podcast created by Reni Eddo-Lodge as a result of her bestselling book Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race. Reni talks to key voices of anti-racist activism as they unpick the narrative of recent history and where it has led us today. Spotify link below.
I am yet to read Layla F Saad’s Me and White Supremacy but found this episode on Emma Gannon’s podcast particularly informative as she explains the book’s initial self-publication, following her instagram hashtag challenge. Spotify link below.
Emma Watson has created a very useful resource by collating a playlist of podcasts, writing, analysis and discussion surrounding white supremacy, systemic racism, as well as stories and experiences of black people, indigenous people and people of colour. Spotify link below.
Watch:
George the Poet on Newsnight. I’m sure a lot of people have seen this but I think it’s important to take note of the stats and information he relays to Emily Maitlis regarding Black Lives Matter in the UK. Watch here.
Ivirlei Brookes speaks to white women who truly want to help; this is so apt and comprehensive — don’t let the title put you off, white men watch too! Here.
Similarly, Obioma Ugoala speaks about how to tangibly effect change. Watch here.
Roy Hackett — Why I’m still fighting racism at 90 — “trying is a great thing, and if even you fail one, try another time or try to improve what you fail on, you know, and try again. Really because young people today, they are tomorrow’s people”.
Follow:
Dialogue Books — an imprint of Little, Brown. Dialogue Books are a publisher shining the light on underrepresented voices often excluded from the mainstream. Read more about them here. And follow them on instagram for news and updates here.
A Black History of Art is a brilliant account that I discovered via The Great Women Artists. Check them out here.
The Girls’ Network — recommended by my wonderful friend Lydia — The Girls’ Network empowers 14-19 year old girls from the least advantaged communities across the UK by pairing them with professional female mentors. Have a look on how you could become a mentor here.