The Day Islanders Took a Knee for 8 Minutes and 46 Seconds in Solidarity
Human Rights activist, Natalie Strecker, provides her speech from the Jersey Black Lives Matter demonstration
George Floyd, an unarmed black man, was murdered by US police officer, Derek Chauvin, in Minneapolis on the 25th May whilst being taken into custody, which, as demonstrated by the footage taken at the incident shows he was not resisting. Unfortunately, this was not an unusual, nor a particularly unexpected incident, as statistical data from the United States has consistently proven that black civilians are at least twice as likely to be the victim of lethal force by the police department.
What was unusual about the incident was that for the first time in history, not only did it result in the expressing of outrage across the globe but that it also sparked a series of international protests, vigils and other actions demanding an end to systematic racism. These actions continue and appear to not show any signs of abating anytime soon. They have also sparked discussions about the need for us in the West to look more closely, and with honest eyes, at our history and upon what foundations our ruler’s empires were built. A history that makes many uncomfortable and has resulted in a number of counter-protests, underscoring the period of extreme polarization we seem to be witnessing.
As an islander, but also a human rights and social justice campaigner, who so frequently has felt that Jersey appears to be so detached from the problems and issues of the rest of the world, despite being an international finance centre, I was delighted when I was approached by Jude Kriwald who informed me that he and his girlfriend, Nicola, had felt compelled to organise a vigil in solidarity with the family of George Floyd and with black communities around the world.
Jersey’s vigil took place on Saturday, 6th June and I was proud when I witnessed around 1000 islanders, including a large portion of our black community, turning out to add their voices to others of conscience around the world and proclaiming that enough was enough and that it was imperative we find a better way forward. That we commit to rebuilding our world and communities on solid foundations, with the cornerstone being the principles of freedom, justice and equality for all, values that will ensure a kinder world that will benefit each and every one of us.
It is time to recognise that we must let go of our past and carve out a world that our children and future generations can be proud of. It is vital that we mature as the human family and fully recognise, which has become so apparent during this Covid-19 pandemic, that whether we like it or not, more than ever before, we are interconnected, that our survival literally depends upon one another and our futures for good or bad are inextricably linked.
On that theme I share my speech from that day:
Before I speak today, I would like to first of all state that I am a work in progress.
I would also like to share that I have seen the sharp end of racism when I served as a human rights monitor in the occupied and racially segregated city of Hebron in Palestine and it is ugly. We must commit ourselves as an international community to rooting out the poison that is racism and all forms of bigotry, as there is a consequence to us all if we don’t.
What happened to George Floyd is an unspeakable act of racially motivated brutality, but I am not going to repeat the ins and outs of the act of murder perpetrated by, Derek Chauvin, nor that it was one of countless acts of violence committed with impunity by those allegedly tasked with protecting communities, not just in the US but also in the UK. Nor how the history of violence against people of colour has lasted centuries and is the result of the deliberate dehumanisation by the European elite so we as ordinary people would accept the brutal oppression of slaves and indigenous peoples, in order to enable the building of empires and an economic system that enslaves, in a different way, all of us.
We also cannot pretend friends that Jersey itself does not have ties to these crimes, which was excellently highlighted in local writer, Ollie Taylor’s articles on the subject of the slave trade. This dehumanisation is not just a historical issue, it continues today with the messages that are sent out in the media, in movies, on posters. We have drilled into us day after day the message that black people are more violent, more likely to commit crime, to take drugs etc. etc. regardless of what the statistical evidence shows us.
We are encouraged to turn a blind eye to the endemic, institutional racism and to blame the black communities for any social issues that have arisen because of this racism and the deliberate dereliction in duty of government institutions. It is no surprise that because these messages work so well, that we have seen a rise in similar messaging being used over the last number of years in respect of other minority groups such as the Romany community, travellers, the disabled and even the working class.
Now I want to mention something that triggers a lot of people, now I am going to be honest and put my hands up and admit that as a female from a working class family, who found herself in Jersey’s Care System that it triggered me when I first heard it. It is the subject of white privilege and yes, for us that are white it is uncomfortable to acknowledge it, however, if we are truly honest with ourselves, so it ought to, but as with any irritant it can drive positive action.
Now white privilege does not mean we do, or did not have barriers, what it means is that colour was not one of them. It is not one of the things we need worry about when we have to call the police, when we are at school, when we are applying for a job and if we find ourselves in the criminal justice system. It also does not mean that the system does not also actively work against us as working people, we know we have an economic system that has been deliberately designed by the 1% to pit ourselves against each other and endangers the wellbeing of each and every one of us.
It is not our fault as ordinary white people that we were born white, nor are we responsible for the original construction of the system, but that fact does not mean we are absolved of the obligation to proactively oppose it. We may wish to reject our privilege, but we cannot and thus we need to take ownership of that privilege and use it to amplify black voices, we DO NOT speak on behalf of the black community, but when we can, such as when we are offered a platform, we demand black representation and we step aside.
We need to take to heart that the issue of colour is an issue in our community as white people, not of the black community. It is institutions and individuals within our communities that have a problem with the colour of somebody else’s skin. We need to understand that not being racist is simply not enough, we must be proactively antiracist and thus we must call out racism, even when demonstrated by our family and friends each and every time we see it.
It means we take time to educate ourselves on the history of colonialism and its impact on other nations and peoples, we educate ourselves on the accomplishments of people of colour and learn that these are many and are at least equal to European accomplishments. We must proactively do these things as adults, because unfortunately our education system fails us in this regard and thus perpetuates the myth of white superiority.
It also means that we demand better of our own local government and send a firm message to our ministers, that there should not be any local politicians attending the president’s ‘prayer breakfast’ until people of colour and other minority groups subject to discrimination are safe on the streets and in their homes. We demand our politicians to remember our history as an island of living under a fascist regime and that they ought not to be courting fascists. Following Trumps’ statement regarding Antifa, which just means individuals who are proactively opposed to fascism, let us be very clear on something, President Trump, if you are anti antifascist, it is because you are a FASCIST.
It also means that we do not give people a free pass when they try to change the subject from the murder of a black man, to “looting is bad”, because if we feel that the looting of a small minority of downtrodden people is more of an issue than the murder of another unarmed black civilian, then we are part of the problem and if people really have an issue with looting, then they are going to be mad as hell when they find out how the treasures in the British Museum were acquired!
We need to understand the full context of what is happening at this moment in history and because of Trump’s response, the implications now if the protestors fail in their demands for justice and equality, I believe that it is no exaggeration to say that it will be the end of civil liberties as a whole. It may start in the US but we cannot afford to be so naïve as to believe it will stay there, it WILL spread and there will be a consequence for us all, even us here in our island of Jersey.
The signs of our descent as an international community into fascism are very visible if you are paying attention, history is knocking at our door, the alarm bells are ringing friends, will we hear them?! We have a choice now, so let us use that choice to envision and then proactively work towards a new, kinder system built on equality and justice that will benefit us all.
Will we hear the call and join our voices with black and indigenous communities around the world and say no justice, no peace! So I say from the United States to Palestine, From Yemen to Kashmir to Brazil and beyond, Black Lives Matter!
