Portsmouth Black Lives Matter movement promises to keep up the fight for racial equality
THE battle against racism this year has gathered pace – but there is still plenty of work to be done.
After the death of George Floyd in America earlier this year, the Black Lives Matter movement spread across the world, and soon made its way to Portsmouth.
What followed was a series of protests and marches that put the issue of racial abuse to the forefront of the city’s minds.
Organiser Mariam Daniel, 25, says the attitude to racism has changed massively since that first protest in Guildhall Square in June.
She believes the message is starting to get through – but knows there is a lot of work still to be done.
‘We have definitely seen a change in Portsmouth,’ she said.
‘People are becoming less tolerant to racism and starting to notice it happening – seeing how the city responded has been incredible.
‘We’ve seen it on the marches, the support in the streets and in the windows of people’s houses. But not everyone has got the message just yet.’
It’s not just down to black people and members of the BAME community to bring about this societal change, Mariam said.
Everyone has a part to play, from talking to those making racist comments online to educating family members about racial abuse.
She said: ‘People see their privilege as a bad thing, either saying it doesn’t exist or being ashamed of it.
‘But privilege is just a platform to help bring about change – we need everyone to be on board with this fight.
‘There are still people who tell us that “all lives matter” or worse, that black lives don’t matter. I think empathy is the way forward with these people.
‘People talking to one another, as human beings, is how we’ll get them to understand what we’ve been through, and why we want equality.’
Moving into 2021, the Black Lives Matter movement in Portsmouth is looking to integrate more with the city council and the university.
Mariam stressed that the momentum built for racial equality cannot be lost.
She said: ‘People still think we’re a terrorist movement that will burn Portsmouth to the ground for some reason; that couldn’t be further from the truth.
‘I’m excited to see where 2021 takes us.’