I AM PROUD OF THE BLACK, ASIAN AND ETHNIC MINORITY COMMUNITIES STANDING UP FOR OURSELVES AND PROUD OF THE WHITE COMMUNITY STANDING WITH US.
Comment by Bianca Ali.
I am a core member of Black Lives Matter Cardiff. I, myself, am of mixed heritage and feel as though it is particularly important right now that we highlight racism within Wales and around the world.
Racism has always existed within the UK just as much as the USA and this must be highlighted. In my experience, I believe a lot has been done to cover up the fact that racism exists in the UK, particularly in regards to institutionalised racism.
This has led to deep inequality within lots of areas. In the health sector, for instance, Black women are more likely to die during childbirth yet there is no research as to why.
Inequalities within the criminal justice system mean that while people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds constitute only 14% of the general population in England and Wales, they make up 25% of its prison population.
Employment is also challenging for us. A study by experts based at the centre for Social Investigation at Nuffield College, University of Oxford, found applicants from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds had to send 80% more applications to get a positive response from an employer than a white person of British origin.
As someone from a poor, working class background who grew up in Grangetown and Cathays in Cardiff, I believe racism and poverty are linked and there is a serious lack of opportunities for people like me.
Systematic racism holds us back and doesn’t generally give the same opportunities to be able to climb the ladder or even enter the system. This is why it’s important to have working class and those from less well off backgrounds involved in the movement.
The protests are just the beginning. We need a public movement for all to get involved with, to feel united and to highlight important stories like George Floyd, or the 5 Black men found hanging across America, or the stories we have here in the UK that stay under the radar like Shukri Abdi and Christopher Kapessa.
The protests are also to show how many people actually support the cause and are standing together. They can be a platform for people to share their stories and experiences of racism, to help further educate others who are still learning.
After the huge demonstration in Bute Park, Cardiff, on 6th June I felt hugely overwhelmed. Firstly because I was blown away by the amount of attendees, but also because of the emotional stories we heard. Some people had been through really tough times here at home in Cardiff.
As much as I am aware racism exists in the UK and have myself experienced such things, I had no idea on what a huge scale it really was. It was a very emotional day, I was proud of our city for protesting peacefully, for the individuals who spoke to over 3,000 people. I was proud of the Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority communities standing up for ourselves and proud of the white community standing with us.
Our plans for the future within Black Lives Matter Cardiff are to raise as much awareness as possible, educate, and get some light shone onto the systematic faults. The movement in Wales has already achieved so much awareness and solidarity, and we hope to help with the Shukri Abdi and Christopher Kapessa campaigns*. We need everything that is currently dividing us as a culture destroyed, and to start again, unified as one human race.
Bianca Ali is a member of Black Lives Matter Cardiff
*Saturday 27th June: Justice for Shukri Abdi: Socially Distanced Protest Cardiff, from 13:00-16:00, Y Cardiff, Bay
*Saturday 27th June: Remembering Christopher Kapessa Event: 14.00 ,Parc Dyffryn Pennar: Dyffryn Road, Mountain Ash, Rhondda Cynon Taf, CF45 4DA
