Thread by @teamconvergent, 'Please I can't breathe.'Why do cities have to burn before we pay [...]

'Please I can't breathe.'

Why do cities have to burn before we pay attention?

In the UK I hear people saying the plight of Black Americans is a US problem. Black people in the UK struggle daily. More black people than any other group have been fined & searched...

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...during the lockdown - that's indicative of a wider systemic problem.

So what can non-black people do? (Numerous & detailed resources for the points made below follow later in this thread)

1. Don't expect black people to engage in the emotional labour of educating you

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2. Sign petitions

3. Support black-owned businesses and movements, eg: @kayleighbenoit_, @OmariMcQueen, @CephasWilliams

4. Amplify black voices. Share their stories and raise awareness about the work they are doing.
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5. Check in on black friends & colleagues. Remember that racism causes trauma. You must not ever expect someone to talk about the racism they have suffered or assume that it's easy to talk about.

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If you are unsure of how to start that conversation, then send me a private message - I will try to help.

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You will feel discomfort as you do these things (maybe even as you read this post). If you feel like stopping, remind yourself that you have the luxury to stop & move on to something else. Black people do not.

#justiceforgeorge #BLM

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***Books and other resources:***
Black and British - @DavidOlusoga
Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race - @renireni
Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire - @akalamusic
Guilaine Kinouani http://www.racereflections.co.uk @kguilaine

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***Books and other resources contd***
https://blackbritishhistory.co.uk/

https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/#petitions

https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/#resources

https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/

http://www.refinery29.com/amp/en-us/2020/05/9841376/black-trauma-george-floyd-dear-white-people

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/aug/06/black-lives-matter-uk-found-vital-social-justice

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Why activists brought the Black Lives Matter movement to the UK

‘Deaths are not just happening in the US’: how a protest movement first launched in America made its mark in Britain

https://blackbritishhistory.co.uk/

***Books and other resources contd***
https://theconversation.com/why-the-uk-needs-its-own-black-lives-matter-moment-to-wake-up-to-police-racism-100998

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/26/bame-people-fined-more-than-white-population-under-coronavirus-laws

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/may/16/london-police-accused-of-racial-profiling-in-coronavirus-lockdown-searches

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London police accused of racial profiling in lockdown searches

Handcuffed school worker says misuse of stop and search has worsened during pandemic

https://theconversation.com/why-the-uk-needs-its-own-black-lives-matter-moment-to-wake-up-to-police-racism-100998

***Information on black-owned businesses and movements***
@MNFreedomFund
@56BlackMen
@dipaliciousltd
@bindlondon
@bailfundnetwork https://twitter.com/bailfundnetwork/status/1266760383303319552?s=20
https://natwestbackherbusiness.co.uk/bindlondon
https://travelnoire.com/black-owned-businesses-london-uk-black-history-month

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https://twitter.com/bailfundnetwork/status/1266760383303319552?s=20

***Information on black-owned businesses and movements***
https://www.greenamerica.org/blog/6-reasons-support-black-owned-businesses
https://www.theguardian.com/money/2020/may/06/black-owned-small-business-loans-funding-pandemic
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/345972

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3 Ways to Support Minority-Owned Businesses

From #BuyBlack and #BankBlack to supplier diversity initiatives, here's how you can get involved and support minority-owned businesses.

https://www.greenamerica.org/blog/6-reasons-support-black-owned-businesses

***Other times when riots have occurred in the US:***

- when sports teams lose: https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/incomplete-list-things-kentucky-fans-013506028.html

- when sports teams win: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2123534/Kentucky-students-riot-basketball-team-beats-Louisville-NCAA-Final-Four.html

- when your sports team's coach leaves: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/tennessee-football-riots_n_421255

12/15

Tennessee Football Riots PHOTOS, VIDEO: Lane Kiffin's Leaving Tennessee Causes Fury

Tennessee football fans reacted bitterly last night to the news of Lane Kiffin's departure to coach the USC Trojans after just one year on the job as hea...

https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/incomplete-list-things-kentucky-fans-013506028.html

***Other times when riots have occurred in the US, cont’d:***

- when your coach leaves because he covered up child molestation:
https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/penn-state-riots-after-paternos-ousting/

- because people decided they hate disco: https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/8xzke5/disco-demolition-night-was-a-disgrace-and-celebrating-it-is-worse

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'Disco Demolition Night' Was a Disgrace, and Celebrating it Is Worse

The Chicago White Sox are commemorating an infamous 1979 near-riot in which a primarily white crowd destroyed records made by Black and gay artists. It's shameful.

https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/penn-state-riots-after-paternos-ousting/

***Other times when riots have occurred in the US, cont’d:***

- people were told they couldn't party anymore: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/james-madison-u-block-par_n_534137

- because of pumpkins: https://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-new-hampshire-pumpkin-riots-20141019-story.html

- because black people wanted educations: http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/october/1/newsid_2538000/2538169.stm

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Riot breaks out at New Hampshire pumpkin festival

It wasn't the pumpkins they were smashing.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/james-madison-u-block-par_n_534137

AND FINALLY

- because black people were prospering: https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=TU013
@okhistory

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