Why is it?

Why is it that in the worlds largest economy, in the 21st century, racism and acts of police murder are still ubiquitously present? Why is it that in a country that prides itself on being the land of the free that black people are still indiscriminately having to look over their shoulder? Why is it that 50 years after the death of MLK that the same battles are having to be fought over and over again? Why is it that the world by and large is having to battle and argue over what the colour of someone’s skin should mean for their life prospects? Why is it that in a society that has the capacity to care and show such great passion that we still direct that energy into hatred and bigotry?

I can’t possibly begin to appreciate or understand this plight: I am a white middle class male from Cambridge, I have never experienced racism, I have the opportunities so many don’t. All because my skin colour is light.

What, then, are we to do as a collective to quell this burning fire? We donate, we read, we stand in solidarity. I’m not talking about slacktivism, I’m talking about standing hand in hand we our brothers and sisters, our fellow humans. We all have hopes, dreams, ambitions, loves, passions and our skin colour cares not for what we strive to achieve; it never has and it never should. And yet we are told and see again and again that it does.

We fight and fight and fight until this evil is put to bed, and then we fight even harder to protect those inalienable right of all of mankind.

‘The hate of men will pass, and dictators die, and the power they took from the people will return to the people. And so long as men die, liberty will never perish.’

The power is within our hands, not the hands of the oppressors. This will remain a universal truth for the rest of time.